SmallvilleX: Evolution
by ben10987654321
Summary: Clark ends up attending a certain school for the 'gifted'. Smallville/X-Men: Evolution x-over.
1. Chapter 1

**SmallvilleX: Evolution**

Summary: Clark ends up attending a certain school for the 'gifted'. Smallville/X-Men: Evolution x-over.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters I use.

Author's Note: This started off an idea I had as I was watching the Smallville season 3 Episode Phoenix where the Kents are about to lose the farm until Lex steps in. Well what if Lex didn't step in. What if at this moment a different bald man showed up with an intriguing offer to the Kents about the private school he runs in Bayville. Set in season 2 of X-Men: Evolution because I wanted the New Mutants to be there. I'm not sure about the title. If anyone can think of something better I'm open to suggestions.

* * *

Chapter 1

Clark stands at the entrance to the farm leaning against the post. He takes in the 'Kent Farm' sign hanging above his head and wonders how much longer it will be there because his parents, while continuing to fight it, are facing the very real prospect of losing the farm and as much as they have told him not to blame himself he can't do anything but that very thing.

After all how much of it is his fault. Where was he over the summer when his parents were trying to not only cope with the financial problems they were facing but also dealing with the fact his mother lost her baby. Another thing that was his fault. He was so desperate to be rid of Jor-El that he didn't think of the consequences of his actions when he tried to destroy his ship. The ship exploded, which by the way really hurt and for Clark real pain is a rare and unusual occurence, his parent's truck was caught in the explosion and his mother miscarried and the worse part of all is that it achieved nothing. Jor-El is still around and capable of making his life hell at any moment.

Of course that brings him back to where was he over the summer when he should have been here. The answer is simple. He drugged himself up on red kryptonite, ran away to Metropolis and spent 3 months stealing and robbing banks and causing general chaos and destruction. That was his not very mature way of dealing emotionally with what he had done because red kryptonite, red meteor rocks, pieces of his home planet, when it comes in contact with his skin causes Clark to lose his inhibitions and allow out his inner id. It makes him feel good, powerful and he used it to suppress the guilt and pain he felt at what he had caused.

In other words it basically turns him into a jerk as Chloe had told him in her usual blunt but weirdly reassuring manner. Although she didn't know why he was acting the way he was because Clark hadn't told her of his unique origin. He was too afraid of how she would react. That she would look at him like a monster if she learned he wasn't as human as she. That and he was afraid she would end up writing a story about him. He had had nightmares about that one. Although a part of him thinks, hopes, that Chloe wouldn't do that. That she would understand the consequences of what would follow his outing.

Clark lets out a sigh. Chloe. That was another thing he needed to repair. Their friendship. He only hoped he could. He supposes he can add Pete to that list as well. At least he and Lex seemed alright. Although Clark hadn't seen a lot of Lex since he came back from the dead after Lex's wife tried to murder him on their honeymoon. Lex was trying to patch things up with his father Lionel or something like that. Clark didn't see the point really. As far as he was concerned Lionel was irredeemable. Not to mention dangerous as he was obsessed with the discovering the secrets of the Kawatche caves and consequently Clark's secret as well. He always had to be really careful around Lionel in hiding what he was and what he could do. Sometimes Clark wishes there was some place where he he didn't have to hide himself away so much and people who understood what it was like to have a burden like he does. His parents, as much as he loves them, can never completely understand what it is like.

Clark's thought soon turn back to the summer past and he lets out a sigh. What a mess he has made of everything and if it wasn't for his father making some sort of deal with Jor-El to get super powers Clark would still be running amuck under his alias of Kal. His father came to get him and they ended up fighting and Clark won. He beat up his father. He almost winces at the memory. The only tiniest bright point there was that when it came to it he couldn't kill his father. He destroyed the red kryptonite ring he was wearing rather than do that.

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a horse approaching. Clark turns his head and his mouth goes dry at the sight of the rider. Lana. Oh god he had not been looking forward to this conversation because Clark had loved Lana forever but she had come to Metropolis over the summer and had seen his dark side and frankly her reaction to it had been one of disgust. Clark hadn't talked to her since he got back because frankly he didn't know what to say. Sorry seemed so inadequate but there was no way he could tell her the truth either so where did that leave them? She stops in front of him. "Hey Lana."

Lana dismounts from her horse. Truth be told she had come this way on purpose in the hope of seeing Clark. They needed to talk. Before the summer, before he ran off, she had thought that something was developing between them and she wanted, no she needed to know, about how he acted when she found him in Metropolis and if there was any possibility of them putting that behind them and picking up where they left off before this all began. "Hey Clark. So any chance your parents will be getting a second chance?" she asks in relation to the farm and it is a good topic to start a conversation with she thinks.

"Still fighting," he answers with less than total belief.

"I hope they do and I hope you stay," she says softly because if the Kents lost the farm Lana had heard from Chloe that would end up moving to stay with Mrs Kent's father in Coast City, California.

"I hope so too," Clark admits softly.

Lana moves a little closer to Clark. "If you do stay then I was thinking that maybe we could put all that stuff that happened in Metropolis behind us and maybe try again."

"Lana," Clark begins to say but she cuts him off.

"Clark, I know there are things about you that you try to shield me from, but you don't have to protect me anymore." She takes his hand in her own. "Whatever it is, I can handle it." She whispers the next bit. "I really want to know you."

Clark pulls his hand away. A part of him so badly wants to tell her but another part fears she will look at him in disgust if she knew just like she did in Metropolis. He tries to explain it to her. "Look, um, Lana . . . The way you looked at me in Metropolis, you were, uh, you were disgusted."

"No, I was confused," she corrects him. "You can't blame me for that."

"I don't blame you," Clark assures her. "But I can't stand for you to ever look at me that way again."

"You weren't yourself," she argues.

"Yes, I was," Clark reluctantly admits in an honest appraisal of who and what he was in Metropolis. "Lana, I chose to let that part of me out," he explains, "and it's always gonna be there. Trust me, you don't want to know me the way you think you do."

"Clark, that's my decision to make," she tells him.

Clark wishes it was but in truth it isn't. He has to decide right here, right now whether to tell her the truth or end it and save her heartache down the road. He makes his choice. "Lana, I'm sorry. I wanted this so much. All last year I tried so hard to be the right guy for you." _Pause._ "But I'm not. This'll never work."

Lana looks away, hurt swirling through her heart. She blinks against the tears in her eyes and nods her head, then walks away from Clark and gets back on her horse. She looks down at Clark. "Clark, you never had to try."

Lana turns the horse around and rides away slowly. Clark lowers his eyes as he considers Lana's statement. She says that without knowing him, the real him, whoever that is because who is the real Clark. The one standing here or the one who rampaged through Metropolis. Until Clark resolves that dilemma maybe he should avoid relationships full stop. It would certainly hurt less that what he is feeling right now. He remains where he is for a long time thinking on that as Lana continues away from him down the dirt road in the direction of the setting sun. What he didn't tell her was that along with letting that dark part of him out he also enjoyed it. He liked using his abilities without the fear he normally has about exposing himself. He had never given much thought to it before but with his power he can do almost anything he wants or at least he thinks he can but since he has never had a place to really tests his limits in truth he doesn't actually know. Maybe, he thinks to himself, maybe it is time to stop rejecting what he is so much and time to figure out who he really is and what he can really do.

* * *

A few days later in the office of the Torch.

"Bigfoot?" Clark asks Chloe sceptically. He had apologised profusely to her for being a jerk and she seemed inclined to forgive him to the point she had dragged him into her latest investigation. At this moment she is showing him one of those oh so clichéd blurry photographs that some tourist had taken in the woods around Smallville.

Chloe snorts. "Well obviously not the real thing Clark." Although with this being Smallville, the home to all things weird, Chloe couldn't rule it out completely but more likely it was another meteor freak of some kind.

Clark lets out a sigh. Every time he did this, helped Chloe, he risked exposing himself yet he felt responsible for all those transformed by the meteors and making sure they didn't hurt anyone. "So what do we do?"

Chloe's face lit up with that toothy grin of hers. "Great! I knew you would help."

"Of course Chloe. Someone has to keep you from getting killed."

"Hey!" she protests. "That has almost never happened." Clark simply stares at her until she breaks. "Ok maybe it has a couple of times," she concedes. "But remember Clark Kent that you are on thin ice so you don't get to criticise me right now," she reminds him which of course is something considering he could be on no ice after he broke her heart. Well more accurately he ripped it out of her chest and stomped up and down on it with his size 15 feet by choosing Lana over her and not having the guts to tell her to her face. No she had to find out by catching him and Lana locking lips in the barn. Not that she is bitter or anything.

Clark bows his head and his shoulders' droop. Great she just has to make him feel bad again doesn't she.

"Clark," Chloe says softly at his stance. "Don't go all broody on me now."

Clark lets out a sigh. "Why not? You're right. I have no right to criticise you. Not after everything I did."

Chloe suppresses a groan. She wasn't meaning to make him feel bad was she? Well maybe she was a little. The big doofus did break her heart however unintentionally so it was. Then on top of that there is the ongoing saga of him and Lana's latest teen angst after their break-up with her once again caught in the middle. Maybe she should just let it go for now. "So why don't we get out there and look for clues."

Clark's head pops back up. "Look for clues? What are we, the Mystery Inc gang?"

Chloe breaks out into a cheeky grin while she gets to her feet. She threads her arm around Clark's. "Come on Clark. We have another mystery on our hands." She drags him out the office while she quips "If you're hungry I have some Scooby snacks in my car."

Clark bursts out into a laugh. He can't help it. Chloe can always make him laugh.

* * *

A little later they reach the rough spot in the woods where the tourist saw 'bigfoot'.

Chloe claps her hands together loudly. "So lets split up and look for clues."

Clark looks at her knowing she is joking. No way in hell is he letting her out of his sight.

Chloe shrugs. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Clark smiles slightly. "I guess I should enjoy it while I can huh?"

"Still no luck in getting an extension on the loan for the farm?" she queries.

Clark shakes his head. "No."

Chloe feels really bad about that. Sure she is a little mad at Clark but she doesn't want to see him or his parents leave because they lost the farm. It seems so wrong for that to happen to people like Mr and Mrs Kent. "Chloe," Clark says her name catching her attention. She moves to where he is standing. "What?" she asks him.

Clark points down at the ground and the very large footprint on the ground.

"Whoa. Definitely not a giant raccoon then." Chloe bends down to get a closer look at it and notices Clark does the same.

"Looks pretty human to me Chlo," Clark comments.

"Never judge a book by its cover Clark," she says back.

"Oh what are you an expert tracker now?"

"No need for sarcasm Clark but since you ask I have many skills that may or may not include reading tracks."

"Uh huh. You did a google search on the subject before we left didn't you?"

"Maybe but I think for someone who has lived on a farm his whole life you are missing the pretty darn obvious."

"That being?"

Chloe points at 5 small indentations in front of the footprint. "See those?"

"Yeah."

"Claw marks," she states confidently as she reaches into her bag and gets her phone out. "Whoever or whatever walked through here has claws on their feet," she tells Clark as she takes a snap with the camera in her phone.

Clark looks at them more intently and yeah that could be one way of interpreting the marks or it may be nothing and Chloe is simply twisting what she sees to fit the theory she has already made her mind up on.

Chloe stands up straight. "So what we should do is go back to the Torch and compare these to the 'legitimate'," and she uses the term loosely, "Bigfoot prints I conveniently looked up yesterday."

"Conveniently?"

Chloe shrugs and gives Clark that toothy smile of hers once more causing him to smile and shake his head at her. Chloe loops her arms around his. "Come on big guy. The cause of truth and justice awaits us." Clark then allows Chloe to drag him off. Both of them unaware of the figure up in the branches watching them leave.

* * *

Sabretooth waits until he hears the two kids car drive off before he jumps down from his vantage point to the ground. He lets out an annoyed growl. Usually he would just put the frighteners on the two but Magneto had instructed him not to attract unnecessary attention. That tourist that snapped him was attention enough as it was. Besides there was something off about that boy's scent that did not cause Sabretooth concern exactly. It was just, well, weird.

He soon heads deeper into the woods. It had been a few weeks since Asteroid M and he had returned to his normal state after Magneto 'enhanced' him. Without regular exposure to Magneto's Mutant Enhancer the effects turned out to be only temporary. Frankly he was glad. He doesn't even know why he agreed to it in the first place. Hasn't he been experimented upon enough already in his life. Weapon X had done so as well. Not as extensively as they had done to Wolverine.

He growls at the thought of Logan. Even if Logan couldn't remember what had transpired between them over the decades Sabretooth could and it wasn't pleasant. One of these days one of them will kill the other. It was a prophesy some Seer had spoke and for some reason or other he couldn't fathom Sabretooth believed it.

He wonders how much longer he will have to wait. Magneto had not given him any time scale or the reason for being in this hicks' town of a place in the middle of Kansas. Not that you ever question why Magneto does anything. You just do what he tells you.

* * *

Clark gets home after school that day to find his parents sitting at the kitchen table with solemn expressions on their faces.

"Clark. Sit down," his father asks him.

Clark does so. "I'm not going to like this am I?"

Martha and Jonathan look at each other, the sadness all too evident. Jonathan addresses his son. "The bank is pulling the plug. We are going to lose the farm."

Clark's heart sinks weighed down by his guilt. "It's my fault," he says in whisper laden with guilt.

"Clark honey. No," Martha tells him not wanting Clark to blame himself. He carries so much guilt on his shoulders as it is.

"No mom. It is."

Martha gives her husband a look asking for him to say something. "Clark son. It is not your fault. The business," he pauses. What he was about to admit is not easy for Jonathan Kent to admit as it is an admission of his own personal failure. "The business was in trouble anyway. Nothing you have done would have changed that."

Clark's gaze drifts to the table. "So what do we do now?" he asks.

"The bank has given us a few days to pack up and leave," Martha explains. "Then we will go and live with your grandfather."

"It won't be the same though will it. It won't be home," Clark says expressing his fears.

"Son," Jonathan begins to say. "It is not the place you live that makes somewhere a home. It is the people you live with."

* * *

"So you're really leaving?" Pete asks Clark the next day as they play basketball. It was Saturday so no school.

"Yeah," Clark replies. Pete had come to see them and Clark's parents had allowed him to take a break from packing to spend time with Pete. Not that it takes Clark long to pack. He can do it in a few minutes but his mother was not letting him near anything fragile, valuable or was a family heirloom.

Pete throws the ball which bounces off the hoop and Clark catches it. "Damn," Pete mutters at missing the basket. "Well I'll miss you Clark."

"I'll miss you too Pete. Though could you do me a favour?"

Pete grins. "Let me guess. Keep an eye on Chloe."

"Um yeah. How did you know that?"

"Well despite your never ending love affair with Lana Lang I know you are not indifferent to the intrepid Miss Sullivan."

For most people that might seem insensitive but Pete had a way of being honest that you could appreciate and yes despite his feelings for Lana it wasn't as if Clark did not care for Chloe. Hell he asked her to the Spring Formal because he did have feelings for her. Clark throws the ball and scores a basket. Pete moves over and picks the ball up. "She is convinced that there is a Bigfoot like creature prowling the woods of Smallville," Clark tells his friend.

Pete chuckles. "Yes I know Clark. In case you forgot I am her friend too and you know how she can never shut up about one of her investigations."

"Hey!" Chloe protests as she makes her way out of the house having overheard Pete's last remark. This was one more reason Clark was not using his super speed to pack. Chloe had volunteered to help not that she did any actual labour. She had put her talents to use in a supervisory capacity or in other words she was bossing him around as per usual. Not that Clark was really complaining that he was getting to spend what little time he had left in Smallville with his friends.

Chloe makes her way over to the two boys. "I do not, as some nameless people insinuate," she gives Pete a glare, "spend all my time talking."

"Uh huh. Sure Chlo," Clark says insincerely.

"Yeah what he said," Pete says in the same tone.

Chloe narrows her eyes in that frightening way only she can do. The look that makes even Clark nervous that she will find some way to hurt him. In fact it seems her eyebrow is even doing that twitchy thing it only does when she is really steamed. Clark and Pete await their fate nervously. After what seems like an eternity Chloe throws her hands up. "Boys!" she shouts exasperated before stomping off into the barn.

Pete and Clark look at each other worried. "Are was as dead as I think we are?" Pete asks.

"You are. I'm leaving remember."

"You do know that distance is no obstacle to Chloe's wrath Clark right?"

Clark's shoulders sag. "Guess we should start writing our wills," he suggests.

"I suppose so," Pete says in agreement. "But it can wait until I beat you at basketball first."

Clark actually snorts. "Good Luck there Pete. I'm ahead."

"Tactics Clark. It's all tactics. I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security."

"Of course you are Pete," Clark says with all the sarcasm he can muster. He smirks "Give it your best shot."

Pete starts bouncing the ball while he tries to figure out some way past Clark. Looking out from the house are Martha and Jonathan. Martha gives a sad sigh. "Do you think he'll be alright?" she asks in relation to Clark.

"I am sure he will be Martha."

"It is just...it is so hard for him to make friends Jonathan. He is so afraid to let anyone in because of his secret."

"I know," he tells his wife softly.

"I just wish that there was somewhere where he could be himself," she tells her husband. "Somewhere he doesn't have to hide away. With people who would accept him for who he is."

Jonathan lets out a sigh. He agrees with everything she is saying. He wishes it hadn't come to this but the bank won't extend anymore credit. He is out of options. They have lost the farm as much as that pains him to admit. He has lost the farm that has been in his family for generations and it is not the only burden he is carrying. When Jor-El gave him the power to get Clark back Jonathan made a deal. One he knows Jor-El will demand he honour sooner or later and even though they will be hundreds of miles away living with a man who he can barely stand, namely Martha's father, he doubts that will mean anything to whatever it is that claims to be Clark's biological father.

* * *

Later that day after Chloe and Pete have gone home Clark is taping up one of the final boxes with a heavy heart. They have packed almost everything into the truck for the trip to California tomorrow. Tomorrow. When he says his goodbyes to Chloe and Pete and Lana as well he supposes. He should say bye to Lana despite all the awkwardness that will cause. His heart is still aching after the decision he made to end their relationship but it was for the best. It is just better if Lana is away from all his secrets and all the pain of knowing what he is can bring.

Clark picks up the box and carries it outside to place on the truck. As he is placing it down he spots a black van approaching the house. Ok that's new. He wonders who it is coming here of all places. He better get his parents.

By the time he has done so the black van has parked outside of the house and getting out of the drivers side is a rather short, scary looking man with wild black hair and blue eyes and has an almost feral stance. Next out is a boy who looks about Clark's age and height as well, maybe a little shorter, with brown hair and wearing these dark red sunglasses. Following him out of the van is a girl with vibrant red hair and green eyes. Meanwhile the feral looking man has slid the side door of the van open and is helping a bald man in a wheelchair out.

Once the wheelchair has been lowered to the ground the man pushes the control stick forward and moves towards Clark and his parents.

"Mr and Mrs Kent?" the bald man inquires.

Martha and Jonathan tense up slightly always uneasy when someone they don't know seems to know who they are. "Yes," Jonathan answers warily.

The bald man smiles reassuring and warmly. "My name is Charles Xavier and I have a proposition for you."

* * *

_Author's Note: So there you go. First chapter. Tell me what you think and if it is worth continuing._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So this is the new Cerebro huh?" Logan asks as he takes in the new large spherical room under the mansion which has been designed to amplify Charles' telepathy allowing him, in theory, to be able to find mutants anywhere in the world. The kids had made varying comments in regards to it along the lines of hamster ball or disco ball or stuff like that.

"Indeed," Professor Charles Xavier replies as he inputs new lines of code into the control program as part of correcting the final few glitches they had discovered when testing Cerebro. "With the increasing prevalence of the x-gene in the general population a more powerful version was required Logan as you know."

"Yeah. I know. Lets just hope Juggernaut doesn't trash this one like he did the last," Logan comments in regards to the Professor's near invulnerable and unstoppable half-brother.

"That is a hope I share too," Charles comments wryly. He turns his attention to the young man under the console. "How is it going Forge?"

The native-American mutant's head pops up. "Nearly there Professor. Just a little fine tuning and the new Cerebro will be good to go." Forge concentrates a little, alters his multi-tooled techno-organic hand to what he wants and disappears back under the console.

"Thank you Forge," the Professor says.

Logan makes a grunt. "So any chance this new Cerebro will help you be able to detect Magneto?" he inquiries.

Charles thinks on it for a few moments. "I have some hope," he says with little belief that it actually will. His old friend had become very adept at shielding himself from every kind of detection method Charles could think of.

"But don't hold my breath, right?"

"You know Magneto Logan."

Unfortunately he did. Too well considering how many times they had clashed lately. Of course Magneto hadn't been seen since the destruction of Asteroid M but Logan had no doubt that the self-proclaimed 'Master of Magnetism' had survived. "I wonder what he is up to," Logan comments idly.

"Probably the same thing we plan to do with Cerebro," Charles answers.

"You mean find new mutants to join 'the cause'," Logan says with no attempt to hide the contempt with which he thought of that. Magneto's cause being the mutant domination of the human race. Now there were humans Logan had no love for. Specifically the ones who destroyed his memory and grafted adamantium to his bones in an attempt to turn him into a living weapon but he just couldn't find himself ever likely to agree with Magneto's point of view that the only choice they had was a war. He would not be the weapon those people tried to turn him into. Every day he lived where he wasn't that was a small victory. Besides he owed Charles for taking him in and helping him with his rages and at least trying to restore his lost memory, though Logan's memories were so fragmented that even Charles may never be able to restore them.

Charles lets out a sad sigh at Logan's words. He knew humans would react with fear and even hostility the day mutants are revealed and that day is inevitable. Mutants were becoming more common. Sooner or later someone would notice but his hope was that when the day comes through what he taught at this school they could show the rest of mankind that they were not a threat but merely another stage in evolution like all the others that had preceded the evolution of Homo-Sapiens. Magneto's, Magnus', belief that the only option was a war was not one he would buy into. Humans and mutants could find a way to live in peace. It was Charles Xavier's guiding belief.

_'Professor!'_ Kitty's voice echoes in his mind by her thinking out loud.

_'Yes Kitty,' _Charles answers back.

_'There's someone here to see you. He says his name is Dr Virgil Swann.'_

A smile forms on Charles' lips. He hadn't seen his friend Virgil in person in years. Talked to him but not seen him. _'I'll be right there Kitty. Please show him to my office.'_

_'Like no problem Professor.'_

Charles has to shake his head. Even in his head Kitty sounds perpetually cheerful. She was one of his favourite students though. Bright, intelligent and had found a joy in embracing her powers when so many other mutants feared to do so.

"What?" Logan asks recognising when Charles is talking to someone telepathically.

"We have a guest," Charles tells him. "Forge," he says addressing the youngster.

Forge's head once more pops up. "Yes?"

"I have a guest to attend to. Will you manage to finish up by yourself?"

"Oh sure. Not a problem Professor." With that Forge is back under the console. Creating, repairing, improving mechanical devices is his passion. Sometimes he builds things without even knowing what they are and he has to take them apart to figure it out and the chance to work on Cerebro was just the chance of a lifetime. Its concept was brilliant but now he understood how it worked also so simple. At least to him.

With that Charles turns his wheelchair round and heads out of Cerebro for the elevator while bringing Logan up to speed on their guest.

"Wait. Wait. Virgil Swann. The reclusive billionaire?" Logan inquires wanting his less than assured memory confirmed.

"Indeed. We were friends years ago before his accident and one of the very few humans aware of the existence of mutants."

"He knows about us?" Logan asks with what would be interpreted in anyone else as trepidation.

They reach the elevator. "Virgil Swann is one of the most intelligent men in the world," Charles explains. "He is a genius in linguistics, not to mention technology for the space program that made him so wealthy and famous. Some way along the way he learned about mutants. In fact he keeps an eye on a few for me."

They get in the elevator while Charles continues. "Besides Logan who do you think helps pay for all this."

Logan had to concede he had never really thought about it. He knew Charles was a wealthy man and had just assumed he paid for it all but it makes sense Logan supposes to have a few wealthy benefactors in the background. Anyway he wants to know about something else Charles said. "Who are these mutants he keeps an eye on?"

"They are mutants in the most general sense of the word," Charles answers. "Do you remember a meteor shower hitting Kansas about 13 years ago?"

"Yeah. I have some vague memory of hearing about that," Logan answers just as they reach the ground floor of the mansion. Only vague because at that time he was wandering around the world trying to deal with his memory loss.

The doors slide open, they exit the elevator and head to Charles' office as he continues his reply to Logan's original question. "The meteor rocks that fell to Earth that day emit a very unique radiation that mutates human DNA granting those affected with abilities. Very loosely you would call those people mutants but not mutants in the sense they possess the x-gene."

Great. That was all they needed. Mutants created by meteors. As if they didn't have enough to deal with as it was. "I don't remember reading anything about mutants like that in the news," Logan says as they reach Charles' office.

"That is because humans have an infinite capacity for self-deception," a voice from within the office says.

Logan pushes the door open to reveal a man in a wheelchair but where Charles was only paralysed from the waist down it was clear that this man was a quadriplegic. He had a tube in his neck to help him breathe. Standing beside him was a relatively short brunette woman in a skirt suit.

Charles smiles broadly. "Virgil. It is so good to see you again."

"You too Charles. How are you?"

"I am well."

"That is good. I see you have quite a few students now."

"Yes. 13 at the last count."

"Yeah this is nice and all but what was that bit about self-deception?" Logan asks in his usual gruff manner.

Virgil does not react offended because he is not. Losing all control of his limbs had taught him infinite patience. "I was answering your point as to why Smallville's mutants do not appear in the news. It is because in the face of the unexplained humans will deceive themselves into thinking it is explainable. Outside of the small town that was hit everyone dismisses the stories as concoctions of the locals to attract tourists. Even in Smallville itself it is the secret no-one dare talk about yet everyone knows is true."

Charles moves behind his desk. "So Virgil what brings you here? Has a mutant turned up that the authorities can't handle?" In such a case Charles had told Virgil to contact him and he would use his x-men to deal with it and if necessary Charles would bring said mutant to the institute if he had to.

"Many," Virgil answers, "but it has not been necessary to call you because someone else has dealt with them."

"I don't understand," Charles says somewhat confused and resisting the temptation to simply read Virgil's mind.

"There is a very 'gifted' boy who lives there who has dealt with them."

Charles becomes very interested at the way Virgil said 'gifted'. "Someone I should be aware of?"

Virgil speaks as if he hadn't heard the question. "At first I was happy to leave him with his parents. They know of his gifts and accepted him anyway and have done an excellent job in raising him."

Charles was pleased to hear of that. He knew how badly some parents had reacted to finding out their child was a mutant and they weren't at all very accepting of it. Some even tried to make their children hate what they were. However that is an aside at the moment. "Something has changed," Charles states as a realisation dawns on him about why Virgil is here.

"Reading my mind Charles," Virgil remarks lightly.

"Not necessary. If you believed this boy was better off where he was you wouldn't be here."

Virgil gives a slight nod conceding the point. "Bridgette," he says speaking to the woman next to him. The woman reaches into a bag and pulls out several newspapers which she places on Xavier's desk. "My assistant Bridgette Crosby," Virgil says as way of introduction.

"Pleasure," Charles says in greeting. "Oh by the way this my associate Logan," he says introducing Logan.

"Oh yes. Of course. The _infamous_ Wolverine," Virgil remarks.

Logan raises an eyebrow in surprise at that while Charles simply smiles to himself not surprised in the least that Virgil knows who Logan is. Meanwhile Charles is also reading the papers placed in front of him. Stories about a masked bandit. A super powered one who was seemingly bullet proof and had robbed banks, broken into ATMs...and blown up a police car! Oh dear and what is worse is that he hadn't picked up on it before it had gotten this far. Charles wonders why he hadn't detected him. He finishes his quick read through of the papers and looks back up at Virgil. "The boy?" he asks of Virgil to confirm that this is indeed the boy Virgil was referring to.

"Yes. A few months ago I revealed his heritage to him because I thought he was ready for it but instead I find him running away from home and running amuck in Metropolis abusing his abilities. It may have been a mistake on my part to tell him," Virgil says with what sounds like regret.

"Heritage?" Charles queries intrigued by Virgil's use of that word.

"Yes. Charles I am going to be asking a big favour of you but before I do you need to know a few things about this boy and for now I would like it to be between just the two of us."

Now Charles could say his interest was officially piqued. "Logan. Can you wait outside?" he asks of his friend realising that Virgil wants them to discuss this in private.

Logan looks at Charles to asks him if that is what he really wants and Charles returns it with a look that says that yes he does. Logan relents and leaves.

"Bridgette you too," Virgil says gently. She too leaves shutting the door behind her.

Charles leans back in his chair. "So Virgil what is it I need to know?"

"Veritas," he answers in a single word.

"You can't be serious," is the response that automatically come out of Charles' lips. Virgil says nothing and Charles can see he is serious. Charles takes a few moments to absorb this and to gather his thoughts. The Veritas group he had been part of with Virgil, Lionel Luthor, Edward and Genevieve Teague and Robert and Laura Queen were a group of people waiting for the arrival of the Traveller. A visitor from across the stars who would bring hope to all mankind. Thinking back on it Charles only became involved at Virgil's behest in a need to counter the Teagues and Lionel Luthor whose aims were less than noble.

Did Charles believe in alien visitors? It is a good question if someone was to ask him it. Considering everything he has seen it would be foolish not to have an open mind and Virgil could make, and had made, a very convincing case and produced the evidence to back it up. However the years passed, the rifts between himself, Virgil, the Queens and Lionel and the Teagues grew without any sign of the Traveller. After the Queens died Veritas had been dissolved, the members went their separate ways and Charles dedicated himself to helping the increasing number of mutants that were starting to appear.

Now with one word Virgil has changed everything and revealed the identity of the boy. "This boy is the Traveller," Charles assumes.

"Yes," Virgil answers.

"He has abilities I assume from these newspapers."

"5 separate ones I am aware of and he is still growing."

5 abilities! _'Incredible,'_ Charles thinks to himself. Mutants usually only have one ability. Occasionally two though that is rare. "Why are you telling me this now?" Charles asks. "Why not before?"

"I thought that the fewer people who knew the safer the boy would be," Virgil tries to explain as to what he believed was the best course of action.

"Safe? You mean from Lionel Luthor and the Teagues," Charles presumes. He and Virgil along with the Queens had shared the belief that Lionel and the Teagues would only use the Traveller, assuming he existed at all, for their own selfish goals.

"Yes," Virgil confirms. "Lionel in particular. He spends a great deal of his time in Smallville these days."

That was worrying. Charles knew all about Lionel's greed and lust for power. "Do you think he knows?"

"I believe he suspects that the Traveller is in Smallville but he does not know of the identity. I am doing everything in my power to make sure it stays that way. However Lionel Luthor is not my main concern at this particular moment. The boy's welfare is."

"So what has changed that you are coming to me asking for my help now?" Charles asks getting down to the nub of the matter.

"The boy needs what you help all your students with Charles. The need to accept what he is. Even though his rampage in Metropolis is over and he is back home now I fear he is teetering on the tightrope where he may completely slip off. Up to this point in his life he has been able to hide himself away in relative safety on a farm but his parents are about to lose that farm and in the process he will lose the stability that living in that partial isolation has given him."

"You worry that this may be a trigger that will set him off again," Charles concludes.

"Yes."

"Well Virgil before I answer what you are asking I have one question."

"Go on."

"You are a very rich man Virgil."

"So why don't I simply buy the farm?" Virgil finishes.

Charles bows his head to indicate that Virgil has guessed correctly.

"The boy's father is a proud man. He wouldn't accept what he would rationalise as charity. Besides Charles the boy would benefit from being here. Make no mistake from what I have seen his parents have done an excellent job but this boy's powers are beyond anything you have ever seen. He needs to be somewhere with people who can at least partially understand him and won't fear or judge him. He needs to be somewhere where he can hone his abilities so he can fulfil the destiny he was sent here for."

Charles frowns at that last bit. "Destiny? How old is this boy?"

"16."

"Virgil. It is a bit much to expect a 16 year old to accept he has a pre-destined future."

"Perhaps but he was sent to Earth for a reason Charles."

"Yes to live. I was at those meeting Virgil where you told us you had translated the radio message you picked up. I know that he is the last of his kind and that he was sent here so he would survive."

"True," Virgil says in confirmation. "However I remember one particular line. It went 'Please protect him and deliver him from evil'."

"Bringing him here will only draw the attention of that evil," Charles feels the need to warn.

"It is going to discover him anyway," Virgil says as a warning of his own to demonstrate that he is not undertaking breaking Clark's confidence lightly but feels he has no choice but to act.

"What do you mean?" Charles asks with concern.

"My sources in Smallville have reported that a 'bigfoot' like creature had been spotted hanging around the woods."

Bigfoot? "Sabretooth," Charles guesses.

"Most likely and you know if he is there who will be following on behind shortly."

"Magneto."

"He must not find the boy Charles. If he finds a way to control him very little will be able to stop Magneto from achieving his agenda."

"The boy is that powerful?"

"He will be one day. Think of the strength and invulnerability of Juggernaut combined with the speed of Quicksilver. At the moment he has all of these abilities to a lesser extent but as I said before he is still growing."

Charles was thinking about it. Someone as strong as Cain and as fast as Pietro on Magneto's side would be very, very bad. However that leaves what Virgil has left out. "That is only 3 abilities. You said he had 5."

"So I did. I guess if you want to know what else he can do you'll have to ask the boy yourself."

"Not very subtle Virgil," Charles remarks at the hint for him to get moving.

"Charles I have no wish to to see this boy fall into Magneto's grasp. You know that I think as you do about the future of mutants and of humanity."

"What about his parents? If you say there are about to lose their farm he would be very reluctant to leave them."

"True but why would he have to."

Charles' brow furrows in confusion.

Virgil elaborates. "13 children and only you, Logan and the delectable Miss Munroe as instructors, guardians and protectors. Don't say you couldn't use extra help," he says as a hint to what Charles should do.

Charles could not say that they didn't need help. In fact on the day the newest children had arrived Logan had made a similar comment that they would most likely need extra help this year to keep a lid on things. While the children had their powers to deal with they were also teenagers going through the normal ravages of puberty. Extra hands to help around the mansion and to listen to any problems the children might have would be useful. He has to admit that none of them here had a great deal of experience with raising children. "You do make many valid points Virgil," Charles concedes, "but I will not force anyone to come here. Magneto or no Magneto."

"I know Charles. I trust in your skills of persuasion that you can convince them that coming to Bayville will be for the best. You believe that humanity can overcome its fear to what is different as it relates to mutants. This boy I think is the ultimate test of that belief."

Charles had to say that Virgil had yet another valid point. "Very well I will travel to Smallville and meet the boy and his parents."

Virgil smiles. He had hoped Charles could be persuaded to do this. After seeing the damage Clark had done over the summer Virgil had come to the conclusion that he needed to be somewhere where he could come to express himself more openly and accept himself in a way that didn't have him plastered all over the newspapers. Of course Virgil knew what had triggered it. The explosion on the farm. The loss of Martha Kent's baby. Traumatic events that might have been avoided had Clark been more willing to accept his destiny rather than fight it. It also occurred to Virgil that this most likely meant the extra guilt Clark was almost certainly now carrying would mean that he would never voluntarily leave his parents hence his suggestion to Charles that they be invited here as well.

This was an opportunity Virgil believed to be able to show Clark that his powers were not a curse as he knew Clark felt but a blessing and that having him live with other people with abilities who use their powers responsibly was a very effective way of demonstrating that.

Virgil had been Charles' friend for a long time and deeply admired his belief that humans and mutants could live together in peace as long as people could see that mutants were nothing to be afraid of. It is why Virgil thought that Charles was the best person to help Clark grow into the man Virgil believed he was destined to become.

"Can you call Bridgette back in?" Virgil asks Charles which he does in his own way. Telepathically. Both she and Logan re-enter the room. "Bridgette," Virgil says. "Give Charles the file on Clark would you please?" he requests.

Bridgette reaches into the bag she is carrying and pulls out the folder and then places it down on the desk in front of Charles.

"I will leave it in your capable hands now Charles," Virgil says signalling his intent to leave.

"As you wish Virgil. Although we will have to meet up again when it is not business," Charles suggests.

"Indeed we will. Farewell."

"To you too my friend," Charles replies. He then gives Storm a quick mental message to see Virgil and Ms Crosby off. No sooner has he done that then she is there outside his door waiting to assist them.

Logan closes the door once they are out of view. "What was that about Charles?"

"A potential new student for the school," Charles answers. "An extremely special boy and we must get there before Magneto does."

Logan instantly tenses up. "Magneto?"

"The place where this boy lives is apparently being visited by 'Bigfoot'."

Logan growls deeply. "Sabretooth," he says with venom and his fists clench and it is all he can do to keep his claws retracted. "You want to summon the X-Men?"

"No," Charles replies instantly.

Logan looks at him somewhat perplexed and Charles mentally picks it up.

"We are not going to fight Logan. We are going to meet with the boy's parents and persuade them that their son should come here."

Logan scoffs slightly. "Magneto won't be so magnanimous."

"Indeed but this is a recruitment assignment only Logan. A confrontation is only a last resort. However you are correct about Magneto so we will take Scott and Jean with us and leave Storm here to look after the rest."

Logan shakes his head. He pities Storm. Since the new students came the place had been a mad house.

Charles once more picks up on Logan's thoughts. "If this goes well we may get some extra help around here as well," he says somewhat cryptically.

Logan couldn't say that they couldn't do with some extra hands.

That night after Scott and Jean return from school the Professor fills them in that they are going to try and recruit a new student and that he wants them along for 2 reasons. One is that they are two of his finest students and a perfect example of what he is trying to accomplish at this school although Scott tries too hard some times and two if Magneto does show up they are two of his finest students and able to handle themselves. Of course the ideal situation would be that they meet the Kents, persuade them that coming to New York is for the best and do all of this before Magneto shows up.

Although it does leave the question of what Magneto is doing in Smallville anyway. It's possible he has heard about the meteor mutants as Charles calls them in his head and that his old friend had gone to see if any could be recruited to his side. If that is the case Charles will do what he can but these particular mutants don't show up on Cerebro as they don't possess the x-gene making his options limited.

"So when do we leave Professor," Scott asks eagerly. He knows the recruitment of new mutants is important as well as keeping them away from Magneto and the Brotherhood.

"Immediately so if you can pack enough for a couple of days that would be advisable."

"Right Professor," Scott chimes obediently like he is taking an order before he heads back off to his room.

Jean follows him before stopping for a second. "Professor. Where are we going?" she asks realising that the Professor never mentioned the location of this new mutant

"Kansas Jean. A town called Smallville," he tells her.

"Wait that sounds familiar," she mentions.

"It is famous for a meteor shower that hit it over a decade ago," Charles answers filling her in.

Oh right. She knew that sounded familiar not that she is old enough to actually remember it but Jean prides herself on being knowledgeable. Anyway she better go and pack.

Charles watches Jean leave. For the moment he is happy to leave them with the impression they are going to recruit another mutant. The truth of what Clark Kent is is not his truth to reveal. It is Clark's if he so chooses. Well whatever Clark chooses the first most important issue is to try and persuade him to come here because while Clark is not a mutant Charles believes he probably faces the same issues and worries as mutants do about prejudice and exploitation and fear of acceptance. It is a hunch of course but Charles feels it is an educated one.

Since this is not a mission per say they don't use the x-jet but travel on the Professor's private jet to Metropolis and then hire a van there to take them to Smallville with Logan driving. Charles spends much of the time re-reading over the file Virgil gave him on Clark Kent which included information on the Kent family and background on Clark himself. That was reading for the flight. Charles spent much of the drive to Smallville rehearsing what it is he has to say. Most of it is similar to what he normally says to the parents of new mutants but there is the other part of Clark's origins and of how he knows of it. He must be honest if he is going to persuade the Kents to come to New York. He knew from what Virgil said that Clark had met Virgil so that was probably the best starting point. After a 3 hour drive Charles' inner monologue is broken by Logan.

"Chuck. We're here."

* * *

_Author's Note: I needed a mechanism to get Professor Xavier to Smallville so I decided to use Dr Swann as the person to instigate the decision for Charles to offer Clark a place. I used the whole Veritas angle from Smallville to cut down on the lengthy explanations as to what Clark is by simply having the Professor a member once upon a time. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jonathan and Martha Kent sit at their kitchen table with Clark across from the man who calls himself Charles Xavier. The others had remained outside for now at Charles' request which peaked the curiosity of the Kents. Martha had been hospitable enough to provide the professor with some tea first. Luckily, since they were having breakfast before they left in the morning, Martha had left those few things needed to cook that unpacked.

"So what brings you here Mr Xavier?" Jonathan asks with a slight hostility present in his tone of voice.

Charles could pick up the fear, nervousness and yes even the hostility from the Kents but Clark was a whole different issue. While he could sense the boy's mind he could make no sense of it. It was like Clark's thoughts were in a foreign language of which he could not speak but he could ponder that later. What mattered now was honesty if he was to persuade the Kents to come to Bayville. "Mr and Mrs Kent," he begins to say but Mrs Kent interrupts him.

"Please Martha and Jonathan," she asks him to address them.

Charles bows his head slightly in acceptance. "Very well and please call me Charles. Martha, Jonathan I believe the best way to start off this conversation is with honesty so I will be frank and if you will permit before you react I will explain how I know."

The tension in the room increased instantly. All 3 of the Kents instantly worrying what it is this man knows.

"I know who and what your son is."

As the first line of defence the Kents always try to deny any knowledge of what he can possibly mean. "We don't know what you mean," Jonathan replies trying to remain clam and sound ignorant.

"I am a close friend of someone I believe you know. Virgil Swann."

Martha and Jonathan look at each other with trepidation and anger. "He promised he wouldn't tell anyone," Jonathan mutters in anger before he can stop himself.

Which is something Virgil neglected to tell Charles. He will be having a few stern words with his old friend at some point. "Martha, Jonathan please I am not here to expose you or Clark," Charles says trying to allay their fears. "This is why I asked to speak to you alone because I assure you no-one but I knows. My friends outside know nothing of Clark's true nature."

Unsurprisingly that doesn't comfort any of the Kents. A fact Charles can easily pick-up.

"Then why are you here?" Jonathan asks again. This is currently his worst nightmare. Someone knowing about Clark. Is this man here to blackmail them, to exploit Clark, to take him away? If so Jonathan will die first before he lets that happen.

"Virgil is concerned for Clark's well-being," Charles explains.

"What do you mean?" Martha asks while sharing the same fears as her husband right now. On top of that however is anger at what this man may be implying about how she cares for her son.

"Virgil brought to my attention Clark's exploits over the summer."

Clark has to fight the urge to hit his head on the table for the sake of the table. Dammit! He knew that this summer would come back to bite him. He had already had Morgan Edge, Metropolis' crime boss, after him and now this. He was so damn careless when he was wearing that red kryptonite ring that he didn't take any precautions to hide his abilities. Who knows how many others' notice he has attracted, possibly putting his parents at risk. That is to Clark above his own personal safety.

Jonathan cuts to the chase. "What do you want?"

Charles actually manages a small smile at that. That is a familiar question. One he has heard many times before from other parents of potential students he has met believing he has less than honourable intentions. "Nothing Jonathan. I want nothing. As I said upon my arrival I have a proposition for you. All I ask is that you allow me to present it. Once done if you ask me to leave I give you my word I will do so and never return."

All 3 Kents are kinda confused. Their assumption had always been that anyone who discovered the truth about Clark would want to exploit him for their own ends.

"What proposition?" Martha asks.

Charles had to say that at least they hadn't thrown him out the instant he revealed to them what he knew which was a start although he could still sense the fear and anxiety. The Kents were deeply protective of their son but they have allowed him to move on to the reason he has come. "I maintain a private school in up-state New York, near Bayville. It a school for the 'gifted'. Jean and Scott, the two students I came with ,were my first students in matter of fact."

"What does that have to do with us?" Jonathan asks.

"When I say gifted it is my term for mutants."

"Mutants?" Martha can't help but query at that word.

Charles out of habit slips into his lecture mode. "Mutants are humans that are born a little differently to the majority of humanity. They are born with what I label the x-gene. It is the key to the evolutionary process that is currently taking place amongst the human race. It tends to become activated during periods of stress, most commonly puberty. Once active the gene precipitates the sudden development of what can be extraordinary gifts of varying abilities. Not unlike the meteor mutants you have encountered here in Smallville."

It is the word abilities that catches the interest of Clark. It is how he refers to what he is capable of doing.

Charles continues. "At my school myself and a few others attempt to help the mutants that attend to develop their gifts and learn how to use them responsibly. It is also a place where they can live and interact with others like them without fear of prejudice and exploitation. It is my hope that one day that we can reveal ourselves to the world and that my students can be an example on how humans and mutants can live together in peace."

Well that is a lot to absorb Martha and Jonathan think to themselves but it is Clark that speaks first. "Are you a mutant?" Clark asks Charles hesitantly, worried that he might offend.

"Yes I am," Charles answers with no shame or hesitation.

Clark continues "What is your ability?"

Charles is quite pleased that Clark is at least curious. "I am a telepath and no I have not read anyone's mind since I arrived here," he says answering what he knows would be the first question. "I cannot teach my students to use their gifts responsibly if I myself do not follow that creed. I do not invade other people's privacy."

"The others? What can they do?" Clark asks in reference to those waiting outside.

"Why don't you go and ask them," Charles suggests. "With your parents' permission of course."

Clark turns to look at his parents silently asking for their permission. For his whole life Clark has sought for a connection with people who are like him and here now maybe he has a chance to meet some who are and unlike the meteor freaks who plague this town the don't use their powers to destroy and kill.

With a slight nod of his head Jonathan indicates to his son that he can go right ahead. With Clark gone he can have a serious chat with this Charles Xavier about things that Clark doesn't need to know right now.

As Clark stands up Charles adds. "They do not know of your true origin Clark. That is a secret I will not tell without your permission. They believe we are here to simply meet another mutant."

Clark is relieved at that or he thinks he is. This is turning into one strange day but he is still curious about the others so he heads out of the door to ask them as Professor Xavier suggested.

As soon as Clark is out the door it is actually Martha that speaks first. "Charles as you said we know all about the meteor mutants as you call them but why have we never heard of people like you?" she queries.

"The simplest answer is that the x-gene is still rare; by my estimation only 1 in every 25,000 humans possess it and even then it does not always become active. Also sometimes the mutations are very subtle and barely noticeable. Another explanation is the same as why no-one outside Smallville believes the stories about your mutants. Now if I may ask you this why is that?"

It takes a moment but Jonathan answers it in a single word. "Fear."

Charles nods to indicate that that is the answer he was reaching for. "Yes exactly fear. Mutants hide out of fear of rejection and of persecution. Their families try to hide it because of fear of what others will think. The authorities, the world governments, know of mutants too but suppress that knowledge in fear of causing mass hysteria."

Well that explains why the local authorities are always dismissing and burying all the stories about the meteor infected Jonathan and Martha think to themselves.

Charles can see that his last words have struck a chord with Martha and Jonathan.

"You mentioned something about a proposition?" Jonathan reminds Charles.

"Indeed. As I said I run a school and I wish to offer Clark a place."

"Why?" is the simple question Martha asks.

"I said from the outset that I would be honest and I shall continue to be so. First I wish Clark to attend for the same reasons all my other students attend. My school is a place where they can accept their gifts, learn to control them and use them responsibility without fear of judgement."

While Martha and Jonathan feel they have never judged Clark because of what he is a few things strike a chord. Especially the acting responsibly part. This summer past was Clark behaving the complete opposite of that and while they could blame the red kryptonite ring for a lot of it the problem is that up to the point Clark put it on he was making his own uninfluenced choices. He chose to put it on knowing the consequences. Then before that there was the incident where Clark, instead of telling them what was going on with Jor-El, chose to act on his own impulses which resulted in...it was still painful to think about. Jonathan and Martha can understand why Clark thought that he was protecting them but it doesn't take away from the fact his choice was the wrong one. He should have told them and then they could have solved it like a family. That would have been the responsible choice.

Away from that both Jonathan and Martha can see that a place where Clark could use his myriad of abilities openly, learn their full extent and any others that may come along would be a blessing. Also when they were packing up and watching Clark with Pete and Chloe Martha had expressed her fear about how Clark would make new friends when there was this part of himself that he hid away. Pete had not taken it well when he found out and had actually said to Clark how he looked at him differently now. Both Martha and Jonathan know how much that hurt Clark. It was the fear he had always had about being rejected solidifying into reality even if Pete eventually came to accept it. In that sense this school might sound like a good idea but doesn't it overlook one thing.

"Charles, your offer is interesting," Jonathan is surprised to find himself admit.

Charles inwardly is pleased at Mr Kent's words. It gives him hope he is succeeding here.

"However aren't you overlooking one thing," Jonathan adds as a caveat.

"Which is?" Charles asks.

"Clark is not a mutant."

"True but I will not reveal that to anyone for as long as you wish it to be the case. If Clark is uncomfortable at others knowing then I will simply tell them that he is a mutant albeit he would be an unusual and powerful one in their eyes."

"What do you mean?" Martha asks.

"Mutants usually only have one ability, occasionally two, and from what Virgil told me Clark has several?"

Martha and Jonathan both give a nod to confirm the truthfulness of that statement.

"I would like to put forward a conjecture that if Clark was to reveal the truth of his origins that the others would be more accepting of him than you think or fear but that is not my choice to make. It is yours and Clark's."

Jonathan retreats deep into thought. This whole thing is incredible yet he can't get over the idea that is struggling for dominance within his mind that this school Charles describes might be a good thing for Clark or it might be at another time but right now they are about to lose the farm and they are going to have to move and set up and new life for themselves. The timing is just wrong. He takes a moment to air that very thought to Charles.

Charles had suspected that this point would come up eventually. It was why on the trip here he had given serious thought to Virgil's suggestion about offering the Kents jobs at the school. They were good parents. He didn't need telepathy to tell that. It was obvious from their body language and how protective they were of Clark. "Martha, Jonathan," he begins. "My being here does not only involve offering Clark a place at my school it is about making an offer to you."

"To us?" Martha queries in puzzlement.

"Yes," Charles confirms. "Even without the use of my telepathy I can tell you are good people who have done a fine job of raising Clark."

Jonathan can tell being buttered up when he hears it so he simply asks Charles to cut to it.

"Very well," Charles concedes. "I know that part of your fear about sending Clark to me has to do with the fear of breaking up your family. What I propose is that you do not have to. That you come to New York with Clark and take up roles at my institute."

Jonathan Kent was not a man who ever accepted charity and since he could not see how he could help at this school of Charles his only conclusion was that this offer was charity. Martha on the other hand could not help but be curious as this, as Charles said, would mean not breaking up the family and giving Clark what he possible needs right now. "What roles?"

"Currently I have 13 students and only myself, Mr Logan outside and another individual, Ororo Monroe, to take care of them."

Martha felt instant sympathy for the man. Raising Clark on his own with his abilities had been trying at times to say the least but 13 at the same time. She can only imagine the trouble that is.

Charles continues as he addresses Jonathan. "Forgive me if this sounds presumptuous but I would guess that you have many skills Jonathan that involve the maintenance of your farm, its equipment and upkeep of the house. Would that be correct?"

"Well yes," Jonathan admits.

"I have 13 students," Charles repeats. "Some with abilities that misused can be very destructive. Normal children would have a wearing effect on any property. As for my students, many of them are still learning control and accidents happen."

Both Martha and Jonathan know what Charles is inferring there. There were times when Clark was younger, before he understood just what he could do, when he would pull or squeeze too hard or move too fast. There had been many a broken door as Clark ripped the knob off or there was this one time when he was running that he misjudged the stopping distance and that left a boy-shaped hole in the kitchen wall.

"I also think there is much they could learn from the both of you," Charles tells them in all honesty. "Many of my students are...how shall I phrase it, city kids. They have no real understanding of, for example, where food comes from." In fact that gives Charles an idea. "The school grounds are large and if you come I can easily set aside a small portion of land to grow food on. In fact I think that would be of great benefit to have freshly grown food for the students." Not to mention save on their food bill. "I will say one more thing about my offer which I hope you will consider. The students at my school may have extraordinary abilities but they are also just teenagers with all the same insecurities and problems as every other teenager. Now the truth is this that neither myself, Logan or Ororo are parents." Although in Logan's case he could be and simply has no memory of it. "We do not have the experience that you do and that if you accept my offer I believe you can bring a great deal to help the students on their journey to adulthood."

"This...this is a lot to think about," Martha has to admit.

"I understand and please take as long as you wish to think it over. As I said before I want nothing from you nor will I force or coerce you in any way. If you reject my offer then so be it. I will leave and there will be no hard feelings between us."

Jonathan too has to admit that it is a lot to think about and he sympathises with Charles having to take care of 13 teenagers with varying abilities but there is something he wishes to ask about. "Charles we will think seriously about your offer," Jonathan assures him. "However I wish to return to the reason you wish Clark to attend. You said 'First' when you talked about your school being a place where Clark could freely express himself," Jonathan summarises what Charles had said. "That must mean there is a second."

Charles lets out a sigh. This is the darker part of why he is here. "Yes there is. Like everyone else in the world there are mutants who use their abilities for good and those who use them for darker purposes. One such individual was once a friend of mine and when I first knew him he went by the name Erik Lehnsherr." Charles goes onto explain Erik, now Magnus', ability to create magnetic fields and control metal and how over the years Magnus came angry and bitter and came to his belief in the superiority of mutants and his belief of mutant supremacy over the human race. How, when humans learn of them, Magnus' belief that this can only lead to one inevitable outcome.

War.

A war between mutants and humans in which it is Charles' belief that no-one can win which is why a peaceful coexistence is the only option in his mind. Of course Magneto believes otherwise which is why he is recruiting disciples to use as weapons in that war. The Brotherhood being the example of this Charles is most aware of although after Asteroid M Charles has to wonder if Magneto trusts them anymore.

Martha and Jonathan listen on wishing they could be surprised about what Charles has said about this 'Magneto' but they have seen too many of the meteor infected abusing their abilities, committing crimes, murders even, to be that surprised. Although it still shocks and horrifies them.

"What does this 'Magneto' have to do with us?" Jonathan asks.

Charles said he would be honest and he will. "Because I believe that he is coming to Smallville."

* * *

Logan leans against the van while he smokes on a cigar. Charles had banned him from doing so inside the institute for obvious reasons. While his healing factor may prevent him from developing cancer the kids aren't so lucky so he compromised and promised to only smoke outside. He looks around. This wasn't such a bad place really. He had driven through towns like this before on his travels. Nice countryside, fresh air. Yep definitely not too bad at all. He can see that Jean and Scott are looking a little bored though.

"Logan why did the professor ask us to wait outside?" Scott asks finally fed-up of the silence.

"Don't know Slim but I'm sure he has his reasons." That was the truth. He didn't know. Charles was keeping something from him Logan could sense. Ever since that Swann guy showed up. However Logan trusted that whatever the reasons they were good ones and it was a rare thing that Logan trusted anyone. Chuck should consider himself gifted.

Jean too is wondering what was going on but despite her nagging curiosity she refrained from using her telepathy since they weren't suppose to misuse their powers like that and they were to respect people's privacy and also the Professor would sense her even if she did try and that would only lead her into getting into trouble. It is then that Clark, as the Professor had mentioned his name, comes outside. Now Jean had to say that no way in hell was he 16. He was 6 foot tall at least with this wavy black hair and piercing blue eyes and was built like a linebacker. Even under what she was sure was flannel it was obvious. Channelling Kitty Jean had to say that Clark was like seriously hot.

That fact had not escaped Scott either as his jealousy hits overdrive not that he would ever admit it. If it wasn't bad enough he had Duncan to deal with.

Logan could see Scott tensing up. He may not be a telepath but he knows jealousy when he sees it and Scott has had that issue as it relates to Jean for quite some time. As for the kid they were here to see Logan had to make the observation that they sure do grow them big in Kansas. Charles had said the kid was 16 but he looked like he could bench-press a truck and for all Logan knew he could. Charles had been kinda vague as to what the kid's powers were but one thing Logan had noticed is that the kid's scent was a little bit strange.

Clark was curious but now that he was out here he wondered how to start the conversation. Luckily for him Jean recognised nervousness and shyness when she saw it. She steps forward and offers him her hand.

"Hi I'm Jean. Jean Grey."

Clark takes her hand and a moment to appraise the stunningly beautiful red head. "Clark Kent," he says in return.

Jean turns to introduce him to Scott and Logan. "This is Scott Summers and Logan."

"Just Logan?" Clark asks.

"Just Logan," Logan confirms for the kid.

Clark rubs the back of his neck with his hand in a nervous gesture. "Well as you may have noticed we're in the process of packing up."

Yeah they had noticed the truck loaded with boxes.

"We, um, the back foreclosed so we're moving to my grandfather's in California but I think I still have some soda left in my loft in the barn." Clark makes the offer suddenly realising that they may not have made the best hosts to their guests.

Jean places her hand on Clark's arm. "We understand and a soda sounds nice." She hooks her arm around Clark's. "Lead the way."

That gesture sets Scott's blood pressure rocketing again as he glares at Clark from behind his ruby coloured glasses. As Clark leads Jean away Logan nudges Scott in the ribs having not missed the look Scott was giving Clark. "Cool it Summers. She is just being friendly. You know make a good impression so the kid agrees to come."

Scott gathers his mental strength and ignores that small part of him that is wishing that Clark turns them down flat. Logan is right as much as he hates to admit it.

Logan and Scott follow Clark and Jean across the yard and into the barn. Logan takes note of all the farm equipment, especially all the machines that one would use if they did their own maintenance. He guessed it was the reason why they still had a World War II vintage John Deere tractor. Seeing it brings a feeling of recognition and familiarity to Logan and for a moment he feels like he senses at least some of his true age. He kinda admires people who still have the know-how to do their own maintenance like that. Logan does the same on his bike all the time and the other vehicles the institute uses.

They make their way upstairs to the loft which had obviously been converted into some sort of clubhouse. It was also obvious from the way dust lay that a lot of objects had been removed lately, no doubt packed up and loaded away. Jean was already sitting down on an old couch by the time Logan and Scott reached the top.

Clark was looking around the small fridge he kept up here. It wasn't coming with them so he had forgotten to empty it. He was still trying to work out the best way to ask Jean, Scott and Logan stuff. It wasn't like a show and tell or something. Clark pulls out a few sodas, stands up and turns around. "So, um, I was wondering if it is alright if I can ask you about...um...stuff."

Jean couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips. Clark was kind of shy it seemed and it was also obvious that he was not use to talking openly about his own abilities and that this was his way of trying to ask them about theirs. "You want to know what powers we have?"

Clark nods.

Jean obliges him and in an instant a bottle of soda is pried from Clark's hand and is floating across the loft into her own hand.

"You're telekinetic," he observes.

"And telepathic," Jean adds.

"Like Professor Xavier?" Clark queries.

"I am not that powerful," Jean confesses. "And you don't seem too shocked I might add."

Clark shrugs unsure what to say. "I met someone who was telekinetic last year."

"Really?" Jean asks, her interest peaked.

Clark nods. "Um yeah. He was unstable though."

"In what way?"

"He became obsessed with a friend of mine and when she turned him down for a date he tried to slice her up with a chainsaw."

"That kind of stuff happen often here?" Logan asks at the freakishly calm way the kid said that, like it was something that happened regularly.

"It's Smallville," Clark says as his explanation as he hands over a bottle of soda each to Logan and Scott.

"What does that mean?" Scott asks, he too now curious about what Clark said.

Clark lets out a sigh and begins to explain Smallville. The meteors and how they affected people, how they gave them abilities and how the people affected usually end up dangerously psychotic. There was no point in not saying anything Clark had decided. From what professor Xavier had said these 3 knew of him, well not all about him. They thought of him as a mutant.

"What happens to them all?" Jean asks in reference to the meteor infected.

"They are sent to jail or more usually Belle Reve which is a mental institution," Clark replies.

"Are you one of these meteor infected?" Jean asks him.

Clark shakes his head. "No," he answers truthfully.

Logan swallows down the last of his soda as he listened to the kid's stories. Interesting town but he already knew that from what Charles had told him about it.

"So what is this school like you go to?" Clark asks either Jean or Scott but since Scott keeps giving him a look that reminds Clark of the one Whitney use to give him whenever he was too near Lana he guesses Jean will answer. A supposition soon proved correct.

Clark simply listens to Jean talk. She makes the school sound nice. Deep down Clark would like somewhere he could simply be himself and being himself means not hiding what he is every second of every day. Which brings him back to what the other two can do which he asks.

"Hey shades!" Logan says to Scott. "Think fast." Logan then throws his empty bottle out of the loft window, the once upon a time hay loading doors.

Clark watches on as Scott lifts his glasses slightly and a crimson beam of energy shoots out, hitting the bottle and shattering it. "My eyes produce a concentrated beam of concussive force," Scott explains as he replaces his glasses properly. "The professor discovered that lenses made of ruby quartz can contain the energy. It is the only way to keep my powers under control other than closing my eyes."

Clark process all that and he reaches only one conclusion. "You mean...without them..."

"I would level everything in sight," Scott informs him coolly.

Clark looks at Scott and sees one of his worst fears. A fear that he won't be able to control his abilities. It is a real concern. When his heat vision developed after all he nearly burnt the school down. Not to mention he nearly fried Lana. He still has nightmares about that. He turns his attention to Logan and as if sensing what is to come Logan raises his fist into the air and in the next instant 3 metal claws emerge from between his knuckles. Clark almost jumps back. The reaction causes Jean to chuckle. "Don't worry Clark. Logan's a pussy cat really."

Logan snorts. "Yeah right and just for that Red you get a double Danger Room session when we get back."

Jean's shoulders droop. Oh God. She is so dead.

As Logan retracts his claws Clark ignores his urge to ask what a Danger Room session is an instead finds his x-ray vision almost clicking on of its own accord and he sees it is not just metal claws Logan has but his entire skeleton is made of metal.

"So if we're sharing what can you do Clark?" Scott asks, his tone reflecting his underlying hostility for Clark.

Oh Clark hadn't expected that question. Well he had just not right at this moment. "Well...a few things actually."

"A few?" Jean asks with real interest. That was unusual. The fact she possessed two was a rare and unusual occurrence the Professor had informed her. As far as she knew someone possessing several abilities was unheard of.

"Yeah a few," Clark repeats lamely.

Scott folds his arms across his chest. "Like what?"

Clark looks around and can see Jean is now finished her soda. "Jean could I borrow that?" he asks pointing at it.

"Sure," she replies holding it out.

"Just do what Logan did," he tells her.

Curious Jean flicks the bottle upward with her telepathy and sends it sailing out the window. She looks at Clark just in time to see his eyes glow and two concentrated red beams shoot from them and hit the bottle.

"What was that?" Jean asks Clark.

"Heat vision."

"Huh?"

"I call it heat vision because as far as I can tell it is beams of heat I shoot from my eyes."

"What else?" Jean asks.

Clark takes a minute to decide what to show next. He then steps forward, bends down and with one hand lifts the couch with Jean on it with effortless ease. "I'm strong too."

Clark lowers the couch back down not quite believing he just did that. He never usually shows off like this but a part of him likes it.

Jean has to say that was unsettling. The only people she had seen with strength like that was the Blob and Juggernaut. Of course a couch and her wasn't really a way to learn exactly how strong Clark was but it was obvious that it took no effort at all. "Anything else?" she asks and then with a gust of wind Clark dissolves into a blur, the blur runs down the stairs, stops for a second and then runs back up.

"Superspeed," he offers as a description.

Now Logan could see what Charles thought was so special about this kid. This many abilities was damn unusual and combined in one boy. If Magneto had found him first...Logan hates to even think about it. He can also see Scott hates it too but for entirely different reasons. Honestly Logan likes Scott as much as he likes anyone but the kid has to learn not to act like the jealous boyfriend when he isn't the boyfriend. Logan's sensitive ears and nose pick up Charles and the two parents approaching. He guesses they've finished their chat.

The 3 teens and Logan make their way down the stairs.

"So mom, dad what is happening?" Clark asks his parents.

Martha and Jonathan share a look with each other before Jonathan answers. "We are going to think over Professor Xavier's offer."

"You are?" Clark asks with a mixture of surprise and hope. A small part of him is definitely hoping they say yes. Of course the bigger part of him is wishing they weren't leaving the farm at all but that is not an option any longer.

"Yes Clark we are," Martha confirms for him.

Charles himself is quite pleased at how things are going. He had gotten further along than he hoped in persuading the Kents to agree. He turns his attention to the group and can see Scott is looking less than happy. It wasn't hard to sense what that was about. Jean's thought was plagued with a kind of unsettling wonder which was odd and Logan was well Logan. "So what have you been doing?" he asks them.

Jean answers. "We talked. Clark wanted to know about the school and he showed us his abilities."

"He did?" Martha says with real surprise. Clark was usually so restrained and hesitant to show off his abilities. A trait, if she as going to be honest, that was her and Jonathan's doing out of fear of Clark being discovered. They had drummed into his head repeatedly never to show what he could do. She was caught between being worried about it to being pleased. Martha had always wanted Clark to have people he could be himself around.

"And what did you think of what Jean said about the school Clark?" Charles asks interested in Clark's opinion.

"It sounds, um, nice." Clark is not great with words. He doesn't foresee being a poet or anything in his future.

"I'm pleased Jean managed to make our school sound 'nice'," Charles teases Jean a little bit which causes her cheeks to redden slightly in embarrassment. "In the meantime since we wouldn't get back to Metropolis until after dark Mr and Mrs Kent have offered to allow us to stay here for the night."

"Yes," Jonathan confirms, "but a couple of you will have to sleep out here in the barn."

"That would be me," Clark points out since he doesn't feel the cold and he has slept in the barn before.

Logan too accepts sleeping out in the barn. Personally he has no problem roughing it slightly and honestly it might be for the best considering he doesn't actually sleep all that much due to his healing factor and the nightmares that tend to plague him.

In short order it is agreed that Charles will take the guest room, Jean will take Clark's room and that Scott will take the couch in the lounge. After that is agreed Clark and his father head off into town to do some shopping. They don't have enough to feed 4 extra people. Martha heads off to find the box where she put all the dishes leaving the 4 mutants alone in the barn.

"Sure you want to stay here Chuck?" Logan asks him.

"It makes sense. Unless Storm phones with an emergency we are not in any great rush," Charles explains to Logan.

"Professor," Jean tentatively encroaches onto a new subject. "When we were talking with Clark, he told us some things about this town."

Charles picks up her thoughts. "Ah yes. The meteor mutants."

"You knew?" Scott asks and almost accuses the Professor.

Charles remains calm. "Yes Scott I did."

"You never mentioned it before."

Charles takes a moment to consider his response. "Scott, as much as we may wish to, it is impossible for us to help or assist every mutant in the world. Telling you would not have changed that fact. As for those here that have been altered by the meteors they tend to appear randomly and then their abilities are unstable and from what I know often temporary. Also some have committed crimes and are now imprisoned as they should be Scott. We are not above the law."

"So what makes Clark so special?"

Logan snorts. Scott had to be joking. Even he could see why the kid was so special.

Charles answers it back with a question of his own. "What makes you so special Scott? What makes Jean, Rogue, Kurt, Evan, Kitty, all the others so special?"

Scott looks at the Professor with a blank expression as he has no answer.

"Something for you to think about Scott and when you find the answer as in regards to yourself you'll have the answer as it relates to Clark."

With that Scott decides to go off and think. Jean goes with him to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't end up lost.

"That the truth?" Logan asks once Scott and Jean are out of earshot.

"Is what the truth Logan?"

"About why you never mentioned the mutants around here."

"Yes. Also there are others whose attention I would rather not attract by having a visible presence here."

"What others?"

"The military for one. From what I know they took a keen interest in the meteor rocks once they found out what they could do."

Yeah that is no surprise to Logan. He'd wager that SHIELD was in it on as well. It was part of the reason he no longer had any interest in working for them or anybody like them.

"Like I said to Scott Logan we can't help everyone." Charles says that with some sadness because if he could he would help everyone but he is only one man and even with all his wealth there are limits to what he can do. He just has to believe that what he is doing is enough to make the difference. It has to be or all the future will bring is what Magneto believes is inevitable and Charles will never accept that.

* * *

_Author's Note: While Clark is naturally secretive he also seeks a connection. In the pilot there was a scene that showed him searching for other people with abilities like him before his parents told him the truth of his origin. It is a theme that is repeated a few times in the show with Clark trying to reach out to the meteor infected. Also another example in the comics is where Clark admits to feeling a very strong connection to the Legion of Superheroes when he discovers they can fly like he can. It helped fill the void of loneliness that is a part of Clark's being. This is why I feel it is not out of character for Clark to want to know about what Jean and Scott can do and also why he feels able to reveal about what he is capable of. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. __Next up the 'Master of Magnetism' pays a visit to Smallville._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That night at Belle Reve what would seem a fairly unremarkable man, save for the unusually pale pallor of his skin, is working late into the night studying the mutating effects of the meteor rocks on human DNA at a sub-molecular level. It was work he had carried out before for Lionel Luthor in what were named in code as 'Level 3' experiments. As far as Lionel Luthor knew that is what he was continuing to do in an attempt to create living weapons for the military or whatever other secret purposes Lionel intended for them. On the side the research is also to investigate the possibility of a cure for Lionel's liver disease. A condition that would kill Lionel within a couple of years. It was a fact Lionel had kept secret even from his own son. In reality the experiments were for a far greater purpose than anyone could possibly imagine.

"Dr Essex I presume," a deep, dark voice announces its presence.

Dr Nathaniel Essex lifts his head up from observing his latests experiment through the microscope to observe a man in a black body suit with red armour, a purple cape and a helmet that hid his face in shadow. Dr Essex remains calm and composed at a sight that would have the hearts of most men beating faster in fear. "Ah Magneto. So nice to see you again."

Magneto takes a moment to glance around the lab he is currently standing in.

"So what brings you all the way out to the glorious Mid-West?" Essex asks with some joviality in his voice. "Are you here to apologise for destroying the enhancer I built for you?"

"That was due to interference beyond my control."

"Of course. Let me guess. Xavier and his x-men."

Essex takes Magneto's silence as confirmation. What a waste. He had spent weeks building that after Magneto brought him the Crimson Gems of Cyttorax but now it had been destroyed along with Asteroid M. Essex himself has no interest in either Magneto's or Xavier's agendas. He is merely a scientist and all he is interested in is seeing the results of his experiments. Now if he happens to aid Magneto in the process that is neither here nor there.

"Do you not tire of this façade?" Magneto asks at Essex's appearance. "Of pretending to be one of _them_?"

"It serves my purpose for the moment. Now what brings you here?"

"I know of the work you are doing here," Magneto states.

"And you thought that maybe Smallville's meteor rocks could be used in a replacement enhancer yes?"

"As you say," Magneto confirms for him.

"Well I could possibly do that and more. As you know the rocks can trigger mutation in normal humans." Essex's suggestion being that if Magneto wants mutants for the Cause then he could simply create them.

Magneto is extremely sceptical at that idea. "They produce unstable mutations," he points out. From what Magneto knew those mutated by the rocks were extremely unstable, both power and mental wise, and not of any use to him. He was preparing for a war and unreliable soldiers would be a hindrance to that aim.

"True," Essex concedes. From what he had seen in his studies and from what he himself had created in his experiments the abilities produced did tend to be random, unstable and sometimes temporary not to mention the tendency for mental psychosis that those altered tend to exhibit. "However if you were to...I don't know...provide me with some new genetic samples it might encourage me to seek a solution to that issue," Essex suggests to Magneto. In truth he was far closer to a solution than he was letting on. Within a very few months he is certain he will have mastered the mutational properties of the meteor rocks enough to create mutants whose powers at least were stable.

Magneto remains calm. He understands this game.

Essex continues. "I would suggest you decide quickly," he advises Magneto.

Magneto's eyes narrow behind his helmet. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that my primary task here is to create a device to stabilise the mutants so as to they can be relied on to perform certain...tasks. Lionel Luthor already has plans for them. Unless I receive a better offer I see no reason not to simply give him my creation."

Essex's words could be extrapolated to be blackmail but Magneto knows that what Essex says is what he will do unless Magneto acts and act he must. He can guess at what Lionel Luthor's plans would involve. It is what humans always do to mutants. Exploit them for their own greedy and selfish aims. If the end result is that he turns these meteor mutants into weapons to be used against his kind then that is something he requires to know about and plan to counter. "Very well," he says agreeing to Essex's terms. "As we speak I am having Mystique obtain the information of where to find new mutants I am planning to recruit. I will provide you samples in exchange for a new enhancer...and all information you have on what Luthor is planning."

"Agreed," Essex informs Magneto. "However I thought Mystique hated you," he remarks. He is not without sources of his own and knew of what had transpired between Magneto and Mystique.

"We have reached an...arrangement," Magneto describes it as.

"I see. Well in that case I shall work on your new enhancer with delivery in exchange for the genetic samples I seek."

"Agreed," Magneto confirms with Essex. As much as he hated to rely on others he required Essex's genius. Business concluded he levitates himself off the ground in preparation to leave.

"Leaving so soon," Essex says in such a tone to warrant Magneto hesitating.

"Our business is concluded. You already sent me what else I asked for." And what he asked for was information about certain individuals that were here in Smallville, Kansas. Individuals that Essex had learned about by working for Lionel Luthor and no doubt other ways but Magneto had no care for what methods Essex used. It was a slim hope but Magneto thought that perhaps one of these individuals was a genuine x-gene mutant hidden amongst all these meteor mutants. An even slimmer hope was that even if all he found were meteor mutants he might find one of sufficient power and stability to be of use to him.

"True," Essex agrees, "but I thought you might be interested in some of my patients here at Belle Reve."

Magneto folds his arms across his chest. He is uncertain at what Essex is trying to drive at. "Until you succeed in stabilising them why would I be interested in any of the so-called mutants that are currently resident here?" he asks with a certain distain.

"You wouldn't. What I mean is that over the last couple of years very many have been added as patients of this fine institution and they all have one thing in common."

"And what is that?" Magneto asks, his patience fast running out.

"That they were all stopped by the same person," Essex tells Magneto. "Someone from what I was able to learn who possesses extraordinary power even for a mutant. Someone who could be of great use to you in the war to come." And someone who Essex would love to get a genetic sample from and if Magneto recruits him then by their agreement Magneto will have to provide a genetic sample. Always much easier to get others to do the leg work especially since he himself wishes to retain a low profile for the moment which is why he had not acted on the information himself.

Magneto will admit Essex has caught his interest. "And who is this person?"

"Well my patients were very reluctant to reveal that...at first. However, luckily for you, I was able to persuade them to be more forthcoming."

"No doubt you persuaded them by living up to your name," Magneto concludes from Essex's tone.

Essex grins and his eyes glow red, hinting at the true form that lies beneath his current appearance. He isn't called Sinister for nothing.

"Who is this person and where can I find him?" Magneto asks wishing for Essex to get to the point.

Essex provides Magneto with what he wants. "You will find him on a farm a short way outside of town and his name is Clark Kent."

* * *

Back on the farm Clark is lying on the couch unable to sleep as he replays the day's events over in his mind. Even for him it had been a pretty remarkable day. Strange visitors show up, one of whom knows his secret, he learns about mutants, gets offered a place at a school for them and on top of that his parents had told him that Professor Xavier had even offered them jobs. He wouldn't even have to be separated from his family.

It is strange he thinks to himself how much he thinks that going to this school might be a good idea. Sure he would be sad to leave Smallville and his friends. On the other he is leaving Smallville; away from Jor-El, away from all the drama and angst and pain that comes from his failed relationship with Lana. As much as it pains him to move away from her he is also kinda relieved. He would no longer be able to hurt her.

Of course it leaves the one issue. The one issue that always separates him from everyone else. That one issue being that he isn't human nor mutant but an alien. One who has no idea what it means to be Kryptonian as Jor-El had referred to his species as. Would Clark end up as outcast even amongst mutants?

Clark places his arm over his eyes and tries to get to sleep. An attempt that is short lived as he hears Logan down below tossing and turning. Must be having a bad dream or something. Clark throws the covers back, swings his feet round and gets up. He walks down the stairs to where Logan sleeps on the ground in a sleeping bag. Logan had said that that was fine for him.

Clark can see Logan is having a very bad dream from the tense expression on his face. He gently nudges him. "Logan?"

The next thing Clark knows is that Logan's eyes shoot open, the claws in his right hand extend out and they are suddenly swinging at Clark who barely moves in time or he thought he did until the searing pain across his chest hits him. He raises his hands to his chest and is totally shocked to see blood on them. What the hell are those claws made of?

Logan is breathing heavily as his senses come round. He was having another one of his nightmares. He suffers lots of them. Bits of fragmented memories and some clearer ones of what he can remember but they all involve violence and pain. As his eyes focus what he sees is the Kent boy standing there with 3 slash marks in the shirt he is wearing and 3 cuts across his chest. Oh hell! Logan is instantly to his feet. "I'm sorry kid. It'll be alright. I'll go get he..." Logan trails off as even in the dark he can see that the blood from the cuts has stopped and what's more the gashes are closing up in front of his eyes leaving nothing but smooth unbroken skin. In a few more seconds the kid looks as good as new. Jesus. He has a healing factor as well. Was there anything this kid couldn't do?

The pain has stopped and Clark can tell that the wounds have healed but the shock has not passed yet.

"Kid. Kid. Kid!" It is at third time of asking Clark looks at Logan. "You alright?"

Clark nods slowly. "Yeah I'm fine but what happened?"

Logan shakes his head to clear it. "A bad dream."

"I was actually meaning how did you hurt me?"

"What do ya mean?" Logan asks in some confusion.

"It is just normally very few things can hurt me," Clark explains. If he was to elaborate Clark would say how bullets sting, explosions, like when his ship blew up, hurt like hell but are not fatal. The only thing Clark knows of capable of truly hurting him are the meteor rocks.

Great Logan can add near invulnerability to the list. That's good to know. Seriously he and Chuck are going to have a serious talk about this because as much as Logan has nothing against this kid there is definitely something unusual about him. However for right now he will answer the kid's query. "My claws are made of adamantium."

Adamantium. Clark has heard of that. "Isn't that suppose to be that indestructible metal alloy?"

"Yeah," Logan says less than enthusiastically because it was the Weapon X project that grafted this to his bones that ruined his life and stole his memories. "Sorry about your shirt," he adds as an afterthought.

Clark looks down at it. It wasn't his favourite or anything. In fact it was one of his older ones. "It's alright."

A breeze blows through the barn and Clark can see Logan sniff the air. Something which Clark does as well. Huh now what is that smell. Smells like someone who hasn't bathed in well ever.

Logan growls. He knows that scent. Creed. "Kid stay here," he instructs Clark before he sprints off at remarkable speed for someone of his stature.

* * *

"This is the place. The Kent farm," Sabretooth informs Magneto from the boundary fence at the edge of the field. Sabretooth had been here long enough to know a few of the place names so it was not hard to bring Magneto here when he asked.

Magneto looks at it in the dark. The moon is out so there is some light. Quaint is a word that comes to mind at the farm's appearance. After his meeting with Sinister Magneto had decided to investigate this Clark Kent. If he could be useful to the cause then Magneto would recruit him. If he refused to join...well that was what Sabretooth was for. It is then he feels the slight tingle of a very unique metal.

Sabretooth notices the slight change in Magneto's posture. "What is it?"

"I sense adamantium."

Sabretooth growls instantly. "Logan."

"Indeed. Charles must be here." Of course Charles was here. Charles is always there when Magneto really doesn't want his old friend there. Well this changes everything. Magneto was willing to be patience and observe the boy to see what powers he had but with Charles here a more direct approach is going to be necessary. He turns to Sabretooth. "Wait here. Wolverine is coming. Let him find you," Magneto instructs.

"As you wish." Sabretooth couldn't wait in reality to finish with Logan once and for all. Magneto vanishes as he always does and Sabretooth waits.

From behind; Snikt!

"Hello Logan," Sabretooth says as she turns round to find Logan, claws out poised to attack.

"Creed. What are you doing here?" Logan demands to know.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Sabretooth says gruffly so as to annoy Logan.

Logan growls and prepares to attack when he finds he can't move but that would mean...and as he thinks it the figure floats down from above. "Magneto."

"Wolverine. You should know by now that I can practically smell the adamantium on your bones," Magneto says as he holds Wolverine in place. Then with a gesture with his hand he lifts Logan up and floats him nearer. "Now tell me about the boy."

"What boy?" Logan says with false naivety denying he knows anything.

Magneto splays out Logan and applies a little pressure to the joints, just enough to make Logan feel it. "Come now. Don't treat me as a fool. Tell me about Clark Kent."

There is a whoosh and a gust of wind. "Ask him yourself!"

Both Magneto and Sabretooth are taken by surprise and almost jump at the sound of the voice.

"Kid I told you to stay in the barn!" Logan shouts at him.

"I thought you might need some help," Clark explains. Logan had been gone awhile and from the sight of it he was right.

"Impressive," Magneto remarks. If the boy was in the barn and he managed to suddenly appear then he must be able to move at impressive speed. Perhaps even rival to his own son Pietro.

"Put him down," Clark commands. He reasons that it is the guy in the helmet that is holding Logan suspended in the air.

For a boy Magneto must say that he carried presence...an aura of power. "Your threats might work better when you are not dressed in a torn shirt and shorts."

Clark looks down at himself. He had not taken the time to change into anything else.

"However," Magneto continues, "I will release Wolverine if you will listen to the offer I have to make."

"The kid has no interest in anything you have to say," Logan angrily tells Magneto.

"What do you say?" Magneto asks Clark ignoring Logan but manipulating his jawbone to keep him quiet.

Clark never believed in violence and if this could be resolved peacefully then he would take that option. "What offer?"

"I am Magneto," Magneto says introducing himself.

Clark knew of what his parents said that Professor Xavier said about this guy. Frankly the Darth Vader-esque look was not helping Clark take him seriously. He means who wears stuff like that. Not him. Not ever.

"And I come here as your friend Clark not as your enemy. You see, you and I Clark, we are not like other humans. We are better than them. We are the future. I know that you have used your power to stop the rampages of the those infected by the meteors. Join me and I will teach you on how to use your power to the fullest and together we can not only ensure the survival of our kind but bring much needed order to the world by helping us assume our rightful place as its rulers. That is our destiny. It is a lesson I have taken from history. Those with the power impose their will upon the world."

"What about the rest of humanity?" Clark asks.

"What about them," Magneto says callously. "Humans are weak Clark and from that weakness comes fear. When they learn of us do you honestly think they will accept us with open arms?"

"They might," Clark says with less than total certainty. It is something Magneto picks up on.

"Tell me Clark is that what you honestly think?" Magneto presses him again.

Clark pauses.

"Tell me Clark what thoughts have crossed your mind about what would happen if your true nature was discovered?"

Clark's expression turns into a frown. He has had nightmares about what would happen. He finds the words spill from his lips unbidden. "That they will lock me up. Experiment on me to find out how I work."

"That and much worse Clark. Your fears are not foolish as some may have said but genuine possibilities. After all we have a living example of a mutant who was experimented on right here." Magneto gestures at Logan. "He was not born with metal on his bones Clark. Humans did that to him. They wanted to turn him into a weapon. A weapon to be used against other mutants and they did so for a simple reason and that is that humans will never accept us. They will fear us for in us they see their own extinction and humans always destroy what they fear. That leaves us with only one option to ensure the survival of our race; we must strike first."

Logan really wants to say something right now but Magneto is not allowing him. Wait a minute. He doesn't need to say anything. He just hopes that Charles can hear him in his sleep so Logan thinks as loudly as he can.

_'Logan?' _comes the half-asleep sounding reply.

_'Charles. Magneto is here.'_

Logan can almost sense the Professor become alert. '_Where are you?' _Charles asks with urgency.

_'On the boundary of the farm. Magneto is hitting the kid with the soft sell.'_ And of course when that doesn't work the hard sell will come along and when that doesn't work Magneto will set Sabretooth on the kid.

_'Stay where you are. I'll get the others,'_ Charles tells him.

It isn't like Logan has a choice but to stay where he is.

"Professor Xavier said he thought mutants and humans could live in peace," Clark says in reply to Magneto.

"Charles is an idealist Clark. He sees the best in people and while I admire him greatly I am a realist. I have seen the true depths of darkness in the hearts of humans. There can be no peace."

Logan watches on and worries slightly that the kid might be buying into this crap.

"So what do you say Clark? Will you join us?"

There is a good minute of silence as Clark thinks. Some of what Magneto says is true. Lionel, for example, isn't exactly a shining example of humanity, He knows what kind of thing Lionel has done to people. On the other hand there are good people...like his parents. They took him in even though they knew what he was and they have done nothing but love him and care for him since despite everything and you know despite everything he has seen he believes that there is good in people. He has seen that there is good in people and like his father once said and Clark agreed with that if you try hard enough you can help people better themselves. Clark does not believe in enforcing his will upon anyone like Magneto wants to. In fact Magneto's words kind of sound like what Jor-El wanted him to do, to rule but if Clark didn't believe in what Jor-El wanted him to do then he certainly doesn't believe in what Magneto wants either. That being the case there is only one answer he can give. "No."

If Logan could managed a smug smile right now he would.

Magneto is silent for a moment. "Pity," is his response. "I had wished to do this the easy way Clark but you have left me no alternative."

Suddenly the steel wire fencing rips away from the posts it is pinned to and winds itself around Clark tightly. Before Magneto can even try and carry Clark away however Clark, with barely a flex of his arms, rips the thin metal strips apart.

That having failed Magneto looks at his feral companion. "Sabretooth," he says as way of command.

Clark finally looks at the other one having been focussed on Logan and Magneto. The one with long blond hair and wearing a trench-coat. Guess he found Bigfoot. Chloe would be so proud of him.

Sabretooth snarls and jumps at Clark with remarkable speed. It catches Clark with surprise when Sabretooth's fist connects with his face. Unfortunately for Sabretooth he catches Clark by surprise because normally Clark would allow his head to give way so the person hitting him doesn't hurt their hand on his near invulnerable skin. Still Clark feels the blow a lot more than he would normally. It is just Sabretooth feels it more as he howls in pain. To Sabretooth it just felt like he hit a slab of concrete. Not wasting a moment Clark grabs the mutant by his coat and throws him into Magneto. The pair tumble to the ground in a tangled heap. Logan drops to the ground as Magneto's hold on him is released.

In an instant Clark is next to Logan helping him up. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just great," he says in a gruff annoyed voice. Although he can't say that he didn't enjoy the sight of Sabretooth in pain.

Both Clark and Logan catch the groans of their foes getting back up.

"We better get back to the farm," Logan says and no sooner have the words left his lips then he finds himself picked up, the world goes slightly blurry and a few seconds later he is getting put back down outside the house to find Jean, Scott in his visor, the Professor and Clark's parents just exiting the house. All have hastily dressed upon the Professor informing them what was going on.

His parents go wide eyed at the sight of Clark's torn shirt and the natural worry of any parents at the sight kicks in. "Clark you ok?" his father asks.

"Sure," he says like it was nothing.

"Where's Magneto?" Scott asks, his voice having a certain edge to it.

As in answer to the question the Professor's chair slides across the porch and there is a rumbling from the barn. In the next instant all the metal tools that the Kents could not take with them as they moved smash through the walls and roof including the tractor. What made this situation even worse is that being farm tools many of them were sharp tools of varying types. Magneto floats down into view surrounding himself with the floating objects which circle around him in varying arcs.

"Magnus! Don't do this!" Charles appeals to his old friend.

"I do what must be done Charles." They boy was obviously powerful and far too dangerous to be allowed to join Charles.

A couple of knives suddenly zip at Clark aimed at his heart. On impact they shatter into hundreds of razor sharp shards. Jean raises a shield around her, Scott, the Professor and Clark's parents. Unfortunately for Logan he is much closer and he can feel them cut into his skin and then feels the cuts start to heal over instantly. Scott sends out an optic blast but Magneto blocks it by placing a corrugated metal sheet in the way. Scott tries a few more times each with the same result.

Next Logan finds himself under Magneto's control again. He hates this damn metal they stuck in him he thinks as he flies through the air until he is in front of Clark's parents with his claws drawn and only centimetres from their throats. He fights with all his strength to resist what Magneto intends to do.

Clark's heart drops to his stomach at the sight of his parents being threatened but at the same time anger wells up inside him. Determination as hard as steel forms as Clark decides he has to put an end to this. "Stop! Leave them alone!" he yells before he leaps upward. If he can grab Magneto he can easily overpower him.

Magneto turns his head to see the boy leaping at him with astounding speed and strength. He only has a few seconds and must react quickly. With the merest gesture of his hand he takes the tractor that is circling around him and hurls it at Clark. The tractor impacts Clark dead-on, the force enough to reverse even his momentum, and both plummet to the ground. On impact dust flies up into the air. Once it clears the tractor sits there on its front end which has been crumpled but there is no sign of Clark anywhere.

"Clark!" Martha yells out in horror and it is only Jonathan holding her back that stops her running out. Though he is horrified and angry as well running out there will only put their lives at risk.

Charles glares up at Magneto. "That wasn't necessary," he says his anger at what Magneto has done all too clear.

"Yes it was," Magneto replies coldly. He then flings many of the remaining objects around him at the group forcing Jean to raise another shield to protect them all as Magneto uses this to make good his escape.

* * *

_Author's Note: Ok since Clark is only 16 here I decided that Logan's claws are capable of hurting him. Now if they will continue to do so is something I will deal with as I go along. The explanation of it is that as a Kryptonian Clark will get more powerful as he gets older including what is referred to as his bio-matirx, the EM field Clark's body generates, that makes him invulnerable. It was also a good way to demonstrate Clark's regenerative abilities. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

With Magneto gone Logan, Jean, Scott, Martha and Jonathan rush over to where the tractor stands upright being careful to avoid the many bits of metal that litter the yard after bouncing off Jean's shield. Martha and Jonathan knows that it takes a lot to hurt Clark yet the sight or more accurately the lack of of their son fills their hearts with terror. Logan is thinking how he is going to go about making Magneto pay if he has killed this kid. Charles remains on the porch with a heavy heart. It saddens him to see just how far Erik is prepared to go these days. He closes his eyes and reaches out slightly with his mind. He can feel the Kents worry and fear for their son. Jean and Scott's thoughts are a little more disciplined yet there is anger and shock at seeing what Magneto did and with Logan there is just anger, barely restrained anger...and there is something else or should that be someone else. Charles eyes fly open just as the tractor starts to rock side to side.

Everyone moves back as the tractor topples over onto its side and then picking himself up out of the hole he made is a dusty Clark Kent. When he hit the ground it gave way under him, his body being more durable than the ground was. He stands up and starts to wipe the dust off.

"Clark!" Martha exclaims happily as she runs over and pulls Clark into a hug. Jonathan is close behind her. "You ok son?" he asks Clark.

"Yeah I'm fine although..."

"Although?" Jonathan asks.

Clark reaches up and rubs the top of his head. "Now I know what a headache feels like." While he doesn't intend it quite as a joke it does make his parents smile more with relief than anything.

Meanwhile Jean and Scott are both looking on with some wonder. That impact would have killed anyone else they knew short of the Blob and Juggernaut.

Logan, meanwhile, has made his way over to Charles. "Remarkable kid you found there Chuck."

"Indeed," Charles replies as surprised as anyone that Clark is unharmed. Virgil had made some vague mention of what Clark could do to encourage Charles to come and see for himself. Logan had mentioned Clark's demonstration earlier in the day so he knew Clark was fast, possibly very strong and could shoot beams of heat from his eyes. On top of that it seemed he could indeed be invulnerable as Virgil had hinted. _'What happened to his shirt Logan?' _Charles asks telepathically recognising the 3 tears in Clark's shirt as something Logan's claws make.

Logan mentally tells Charles of his nightmare and that Clark had woken him up and out of instinct he tried to slash the kid. Charles can feel the shame pouring off Logan despite it not being his fault. On top of that Charles sees the image in Logan's mind of the 3 slashes across Clark's chest and of them healing in front of Logan's eyes. A healing factor too. Clark was a truly remarkable being and one he must keep away from Magneto at all costs. A bonus for now is that Magneto probably assumes he killed Clark. Charles can only hope that this will mean Magneto will leave the area not wishing to draw anymore attention.

All musings are interrupted as the badly damaged barn chooses this moment to collapse.

Clark looks on beside his parents and wonders briefly if that represents something because it seems almost certain now that they are leaving Smallville. The only question is where are they going to end up.

"How are we going to explain this?" Martha asks her husband and son at the sight of the collapsed barn. They were going to have to to the bank who now owned the farm at the very least

"Rogue tornado," Clark suggests with the ease of someone who has seen a lot of weirdness in his short life.

Jeans steps forward. "I don't mean to interrupt but tornadoes need storm cells to form," she says pointing out the flaw.

Clark turns his head to look at her and then shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe anywhere else but this is Smallville."

Jean looks at Clark with a slight puzzlement. All she had to go on to read him was his body language. She couldn't read his mind. Not even the Professor could she had learned earlier in the day. That fact alone seemed so...alien.

"What a weird town," Scott mutters under his breath.

* * *

The next morning as the first rays of sun pour through the window Clark wakes up to find himself where he was when he fell asleep; on the floor in the lounge. With the barn gone what choice was there left. Logan had gone off to make sure Magneto and, um what did they call him again...oh yes Sabretooth. Logan had gone off to make sure they were gone. They were but Logan insisted on staying on guard for the rest of the night.

He picks himself up off the floor being careful not to wake the still sleeping Scott Summers who slept in red goggles Clark had found out. Which was a good thing because if Logan could cut him Clark was not all that keen to find out what Scott could do to him. Clark heads upstairs to use the bathroom. He had a busy day this morning trying to clean up at least some of the mess outside. Then he guesses they would see their guests off and then well the original idea was to leave after breakfast for California but his parents have said they would think over Professor Xavier's offer so maybe they will be putting that off. They actually still had a few days left before the bank would forcibly remove them.

Bathroom used Clark suddenly remembers that his last remaining unpacked change of clothes are still in his room where Jean is. Well they really did not think this one through did they. A quick scan with his x-ray vision shows her still asleep so maybe he can just sneak in and grab them. He carefully and quietly opens the door, walks in gently on his bare feet past the bed to his chest of drawers where he opens the draw and pulls out his atypical blue shirt and jeans. It is just then that he hears a person stirring from the bed. Typical. This always happens to him.

'Don't wake up. Don't wake up,' he prays.

"Who's there?" Jean asks groggily.

Clark lets out a sigh. It seems God doesn't answer the prayers of orphaned aliens. He turns round. "It's just me," he says rather lamely.

Jean's eyes widen as she pulls the bed sheets to herself ensuring she is covered up. "What are you doing here?" she asks rather anxiously.

Clark holds up his clothes. "I left my clothes in here and you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you so I thought I could just you know come in pick them up and leave without waking you which I did...for which I am very sorry."

Jean arches an eyebrow. Gee for someone so powerful Clark was kinda insecure. That was a babble worthy of Kitty. He is also still standing there waiting for her to say something. "It's alright," she assures him. After all it isn't like he saw anything. She is covered up so he definitely can't see anything. Not unless he has x-ray vision. Jean lets out a mental snort. Yeah like he would be capable of that as well.

Clark relaxes that she isn't upset. "I'll just go." Which he does quickly.

Jean watches him go. Wow what a great butt Clark has she thinks to herself before she realises what she is thinking. Oh God she didn't just think that. Duncan, her boyfriend she reminds herself, would have kittens if he knew she just thought that about another guy. She shakes her head and lies back down on the pillow, pulls the covers back over herself and snuggles into them. She inhales deeply, absorbing the warm earthy smell which soothes her back to sleep.

* * *

A little later Logan is heading back to the house after having been patrolling around the farm essentially all night just to be on the safe side. He had found that Creed had vanished along with Magneto despite his best efforts to track them. In reality Logan couldn't help but think good riddance to the both of them. Logan arrives back at the house to find a red-blue blur cleaning up the yard and placing everything in a pile. As he nears the blur turns into Clark Kent dressed in red jacket, blue shirt and jeans.

"Morning," Clark greets him far too cheerily in Logan's opinion. Sheesh the kid got hit with a tractor last night and here he is looking and acting like nothing happened at all. That is just wrong. What has this kid been through that he can dismiss that so easily. Logan feels like it is something no kid should have been through.

"Mom is making breakfast for everyone if you just want to go in," Clark informs Logan. His mother would not let them leave without making sure they eat properly first. With that Clark dissolves back into a blur as he finishes up.

Logan shakes his head and walks in the house to be greeted by the wonderful smell of cooking. He sees the Kents doing the cooking, Jean and Scott at the table chatting away and Charles on the phone in what looks like a very serious discussion.

"I understand Storm. I am not blaming you," Charles says in a very understanding manner.

"What's going on?" Logan asks Scott and Jean.

Jean turns away from chatting with Scott. "It seems the others decided to lure Storm out of the mansion and then have a party," she tells Logan.

"They what!" Logan replies in a raised voice. Oh that is it. He is giving those kids triple Danger Room sessions when they get back.

"Oh it gets better," Scott tells him with great sarcasm.

Logan can feel a migraine rapidly approaching. "What happened?"

"They invited a few guests from school and one of them got into Cerebro, activated the internal security and nearly blew everyone up thinking it was a computer game."

By now Charles has ended his phone call with Storm. "So what's the damage?" Logan asks.

"Well thankfully none of the guests were harmed. Also they were enjoying the party so much that they never actually noticed the mansion had been locked down so our secret is safe."

Well that is something Logan supposes.

Charles continues. "However a few of the students have quite a few bruises from what Storm was saying as they fought their way to Cerebro."

"They'll have a few more once I get hold of them," Logan promises.

"We'll discipline them later Logan but that is not what is worrying me."

"What do you mean Professor?" Scott asks him.

"Scott as you should know you can't just accidentally stumble into the lower levels."

"That's right," Jean confirms. "You need a passcode." The elevator to the lower levels is sealed with a code needed to be entered in a keypad next to it.

Charles nods in confirmation. "Yes which means it was no accident that someone got down there. The party was a cover for someone to infiltrate the mansion."

"Who do you think it was Professor?" Scott asks.

"I don't know but we need to find out who and why for all our sakes," Charles says with genuine concern at the intentions of the perpetrator of this.

* * *

After breakfast the 4 mutants prepare to leave. Before getting back in the van Charles addresses Clark and his parents. "Martha, Jonathan as I said please take as much time to think over my offer as you require. You have my number if you need to reach me."

"We will think it over," Jonathan assures him. "Have a safe trip."

With that Logan helps Charles into the van and they drive off on the 3 hours back to Metropolis.

"Well that was interesting," Martha can't help but comment as she looks at the destroyed barn.

Jonathan blows out a breath. "Come on. Lets go inside. We have a lot to talk about." The 3 of them head back inside the house and sit around the kitchen table where all family meetings are held. "So Clark what do you want to do?" his father asks him.

Clark looks from his father to his mother and then back to his father. "I'm not sure," he admits. "I mean it would be nice to be some place where I don't have to hide my abilities yet even there I would still have secrets and my secrets tend to end up hurting people."

When Clark says people his parents know that he is referring to themselves and Lana mostly but include Chloe and Pete to a degree as well. Back to the subject at hand Martha and Jonathan will say that Charles, Scott, Jean and even Logan to a degree seem like good people and Charles' aims are noble but if last night is anything to go by going to this Institute wouldn't exactly be safe. A point they air.

"Like Smallville is so safe," Clark says with the necessary sarcasm in his best Chloe impression. "On the plus side I doubt New York has kryptonite," Clark points out in reference to the meteor rocks.

"Clark you really need to tell us what you think," Martha asks of her son. That will be a very important component of their final decision.

Clark takes a moment to think on it. "Before you showed me my ship I would have probably thought of myself as a mutant. Before and after I knew I just wanted to be normal. You know have a normal life with a girlfriend and friends and not have to worry about meteor freaks or a biological father who wants me to rule the Earth." He pauses for a moment. "This summer past I learned something about myself and it wasn't that I have a career as a criminal. It was that I enjoyed using my powers instead of being ashamed of them."

"What does that mean Clark?" Jonathan asks.

"It means...I think it means I would like to find out what I can really do. Maybe that is why Jor-El could hurt me because I don't know what I can do. If I find out what I am capable of maybe I can fight him. I need to find out who I am."

Martha reaches over and takes Clark's hand. "Clark you are our son," she tells him.

"I know mom and I love you and dad but when Lana and I broke up I faced a truth that I had been trying to make myself perfect for her. I tried to change myself instead of simply being myself except I don't know who that is. Is the me on red kryptonite the real me? Is this the real me sitting here or am I someone else I have yet to discover?"

Martha and Jonathan are quite surprised that Clark seems to be having a very profound philosophical debate about himself.

"Clark few people if any know who they are when they are 16," Jonathan tries to point out to his son.

"I know but..." he trails off unsure whether his parents what to hear this.

"Son. Go on," Jonathan encourages him. "We're here to have an honest talk."

Clark takes a breath. "How can I find out who I am when I have to hide myself away practically all the time. I know that is what you taught me and I understand why but it isn't enough for me anymore and maybe this institute is the best place where I can find out who I am." He takes another pause to allow his parents and himself to absorb that before he continues. "So I guess that means yes I want to go to New York but if you decide that it is too dangerous or not right for us then I'll accept that. I'm sure California with granddad will be great too."

Or in other words Clark has basically left it in his parents hands. Seems like Martha and Jonathan have a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

Back in Bayville Jean, Scott, Logan and the Professor finally get back home. The first order of business is to call all the students together for a dressing down as it relates to the party. The Professor expresses his disappointment in all of them and each and every one of them hang their heads a little bit. "Now as for your punishment," the Professor begins, "I have left that up to Logan."

All the students look at Logan like deer caught in the headlights while Logan smirks just that little bit maliciously. With that taken care of the Professor heads off to see if he can discover who broke in and what they were up to while Logan goes to program the Danger Room for the students' punishment. Some days it's good to be him.

"Oh man ve are so dead!" Kurt comments as the gathering starts to break up.

"Tell me about it," Evan says in agreement.

"Ah knew this party was a bad idea," Rogue grumbles totally cheesed off as she heads off to her room to brood. No-one dares to correct her that she went along with it as much as anyone else. Correcting Rogue usually ended badly and it tended to involve pain.

"There goes like the best years of my life," Kitty complains. She then puts her hand to her head in a mock swoon. "And I was so young," she theatrically laments.

Jean rolls her eyes. Gee could you say overreacting much.

Kitty soon moves on. "So how did it go with you guys?" she asks Scott and Jean.

Scott and Jean share a look before Jean answers. "Well you know what these recruitment trips are like Kitty. Meet the parents, tell them how wonderful the school and its students are, nearly get killed by Magneto. The usual."

"Vhoa! Back up zhere a second," Kurt says. "You saw Magneto?"

"Well unless you know some other guy in red who can control metal then yes."

"What was old bucket head doing there?" Evan asks with a lot less than respect for Magento.

"Probably the same thing we were," Scott answers.

"Oh he was after the mutant you were going to meet," Kitty says in understanding. "So come on tell us what happened."

Jean and Scott do just that. Meeting Clark, his parents, right up to and including the showdown with Magneto.

"Whoa!" Kitty says.

"I agree," Kurt says. "I mean seriously. Magneto hit zhis guy vith a tractor and he gets up vithout a scratch. Vhat is he made of? Steel?"

Jean shakes her head unsure what to say. "I have no idea. He is...unique."

"That's one way of saying it," Scott mutters unhappily at the way Jean said that.

"So is this guy coming here or what?" Evan asks.

Jean shrugs. "His parents said they would think about it. I guess we wait and see."

With little more to say on the matter Evan heads off to repaint his skateboard while Scott goes to unpack. Jean would be trying to do the same except Kitty has followed her to her room. "What is it Kitty?" Jean asks as she dumps her bag on her bed.

"Nothing. Nothing. It is just...was this guy cute?"

Wow Jean never saw that one coming...not! Kitty was like boy crazy and oh dear god she is now adding the word 'like' in front of things. Ok what is the easiest way out of this Jean wonders to herself.

Kitty takes Jean's stalling as a sign she is hiding something so she moves and sits down on the bed. "Come on Jean don't hold out on me. I'm like seriously boy deprived here."

"Kitty Lance does nothing but drool all over you," Jean points out in reference to Avalanche.

"He totally does not!" Kitty protests. "Well not much anyway. Not lately."

Jean lets out a silent sigh. She can see Kitty is not going to stop bugging her until she gives in. "Alright Kitty. If you want my honest assessment then yes Clark was cute. Satisfied."

Kitty lies herself down on Jean's bed on her stomach resting her chin in her hands. "Details Jean. I want details. I mean how tall is he? What colour are his eyes? What's his hair like? Is he the type you take home to show your parents or is he the bad boy type?"

Jean stares at Kitty and wonders if anyone would hold it against her if she lobotomised the brown haired girl.

* * *

That night back in Smallville Martha and Jonathan lie in bed still awake. Their thoughts for most of the day consumed with what decision they are going to make in regards of where are they going to next in their lives. They had two options in very different directions both literally and figuratively. There was going to California and Martha's father which was not Jonathan's preferred option. He did not in any way ever get along with Martha's father who had always looked down at Jonathan because he was only a farmer. If they went there Jonathan was certain he would have to endure many a snide comment about the failure of the farm. On the other hand if they go to New York there would be the best part of 3,000 miles between them and his father-in-law. Charles had also indicated that there were many things there Jonathan could help with and without going into detail a fair wage as well.

In the end of course this was not about what made Jonathan happy or unhappy. It was about what was best for Clark.

Martha thoughts too are occupied with what is best for Clark. Everything had been so tough lately. She lost her baby, then for awhile she thought she had lost Clark too but he at least came back to her. She was sad that they would have to leave the farm. Part of her would love to see her father. After all most people do unless their father was a very unpleasant individual and hers hadn't been. On the other hand they could go to New York and this institute which was obviously dangerous if last night had been anything to go by but as Clark pointed out Smallville isn't exactly the safest place on Earth either. Still she wasn't entirely sure what she would do if she was to go. She had asked Charles about it over dinner while he complimented her cooking skills and he had said how Ororo, he said her name was, could use the help.

All those children and all with abilities. If Martha could help them like she and Jonathan had helped Clark then she wouldn't be against the idea of at least trying out this school.

"Martha. Are you awake?" Jonathan asks his wife.

"Yes," she answers.

"I've been thinking about what we are going to do," he tells her.

"So have I."

"I think we should go to New York on at least a trial basis."

"So do I."

Jonathan turns his head to look at his wife in the gloom. "You sure?"

Martha turns to look back at her husband. "Yes. Clark...Clark is changing. He needs some place like this and I think I can help the other students Charles mentioned too."

"Ok then so we'll phone them in the morning?"

Martha nods and reaches for Jonathan's hand under the covers. Their fingers interlink. They squeeze each other's hand as a silent expression of their love for each other.

* * *

Elsewhere Magneto and Sabretooth are finishing their work in trying to assess whether the individuals on the list Sinister had given them information on were mutants with powers that could prove useful. Unfortunately the ones they had visited so far were either not mutants at all or were as Magneto feared; meteor mutants who were far too unstable to be useful at the moment. Of course if Sinister could do what he claimed and produce stable mutants then maybe at a later date Magneto could recruit them. Trying to do so now would raise unwanted attention for possibly no gain so he will leave them be.

In the meantime he and Sabretooth were now at the last house on the list and as he approaches it Magneto could sense metal. In particular surrounding one room. He floats up to the room and using his power rips an opening in the wall. Inside he finds a blonde girl unsurprisingly shocked at what she has seen. Magneto lands in the room while Sabretooth breaks in downstairs to subdue the parents.

Magneto speaks softly, for him, to the girl explaining who and what he is and that he is like her...potentially. To Magneto's immense shock the girl runs up to him and throws her arms around him.

"Thank you. Thank you," she tells him. "You have no idea how long they have locked me up here."

"Locked you up?" he enquires.

The girl nods. "Lead sheets," she indicates at the metal sheeting on the wall. "They block my powers."

Magneto made a mental note of that just in case he ever needs to contain her. "And what is your power?" he asks her since Sinister's data did not say. He hopes she has one that can be useful to him or he has completely wasted his time in this town.

In answer in the next second a green mist fills Magneto's vision and he has the strangest sensation of moving through space. When his vision is restored he is downstairs with Sabretooth and the girl's parents.

A teleporter he quickly realises as to what the girl is. Now that could be very useful and from the look of it she seems to have excellent control of her powers. The girl walks over to her parents and slaps both of them one after the other. "I hate you!" she screams at them with ferocious rage. Something else that Magneto could find useful if he can focus and direct her rage towards his goals. He can also see the utter terror in their eyes. Not at him or Sabretooth but fear of their own daughter. It is the kind of fear Magneto knows well. The one that leads to the kind of hate that leads to the why he has a number tattooed on his arm.

"Come. Leave them," Magneto instructs her. "They are no longer of any consequence." Magneto guides the girl towards the door while he gives Sabretooth a look which tells the feral mutant to 'deal' with the parents. He can't afford witnesses.

Outside 3 metal spheres are just lowering themselves to the ground as Magneto guides the girl towards them. "I will take you to a safe place where you need not fear anymore. Quite the opposite. I will take you to a place where you can learn to use your abilities to their fullest." And if she doesn't turn out to be quite a bright a prospect as she first seems then Sabretooth can 'deal' with her in the same way he is currently doing with her parents.

The girl quite liked that idea despite the fact she doesn't really know what she is getting herself into. She takes a moment to appreciate being out in the fresh air again. Her parents had locked her up for so long she had almost forgotten what it was like to be outside. She hates them. She hates them so much that she is willing to go with this perfect stranger because he is like her and what is more he saved her. He is her savour. That at least earns him the benefit of the doubt for the moment and even if it turns out badly she can always just teleport herself away.

Sabretooth comes out having 'dealt' with the parents. "So is she coming with us?"

Magneto looks down at her and she answers "I am."

Smart girl Sabretooth thinks to himself. "Name's Sabretooth," he says introducing himself.

The girl pauses for a moment. Sabretooth. Magneto. She guesses they are code-names or something. She will have to get one. In the meantime she simply uses her given name. "I'm Alicia. Alicia Baker."

* * *

_Author's Note: The party I am referring to is the one in the episode Fun and Games that Mystique used to gain access to to the mansion and steal the Professor's files. In this she just takes advantage of the Professor being away and doesn't have to concoct that ploy with sabotaging Juggernaut's containment tank. On the show Alicia's parents did seal her in her room until she escaped at some point so I decided to just have her still imprisoned when Magneto arrives making him her saviour and giving her a justification as to why she would leave with a perfect stranger. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Monday morning comes and Clark gets told what decision his parents have made and you know what he is happy about it and happiness isn't something that has pervaded Clark's life a lot lately. Not with everything that has happened to him recently. Jor-El, the ship, his mom losing the baby, his summer in Metropolis, his break-up with Lana, losing the farm and when you list it like that it is actually kind of depressing but maybe with going to New York Clark can make a fresh start. At least that is what he hopes. At the moment Clark is simply looking at the destroyed barn as he tries to absorb the last couple of days.

"I had heard the rumours but to actually see it."

Clark turns his head as Chloe appears. Guess he should have seen this coming. It's a small town and news like this always seems to spread quickly. He looks at his watch and checks the time. "Wow Chlo I didn't even know you knew that this time in the morning existed," he teases since to get here before she has to go to school means it is very early.

"Ooh funny one Kent," she says insincerely. "Ever thought of being a comedian?" Chloe walks up next to him. "So rogue tornado huh," she says not sounding very convinced.

Clark shrugs. "It is Smallville Chloe."

"True," she concedes. "But it is funny how weird stuff happens around you, like that weird symbol that got burned into the barn."

Clark tries to prevent any reaction from himself. He had done that with his heat vision after the cave had downloaded all this stuff into his head. Primarily the Kryptonian language which he could now read as if it he had known it all his life. Clark suspected he could probably speak it as well if he had to but since he didn't he never bothered.

Chloe's attention is caught by the still loaded truck. "So the move was put off huh?"

"Yeah. I mean we have to deal with what happened to the barn. My parents think the bank will want an explanation."

Chloe has to concede that that is probably true. She notices all the farm equipment from the barn in a pile and the tractor lying on its side. "You tidied up."

"Chloe there were lots of sharp metal pieces lying everywhere. It wasn't safe to just leave them," he explains.

"Hey I'm not criticising. Just observing. That's what we reporters do you know."

Clark lets out a breath. He has got to stop being so defensive.

"So when are you going to see Lana to say goodbye?" Chloe asks him.

"I don't know. Probably just before we leave."

"Yeah leave the awkwardness to last. Good plan."

Clark tilts his head down to look at Chloe wondering if that was a genuine critique or just her usual snark.

"What?" she asks him at the look he is giving her.

He shakes his head. "Nothing."

"So when do you think you will actually be leaving?"

"Up to the bank I guess but their original deadline was Wednesday. My parents just wanted to make the drive on the weekend until this," he says gesturing at the barn.

Chloe smiles a little. "Well that's good. You get to bask in my company for a few more days."

Clark snorts. "You know maybe I could persuade my parents to leave right now."

"Yeah definitely not comedian material. Don't quit your day job Clark," she says dismissively.

"What? Keeping you out of trouble?" he hits her back with.

"I have told you before I don't get into trouble. It just happens to find me is all."

"Right of course. What was I thinking?"

"I wasn't aware that coherent thought took place in that head of yours."

Clark holds his hand over his heart in a mock show of pain. "Oh you wound me Chloe. Right here."

A small smile creeps onto Chloe's lips. God she will miss all this bantering with Clark after he is gone. She lightly punches him on the arm. "Give it up Kent. Everyone knows about your lack of brain power."

"Well at least I have one unlike a certain blonde not a million miles away from me right now."

Chloe looks at him and arches an eyebrow. "Your mom is blonde?" she asks with just enough surprise in her voice to make it sound like she is serious.

Clark can't help it as he bursts out laughing and Chloe soon joins him. Clark pulls her into a hug. "I'll miss you Chloe."

Chloe pats him on the back. "I'll miss you too."

Clark's tone becomes more serious. "And I'm sorry if I ever hurt you," he feels he should say before he leaves.

"It's alright."

The two friends break apart. "How are things really Clark?" Chloe asks.

"Ok considering everything. You should know though that we won't be going to California."

"You're not?"

Clark shakes his head. "I got offered this place in a private school in New York." Clark might as well tell her. She would find out on her own eventually anyway.

"Really?"

Clark nods.

"Good for you."

"Huh? Is that it?"

"Is what it?"

"No third degree? No asking how how I of all people got offered a place? No what this school is called and where it is?"

"Well I wasn't..." Chloe smirks, "but now that you mention it. How did you of all people get a place? What is it called and where is this school?"

Clark cannot believe he just walked into that but he tells her what he can as they walk into the house just as his dad is hanging up the phone.

"Morning Mr and Mrs Kent!" Chloe greets them cheerfully.

Martha and Jonathan look at Chloe strangely not use to seeing her up this early. "Morning Chloe," they greet her back.

"Sheesh Chlo how much coffee did you drink this morning?" Clark asks at how cheery and alert she is. "Unless you're not Chloe," he suggests looking at her suspiciously. "You're not Tina back from the grave are you?" he asks in reference to the late Tina Greer; shape-shifter and general pain in the neck.

"Clark if I was do you think I would tell you?" Chloe asks him pointedly.

Clark's parents are looking at him for explanations.

"She heard about the barn and you know if it is weird and unexplained then Chloe is never far behind."

Chloe snorts. "Please Clark. Freaky weather and a destroyed barn. That barely registers a 3.0 on my weirdar...which is kind of depressing when you think on it." It is a reflection on how much weird stuff has happened in Smallville.

Just then the news on the radio starts. "Top story today; the discovery of two bodies believed to be that of John and Sarah Baker in their home this morning. Police have so far not confirmed the circumstances of the deaths at this time but they have issued an urgent appeal for anyone who knows the location of the Bakers' daughter Alicia who is missing at this hour."

Chloe's face adopts that deadly serious pose as she tries to remember why that name sounds familiar. "Baker. Baker. Hey Clark wasn't Alicia Baker that girl who use to be in our class when we were 13 until her parents took her out of school."

Clark thinks back on it. "Blonde hair?" he queries.

Chloe nods. "Yeah."

"Yes. Her parents said she became too ill or something to attend anymore."

"Hmm," Chloe says.

'Oh oh,' Clark thinks. He knows that hmm. "Ok Chloe I'll help you at least until we leave."

"Say what?" she asks him totally lost.

"Chloe I know that 'hmm' you made. You think something is up."

"This is Smallville Clark. Something is always up but I guess I will allow you to accompany me."

"Oh wow. I feel privileged that you would allow that Chloe."

"You should be Clark. I am very choosy."

"Uh huh. Sure Chlo."

Chloe lets his snide remark slide for the moment. "Guess we'll have to put off our bigfoot investigation for a few days."

"Guess so," he says lightly not wanting Chloe to pick up that he met 'bigfoot' the other night.

Chloe looks at her watch. "Wow look at the time. I better go or I'll be late. I'll see you after school Clark."

"See you Chlo," he says to her as she exits the farm house. He turns to see his parents looking at him. "What? You know she'll get herself into trouble unless I help her."

Martha lets out a sigh. "So much for a quiet last few days," she laments.

* * *

In Bayville at the institute Logan walks into Charles' office to find him on the phone.

"I am pleased that you have decided to accept my offer...yes the end of the week will be fine. I'll have everything ready. I look forward to seeing you then. Goodbye." Charles places the phone down with a smile ghosting across his face.

"Good news?" Logan inquiries.

"The Kents have accepted our offer and will be here on Friday," Charles informs him.

Logan takes a minute to digest that. "You ever goin' to tell me what is up with that Kent kid? He ain't exactly like any mutant I've ever seen."

"Not my secret to tell Logan," Charles answers somewhat cryptically. "Besides are you complaining about the extra help?"

"Not on your life. We need it especially considering the porcupine's attitude lately." Spyke had been late for training sessions and even when he does turn up it always seems his mind is elsewhere. It was working Logan's patience and Logan is not a patient man.

Spyke's attitude both worried and saddened Charles. "Yes Evan's attitude has been less than committed lately." In fact if Evan did not shape up soon Charles may have to ask him to leave despite what effect that might have on Storm. Being Evan's aunt meant she would feel it as a personal failure.

Just then Kurt appears with a **bamf** and his usual puff of blue sulphurous smoke on the Professor's desk. "Professor!" he says very agitated.

"Yes Kurt what is it?"

"It's the bathroom."

Logan lets out a groan. "What is blocked up this time?" he asks. Logan does a lot of the general maintenance around the mansion.

"Everyzhing!"

Logan now lets out a sigh of sad acceptance of what he has to do next. "I'll get my tools," he says as he heads for the door.

"Thank you Logan," Charles says after him before he turns his attention to Kurt. "Now Kurt you better get ready for school."

"Yes Professor."

"And oh you can inform the students that we will have a new member by the end of the week."

"Really?" Kurt asks very excited. "Is it zhat guy you vent to see in Kansas?"

"Yes Kurt. And I'm also taking his parents on as staff. As can be seen I think Logan could use the help."

"Ok Cool! See you later Professor." Kurt then vanishes in another puff of blue smoke.

The Professor moves over to his window as he watches the students leave for school. In his mind he can already sense Logan's less than happy mood at fixing the plumbing again. Yes they definitely could use the help. He is also mildly pleased with himself that he has succeeded in managing to persuade the Kents to come here. Virgil had said that Clark would be the ultimate test of Charles' beliefs. Well seems the time is nearing when those beliefs will be put to the test.

* * *

Chloe and Clark stand outside the Bakers' home where Clark can see by Chloe's expression that she is already working out how they are going to sneak in. Clark isn't sure they are. At least not at the minute since they are an awful lot of police officers hanging around.

"Well why am I not surprised that you two are here?"

Clark and Chloe turn around. Clark shifts nervously at the sight of the woman who said that as she moves towards them. "Sheriff Adams."

"Mr Kent. Miss Sullivan," Sheriff Adams greets her two most common witnesses. Whenever something weird happens these two always show up.

"So," Chloe begins before she is cut off.

"Forget it Miss Sullivan. I am not giving you any quotes and this time take my advice and stay out of police business. Good day."

Chloe glares a hole in the back of Sheriff Adams as the Sheriff heads into the house. "Can you say cover up?" she snarks.

They can't see inside the house since all the curtains are closed and an upper part of the house is covered over with plastic sheeting. Of course not a problem for Clark as his eyes shift into x-ray vision. What he sees is confusing. There is a hole in the side of the house and he can see through that no problem. What he can't do is see any other part of the room the hole leads into. His eyes can't penetrate what he can see is some kind of metal plates that completely encase the room. They seem to have been laid on the walls, floor and even attached to the ceiling. As far as he knows only lead can block his vision which leaves the question as to why is the room lined with lead. From the way the metal is bent a brief thought enters Clark's head about whether that Magneto guy was somehow involved in this but he has no proof one way or the other so that is just a speculation. Considering this is Smallville another meteor freak is more likely.

Clark can see Chloe simmering with frustration at her investigation being blocked. "Chloe we aren't going to get anything at the minute," he tells her trying to make her see there is no point in hanging around here.

"Yeah you're right Clark," she hates to admit. "But mark my words. I shall return!" she vows channelling her inner MacArthur.

* * *

Wednesday night. Just a few hours until the bank will officially take over the farm at midnight. Clark and his parents are leaving first thing in the morning and this time it seems unlikely anything will delay that this time. Chloe's investigation into the Bakers' deaths had gotten nowhere. It seems someone was very determined to block Chloe's investigation which frustrated her no end but Clark could no longer help her.

The search for Alicia had also gotten nowhere. Feeling the need to at least try to find her Clark had scoured the whole town and not found a trace of her. It was just like she had vanished and this being Smallville Clark could not actually rule that possibility out. Again though there was little more Clark could do no matter how much he wanted to. He was out of time which is an odd experience for someone who can move as fast as he can.

Clark had already said his final goodbyes to Chloe and Pete and extracted a promise out of Pete to watch over Chloe. Pete knew no more about the private school Clark was going to than Chloe did. Professor Xavier had mentioned on his visit the importance of secrecy and hell Clark understood that better than most. It was not his secret to tell even to his best friend.

Right now at this particular moment Clark is about to say that goodbye he had been putting off. He knocks on the door in front of him and after a few seconds it opens. "Hi Lana."

Lana blinks a few times to make sure she isn't imagining the sight before her. Clark it seemed had been avoiding her like the plague. She had only found out that he was going to New York because Chloe mentioned it to her. She finds her voice "What are you doing here Clark?"

"Can we talk?" he asks her.

Lana steps outside onto the porch, closing the door behind her. "What Clark?" she asks a little bit irritated.

"I wanted...I needed...I'm here to say goodbye."

"Let me guess I'm the last one."

Clark nods.

"Glad I meant that much to you Clark," she says a little bitterly. "I bet Lex got to see you before me."

Clark shakes his head. "Um no actually. I tried calling him but he is out of the country on business for his father and can't be reached. I left him a letter." Clark still can't work out why Lex is trying so hard to work things out with Lionel but since he can't ask Lex about it Clark guesses he will just have to remain oblivious to the reasons.

"Oh," Lana says. "So this is it then. You're going."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I think I need to say that. I know...what happened between us...it was all my fault."

"Clark. We've been through this. Unless you are about to suddenly become open and honest with me then there is nothing left to say about that." Lana's tone is quite sharp.

Well that deflated him but no he is not about to become open and honest. With him going he doesn't need to dump his secret on Lana. "I wish I knew what to say Lana. I really do."

"The truth would be nice."

Clark can hear the anger slipping into her voice. He better end this before he completely messes it up. "I don't want us to fight Lana so I'll just say goodbye and go."

"Goodbye," she says harshly before she turns round, goes back inside and slams the door shut all the time holding her head high with as much dignity as she can muster.

Clark winces. Great she's mad at him. What a way to end this relationship. 'Smooth move Kent,' he chastises himself. He lets out a sad sigh, checks that no-one is watching and zips off home at superspeed.

* * *

The next day in the office of the Torch. "I can't believe he is really gone," Chloe remarks to Pete.

"Yeah funny how there seems to be something missing now," Pete says sadly at the loss of his friend. "How's Lana taking it?" he asks Chloe since the two of them were living together.

"Who knows? She goes from being angry at him one minute to crying her eyes out the next." That was how Chloe spent her night. Consoling Lana one minute to avoiding her tamper tantrums the next.

Before she can say anything more the unwelcome form of Lionel Luthor enters the room. "What do you want?" Chloe asks him in a sharp tone very unhappy that he is here.

"I'm here to see you Ms Sullivan so we can have a talk." Lionel glares at Pete. "Alone."

Pete is so not intimated. He looks to Chloe who with a gesture tells Pete it is alright for him to go. Lionel closes the door after Pete. He turns to face Chloe. "Well now as I recall you and I had an agreement. An internship at the Planet, repairs to the Torch in exchange for information on Clark Kent."

Chloe inwardly winces. After she caught Clark kissing Lana she was so mad that she agreed to Lionel's offer to basically spy on Clark. She knows what a horrible mistake it was. "Well it's too bad that he is gone isn't it so if you want to have me fired than fire me. You want to take away the computers then go right ahead because we're done. I can't live up to my end of the bargain," she says sounding a lot braver than she feels.

Lionel looks at Chloe with an amused expression. "Well indeed I could do all those things you say but I won't."

Chloe glares at Lionel with great suspicion at what he is up to.

"You see Ms Sullivan you just aren't that important. You are not worth my time and effort so keep the computers and your internship although do not expect any more help from me about keeping it long term. You can go back to your mundane little existence and know that in the grand scheme of things you aren't even a footnote." Lionel is really enjoying rubbing it in as he can see Chloe is trying not to show that his words have cut her. "Good day Ms Sullivan. I doubt we'll see each other again." Lionel then leaves as Chloe sags in her chair, all her strength having left her.

"Chloe are you ok?" Pete asks as he comes back in.

Chloe looks at him feeling utterly miserable. "Pete. I...there is something you need to know. I did something terrible just before the summer."

"Like what?"

Chloe bites her lower lip in her usual nervous gesture. "I made a deal with Lionel Luthor to spy on Clark for him," she says with great shame.

Now that was the last thing Pete ever expected to hear. He sits himself down in preparation for what he feels is going to be a long story.

* * *

A few days after dealing with Miss Sullivan Lionel returns to his mansion at the end of his day. With Clark Kent leaving she was really of no more use to him so as far as he was concerned it was finished as far as any sort of partnership was concerned. He had also successfully stymied her investigation into the deaths of the Bakers. It was officially going to be recorded as being caused by an wild animal attack. It certainly looked like that if you were to see the bodies. He had his reasons for doing so. Some...interesting DNA had been found in the wounds. A proper murder investigation would only allow that knowledge out when what Lionel wishes is to keep it to himself. He had already assigned Essex to study it to see if it could be useful in his research.

On the drive back to the mansion Lionel had also had a short phone conversation with Lex on the way to see how his trips was progressing. All according to plan which was a perfect description of what Lionel could say about separating Lex from Clark Kent. Lex had iterated a wish to try and reforge their father/son link and Lionel used it to get Lex away from Clark. The young Mr Kent was being a unhelpful influence on Lex to the point it had started to outweigh the advantages of having Lex close to Clark so Lionel made the decision to send Lex abroad for awhile.

Lionel enters his study and on his desk is the latest report he has on Clark Kent. The mystery of Clark Kent. A mystery that might lead Lionel to the Traveller. He suspected but did not know for certain that the Traveller was in Smallville. He had thought it would be easy to find the Traveller at first. A being with powers beyond those of mortal men shouldn't be hard to find. However all the meteor freaks had made his search more difficult. Not that the meteor freaks don't have their uses. He has plans for them. That is why he assigned Dr. Essex to the task of stabilising them. His genius in genetics will help stabilise enough of the test subjects to be of use. Still that is a few months away from what the latest reports he read said.

On the side Lionel hopes that the study of the meteor infected will find a cure for his liver disease that is slowing but surely killing him. He has another project using an unknown blood sample in that regard as well but he keeps that separate from Essex's work. He has his reasons for that. Essex may be brilliant but Lionel never gives too much power to one man. Besides two different approaches at the same time is more likely to bring him the result he wants.

That aside that brings him back to Clark Kent. Lionel still believes that Clark is the key to finding what he wants. Too many events happen around Clark to be coincidence. He reads up the latest report. It seems the young Mr Kent is going to Bayville, New York and will be attending a private school run by...Charles Xavier.

Lionel had not seen nor talked to Charles in years. They had been close once in Veritas. This was intriguing especially combined with the fact that Clark has been conversing with Virgil Swann. It just reinforces Lionel's belief that Clark is indeed the key to what he wants but he must be certain before he makes any sort of move.

Lionel reads on. His investigator was very thorough and had provided as much detail on the school and Bayville as he could in the short time scale Lionel had given him. The school information was limited. It seems Charles was very protective of it. Not surprising from what he remembers of Charles. Charles had been a very private man and Lionel understood the need for keeping secrets better than most.

What is interesting though is that there have been reports of strange occurrences around Bayville according to what he is reading. Not unlike some of the occurrences that have happened in Smallville. Lionel can see this will need further investigation along with the need to keep an eye on the young Mr Kent. Seems like Luthorcorp will be expanding into Bayville in the near future.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter seems a little slow. I felt I needed to tie up a few loose ends as relates to Smallville and lay the groundwork for Lionel moving to Bayville. For those who were waiting for Clark's arrival at the Institute, that will be in the next chapter, I promise. Since Alicia's mother's name was never revealed on the show I simply used Sarah from the actress who played Alicia. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rogue dressed in her usual green shirt and black skirt with leggings underneath so as little of her skin is visible as possible lies on her bed taking a few moments to be by herself and away from the madness that is living in the mansion. That and she is resting her aching body. Logan's Danger Room sessions had been brutal lately. Rogue guessed it was their punishment for the party. She swears that he gets a perverse pleasure out of making them suffer. On top of that they had had the interesting week of finding out that one of their teachers, Hank McCoy, was actually a mutant. It seems he had suppressed his mutation with some sort of serum he developed until the serum stopped working.

Mr McCoy mutated into a blue, well beast, as he wasn't able to control the animal instincts his mutation caused. In the end the Professor was able to help Mr McCoy regain control but he was still left with his mutation which had let him covered with blue fur. He kind of looked a little like Kurt now. Mr McCoy even took the name Beast to reflect his new appearance but really he was a very nice guy. He was also their new instructor and if God is listening she will be getting training sessions from Mr McCoy instead of Logan sometime soon.

Well at least it is Friday night and she has the weekend ahead to look forward to Rogue thinks to herself. No school for a couple of days.

Suddenly Rogue hears someone shouting for her which causes her to let out an audible sigh because that person would be Kitty, her room-mate, shouting for her. So much for resting. Just then Kitty phases through the door and into the room.

"Would it kill ya to knock once in awhile!" Rogue snaps.

"Oops sorry but you know this is like my room too."

"Don't remind meh," Rogue grumbles. She and and Kitty were like polar opposites. She still has no idea to this day why the Professor roomed them together.

Kitty moves towards Rogue's bed. "You need to relax more Rogue and I have just the way to do it."

Rogue has a bad feeling about this. "What way?" she asks but is pretty sure she will regret doing so.

"You can come see the new guy. He's here," Kitty announces in her perpetually cheerful way.

"And why would Ah want ta do that?"

"Because from what Jean said he is like totally hot."

Rogue sits up. "Oh well in that case Ah'll just be right there!" she says with great but mock enthusiasm.

"Really?"

"No not really. Did ya forget that Ah can't touch anybody?" Rogue has no wish to torture herself by being reminded of what she can never have or do no matter how 'hot' this guy might be.

"So," Kitty says to her. "That means you can't look either?" Kitty moves over and grabs Rogue's gloved hand. "Come on," she pleads. "There is no harm in looking."

Rogue can see Kitty is not going to drop it. "Alright," she capitulates. "Alright. Ah'll come." Rogue lets Kitty pull her up and toward the door. The closed door. "Kitty!" Rogue shouts just as Kitty pulls her through the door.

Kitty stops for a moment once they are in the corridor. "What?"

Rogue glares at her. "Will ya tell meh first before ya phase meh through tha door."

"Oops. Sorry," Kitty says for the second time this evening.

Rogue pulls her hand back from Kitty's grasp and simply follows her to the top of the staircase that leads down to the main entrance. Already there are all the other girls; Amara, Jubilee, Rahne, even Jean which surprises Rogue a bit. Amara, Jubilee and Rahne were here because Jean had told Kitty about Clark and Kitty told everyone else and seriously the pickings around here were pretty slim so a new hot cute guy was bound to bring out the potential admirers.

Just at that moment Bobby walks by. "Um what is going on?" he asks the assembled girls.

"Two words for you Bobby," Jubilee answers. Her smile becomes almost malevolent. "Fresh. Meat."

Bobby just stares at them for a moment before shaking his head and walking away. He feels so sorry for the new guy.

The girls wait in eager anticipation when Kurt appears with a **bamf!**

"Well?" Kitty asks him as she had gotten Kurt to sneak a look outside.

"They're just meeting the Professor, Logan and Storm," Kurt informs them.

"Oh no!" Jubilee cries out in horror. "Not Logan!"

"Aye. He'll scare him off," Rahne says in her broad scottish brogue expressing the same sentiment. She may only be 14 and with her red hair tied back into two small ponytails she probably looks even younger but that doesn't mean that she isn't old enough to start having a new interest in the way she views boys because she does.

"Relax guys," Jean tells them. "He has already met Logan." She smirks at the memory. "In fact from what I know he saved Logan's butt from Magneto."

"Why did you never mention this before?" Kitty asks.

"What? And end up punished like you guys? No thanks."

"The door's opening!" Amara, the princess from Nova Roma, tells them as she points at it.

All the girls lean forward trying to get a better view as the new arrivals enter.

* * *

If you were to drive straight from Kansas to New York non-stop it takes the better part of a day. If you include stops for resting, food and a wrong turn that shall never be mentioned again it takes the better part of two. When they had left the farm first thing Thursday there was a sad moment as all 3 Kents looked upon the house that held so many memories. If you live in a place long enough it ends up carrying a part of you forever and you carry a part of it. Despite the sadness though Clark had remained determined. As he told his parents he had reached a point where he needed to explore who he was and in his opinion that place was this place...he hoped.

Driving past the high walls you can't appreciate the true size of the place until you enter through the gates. Even in the darkness it was impressive. Not that the dark hindered Clark's vision very much or at least not that he ever noticed. By the time they reach the front of the mansion with its broad steps waiting there are Professor Xavier, Logan and a woman with skin the colour of chocolate mocha with white hair past the shoulder.

Jonathan brings the truck to a stop as all 3 Kents step out. The Professor greets them warmly. "Martha, Jonathan, Clark. Welcome." He holds his hand in Ororo's direction. "This is Ororo Monroe and Logan you already know."

Ororo takes a moment to look Clark over. From what Charles and Logan had said he is a remarkable boy. He is also a giant for 16. She also knew that Charles had decided to offer Clark's parents jobs here at the institute and considering how many were here now Storm was not going to turn help away. She offers out her hand. "Mr and Mrs Kent welcome."

Jonathan and Martha take the hand in turn both still trying to come to terms with what they were getting themselves into. Jonathan in particular had always felt places like this were owned by people he never cared to know but he realises that attitude will have to go if they are going to make this work.

Clark sensitive nose picks up the smell of sulphur. Now he wonders what that was.

"Well come inside for the moment. I wish to talk about a few things first," Charles tells them. "We will get your belongings unpacked afterwards."

Clark watches as the Professor turns round and goes up the ramp at the side of the staircase. He and his parents follow Logan and Ororo as they head inside. Having seen the inside of the Luthor mansion it was not anything Clark had not seen before but it was still impressive. Also it instantly felt warmer than the Luthor mansion. They continue to follow Professor Xavier into what is obviously an office. He had also noticed the gaggle of girls at the top of the stairs and had recognised Jean. He guesses they were curious to see the new guy.

"Oh wow," Kitty squeaks out.

Jubilee is fanning herself. "Now that is what I call a piece of prime American beefcake."

Rahne has pretty much been rendered speechless and Amara is thinking that if they were back in her home country he would be a prince, maybe even her prince.

"Jean you seriously underplayed him," Kitty scolds her friend. She means that was just wow. Six foot, curly dark hair, dreamy blue eyes you could just drown in and even under the jacket he was wearing the broad shoulders were clear to see.

Even Rogue couldn't help but stare at him slightly but she still thinks Scott is cuter. Now if only Scott would look at her instead of fixating on little miss perfect redhead.

Logan sees the gaggle of girls, shakes his head and heads back outside while Storm leaves to start on dinner.

"Man girls are weird," Bobby remarks as he enters the rec room where Scott is playing a round of pool with Roberto while Ray watches on. Jamie is in the corner playing a computer game against Sam and last Bobby saw of Evan he was going out skateboarding.

Roberto looks up from the shot he was about to play. "As my father use to say women are an eternal mystery that we can't help but be intrigued by."

"I take it the new guy is here then," Ray surmises.

"Yep," Bobby confirms. "I just don't get why the girls can't wait until the Professor does the formal introduction."

The silence that pervades the room after that shows that none of the male mutants understand it either or how the female mind works in general. Roberto simply shrugs his shoulders, takes his shot and downs the 8-ball.

In the Professor's office Martha, Jonathan and Clark sit across the desk from Charles. He rests his elbows on his desk and tents his fingers. "I am pleased you decided to accept my offer to come here."

"We wish a place for Clark to express himself," Martha explains.

Charles understood that. "He will be able to do that here. As I said before I have said nothing of Clark's unique origin unless you wish it."

Clark has a feeling that comment was aimed at him. "Maybe one day...but I just want everyone to get to know me as a person first."

"Very well," Charles concedes. "There is one person I want you to consider allowing to know. We have recently added a new member of the faculty here, Hank McCoy, and one of his duties is that he takes care of the students' medical requirements. His duties will also include the regular physicals we perform on our students so we can make sure that their mutations are not having a detrimental effect on their health."

"I don't get sick," Clark points out.

"That may be Clark but a physical involves testing what you can and cannot do which is part of why you are here is it not."

Clark thinks on that. Yes it is part of why he is here but he has had bad experience with doctors the one time he was sick with some kryptonite altered infection. "He won't tell anyone else?" he asks as he considers maybe allowing this Mr McCoy to know.

Charles shakes his head. "Anything you say will come under doctor/patient confidentiality."

Clark looks to his parents. From their expressions he can see they share the same concerns.

"Son in the end it is your body," his father tells him. "Only you can decide what you wish done." Jonathan wasn't comfortable with too many people knowing but on the other hand when they decided to agree to this it had occurred to him and Martha things like this would come up and that they may have to be more open-minded than before.

"Well...aright," Clark decides. He had made a decision to be more open when he chose to come here. "But only him," he adds as an addendum.

Charles gives a small nod in acceptance. Inwardly he was pleased. He thought that before Clark would consider allowing others to know and accept him for who he is that Clark may have to learn to accept himself. Something Virgil had mentioned as a reason for Clark coming here. Small steps in the right direction was good. "Now another reason I wished us to talk before you met Hank and the other students is to prepare you."

"Prepare us?" Jonathan asks with some confusion.

"Some mutations bring about drastic physical changes. Now I believe that all of you are not people to judge on appearance but I felt I should warn you beforehand."

"We're not sure what you mean," Martha admits in all honesty.

"I know," Charles says sympathetically. "Just be open minded," he requests as there is a knock on the door. "Come in Hank!"

All 3 Kents turn their heads as the door opens and in walks a man covered in blue fur. As much as they try not to all of them can't help but stare.

Charles makes the introductions. "Hank this is Jonathan and Martha Kent and their son Clark."

Charles had told Hank about the new arrivals that were expected. "Delighted to meet you," he says with his usual cultured tones that his mutation thankfully had not affected.

All 3 Kents continue to stare for awhile longer until Martha realises that is probably the worst thing they can do. She stands up and offers her hand. "Y-Yes you too," she slightly stammers out.

Hank was nervous for a moment there that they would look at him like a monster. His relief is palpable as he takes Martha's hand.

"I'm sorry for staring," Martha feels like she has to apologise.

"Think nothing of it," Hank assures her. "This change only recently happened. I still frighten myself in the mirror."

Martha feels great sympathy and wonders how he manages. She then prods Jonathan into action who stands up and offers his hand too. He knew coming here was going to be different. He just hadn't known how different until right now. Despite still trying to get over the sight of a big blue man Clark too offer his hand. His parents had always taught him to be courteous.

Hand shakes over Hank claps his hands together. "Well I have arranged for Clark to have a physical in the morning if that is alright. It will give you tonight to settle in."

Charles can see that the Kents are still getting over their shock so he answers. "That will be fine Hank."

Hank leaves after that. The revelation of Clark's origin can wait until the morning. That done the time has come for the Kents to meet the students. He sends a telepathic summoning. "Well now I will introduce you to the students then you can settle into your rooms."

Charles rolls to the door, with the Kents following. They head to the entrance hall where all the students have gathered. "Now students!" Charles calls out to gain their attention. "All of you know about our new arrivals so I will make this brief. This is Clark and his parents Martha and Jonathan Kent. I expect you to show Mr and Mrs Kent the same respect you show your other instructors. Is that clear?"

There is a collective "Yes Professor," in response.

"Good." Charles turns his chair. "Now Martha I can sense you are still anxious about what you can do here."

Martha takes a second to remember that Charles is telepathic. "Well I do wonder."

"I know. Well for now at least if you wish Ororo could use some help in the kitchen. It is nearing the students' dinner time."

Martha nods in agreement and the Professor has Amara show Martha to the kitchen. In the meantime Jonathan and Clark go to move their belongings into the mansion. About halfway through Clark notices that something has dropped under the truck so he does what he always does and simply lifts it up with one hand. He is just retrieving the lost object when there is a **'bamf'** sound and that smell of sulphur again.

"Vhoa!" a startled voice says.

Clark turns his head to find a short boy with blue fur and a tail with yellow eyes standing there. Well that is another surprising sight he will have to add to his day.

Kurt had been curious and teleported outside to find Clark lifting the truck with one hand. "Zhey veren't kiddin vhen zhey said you vere strong."

"They?" Clark asks as he deciphers the obviously German accent.

"Ja. Jean and Scott. I'm Kurt Wagner by the vay," he says offering his 3 fingered hand.

Clark puts the truck down and takes it. "Clark Kent."

Kurt was kind of surprised how quickly Clark took his hand. Most people are usually a little stunned at the sight of him. "You aren't bothered by my appearance?" Kurt asks.

"I would be lying if I didn't say it wasn't a little odd but we have already met Mr McCoy and..." Clark shrugs, "I have seen a lot of strange stuff."

"Oh Ja Scott mentioned zhat your town vas veird."

"It is," Clark confirms. "By the why do you smell sulphur?" he asks wondering where it came from.

"Oh zhat is just my mutation." Kurt then disappears in a puff of blue smoke and reappears a few feet away. "I can teleport and vhen I do I leave a smell of sulphur behind. Zhe Professor hasn't vorked out quite vhy yet."

Ok that was a new one to Clark.

"Have you had a chance to meet everyone yet?" Kurt asks him.

Clark shakes his head. He had passed a couple of people as he was moving boxes but that was it.

"Vell after dinner how about I introduce you to everyvone," Kurt suggests.

"I would like that. Thank you."

Kurt waves him off. "Zhink nozhing of it."

A little later Clark stands in his own room. What a room it was. His parent's room was in the part of the mansion just for the adults. He was with all the other students. Clark was feeling...he wasn't sure. This is what he wanted. It was just going to get some getting use to not to be in Smallville where he grew up. Just then there is a knock at the door. "Come in." Who comes in is a pretty girl with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Hey there. I'm Kitty, Kitty Pryde." Kitty takes a moment to see Clark even closer up than before.

"Um hi," Clark says recognising when someone is checking him out. "Clark Kent," he introduces himself. "Can I help you?" he asks her since he guesses she came here for a reason.

"Huh?" Kitty asks a little lost in blatantly checking Clark out. "Oh right. I'm here to tell you that like dinner is ready and everything."

"Oh. Just give me a second to put my stuff away."

Kitty looked and could see that everything was still packed up in boxes that are scattered about the room. "You know that can wait until after dinner."

"It will only take a second," Clark assures her and before Kitty can asks what he means Clark becomes a blur of motion. It actually takes several seconds before Clark stops and dusts his hands off. "There," he says and where before their were scattered belongings there are now just empty boxes piled in the corner.

Kitty just stares in amazement. "That was totally awesome. Like how fast can you move anyway?"

"Not sure. Never timed myself," Clark says with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"Well I guarantee here Logan will find out what you can do," Kitty says as a warning as to what Logan puts them through.

Well that is why he is here Clark silently reminds himself but turning to his guest he asks "What is it you can do?"

"Oh me. I can basically phase through any solid object." Then to demonstrate Kitty phases her hand and arm through Clark which just has to be an invasion of personal space. Kitty pulls it back and looks at her arm. "Huh," she remarks.

"Huh?"

"It is just I can tell how dense objects are by how difficult it is to phase through them and it was more difficult through you than most other people."

"I can't explain that," Clark tells her as he wonders just how often she phases through people to be able to discern that.

Kitty shakes her head. "I'm sure it is like not important." She then grabs Clark by his arm. "Come on then. I hear your mother helped to cook."

Clark allows Kitty to drag him along. "Where are you from?" he asks since she sounds like she is from California with her 'Valley Girl' accent.

"I'm from Illinois," Kitty announces proudly.

Clark just has to think to himself that that makes no sense.

* * *

The next morning Martha finds herself helping Ororo make breakfast. She had been concerned about fitting in here but Ororo had been very welcoming so far and Martha liked her. She was an extremely warm and friendly person.

Ororo had also found Martha to be a warm, friendly person and on top of that Ororo was glad to have some help finally. It had become a lot of work with so many students now. Some of who had huge appetites due to their mutation. "I see Clark and Kurt got on well last night," she comments to Martha. Ororo likes to see everyone get on and last night Kurt, who always does reach out to other people in spite of his appearance, ended up sitting next to Clark and they ended up chatting away like they had known each other for years.

Yes they did." Martha had noticed it too after getting over the shock of Kurt's appearance. She was also pleased that Clark seemed to have made a friend so quickly. "I never thought I would meet anyone who could eat as much as Clark though," she jokes.

Ororo chuckles. "Well I never thought I would meet anyone who could eat as much as Kurt," she jokes back.

Jonathan meanwhile finds himself assisting Logan with yet another plumbing problem. Logan had been grumbling about the whole system needing upgraded as it always seems to be clogging up or leaking or something just about every other day it seemed. He disconnects a section of pipe and finds...blue hair?

"The elf," Logan says in his usual gruff manner. It had to be considering they were in the student's part of the mansion.

"This happen often?" Jonathan asks him.

"It could be worse. When the Time Bomb was here she threw one of her little energy bombs down the can which caused the water in the whole system to backfire," he says in relation to Boom Boom.

"That is worse," Jonathan agrees without completely understanding what a energy bomb is but from the backfire comment he can guess it is like what happens if you stick a cherry bomb down the toilet.

Logan growls at the memory. Yeah it was worse. He was using it at the time she played that prank.

* * *

A little later that morning, after breakfast, Clark is in the infirmary preparing to have his physical. It was his first time down in the lower levels he had heard the others make mention of. Being nervous and really not use to being so honest about himself he had asked the Professor to be the one to drop the story of his origin onto Mr McCoy who was now looking at Clark with all the fascination one looks at something you are about to dissect. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.

"Hank you are worrying the boy," Charles points out gently.

"I apologise," Hank says. It was just a bit of a shock to find out that Clark was here was extraterrestrial in origin. Here was actual living proof of what people have speculated on for centuries. That we are not alone in the universe. The simple fact of Clark's existence changed everything. However those are considerations for another time. Hank returns to being a professional as he performs the same tests he would on any other patient.

During his examination Hank discovers that Clark's heart beats slower than one would expect or slower than one would expect for a human. Barely 40 beats a minute. He could only get blood out with an adamantium needle. Now why Charles had adamantium needles Hank would have to remember to ask at some point. He does some scans on Clark to see his internal organs and actually finds several he can't recognise and he couldn't even guess at what they did. Many of the same things were there. Lungs, heart, stomach, digestive system, most if not all of the other organs Hank could recognise; all roughly where a human being's would be. However it would take more investigation to discover if they performed the same function as the human equivalents.

Once Hank has done his initial examinations Clark is once more sitting on the examination table. "So how am I?" he feels is the right thing to ask.

Hank looks over his notes. "Well I have no base line to compare you to Clark but as far I can tell you are in perfect health and I mean perfect. There are no signs of disease of any form anywhere. If I may ask what is the full extent of what you can do?"

"I'm not sure. As the Professor mentioned I am an orphan. I don't have anyone to ask. I've had to work most of it out as I have gone along and my powers grew beyond any means my parents and I had to measure them years ago." Clark could easily outrun their truck and lift anything they owned.

"Hmm." Hank rereads everything Clark had mentioned he could do. It was remarkable. Strength of unknown limits. Speed of unknown limits. Possibly invulnerable or at least much tougher to hurt than a normal person. What Clark called Heat vision. Hank would have to try and ascertain exactly what it was. X-ray vision which would seem to be most teenage boys' fantasy come true. Again Hank would have to test it.

Hank looks at the time. Logan would be finished with the morning sessions in the Danger Room by now allowing Hank to use it with a few additions. "Clark what I want to do is to test your abilities," he suggests.

"Um ok."

"You need not worry about being hurt but here we work as a team and for that to work each individual must know what the others in that team are capable of."

"That makes sense," Clark agrees.

Later that day Clark's parents having heard that Mr McCoy wanted to test Clark had been invited to watch. They follow the Professor through the lower levels of the institute to the observation room...a cramped observation room as everyone was interested in seeing what Clark could do.

Logan had been sent to fetch the kid from the changing room. He knocks before walking in to find the kid looking not too happy.

"Do I have to wear this?" Clark asks as he is now dressed in the standard New Mutants uniform. It is black with a yellow belt with an X on the buckle and red patches on the shoulders with Xs too. To top it off were yellow boots and gloves and it was tight everywhere.

Logan almost groans. All he gets is complaints about those uniforms. "Look when you're an x-man you get to wear what you want. In the meantime move your ass into the Danger Room Kent," Logan says threateningly.

Choosing slight humiliation over another encounter with Logan's claws Clark moves his 'ass' into the Danger Room. It looks to him just like a very large metal room but what does he know.

On seeing Clark Jubilee can't help but let out a wolf-whistle. The uniform is showing off his muscular physique. She has to say that she has never seen those uniforms look so good.

Hank addresses him over the PA. "Ok Clark I have fitted sensors throughout the room. First off I would like to check your speed. So when you're ready I want you to start running slowly and then work your way up to your maximum."

Clark starts off at a normal paced jog before he starts running as he slowly accelerates. Up in the control room Hank is watching the reading of Clark's speed as he passes 50 mph. As Clark continues to speed up his form begins to blur reminding everyone there of what Quicksilver looks like when he is moving. Clark hits a hundred and is still accelerating. Everyone watches the numbers spiral upward. 110. 130. 150. 175. 200. 212...213...212...213..212.

"Is that really how fast he is going?" Jean asks with academic interest.

"Yes," Hank confirms as it seems Clark has hit his maximum.

"Man. Ve could so use him against Quicksilver," Kurt remarks.

Hank allows Clark to continue running for about 5 minutes before he activates the PA. "Alright Clark. That is enough."

Clark comes to a stop.

"How are you feeling?" Hank asks him.

"Fine," Clark shouts back.

Hank checks the readings of the sensors they placed on Clark before they started. "Incredible."

"What is it Hank?" Charles asks.

"Clark's heart rate and breathing never increased once. Despite him running flat out it took no effort on his part to maintain that velocity. When we have more time I would like to see how long he could have kept that up." However that is for another day. Hank has a feeling that Clark could maintain it for hours possibly.

"So what's next?" Kitty asks.

"We are going to test his strength," Hank informs Kitty. He then activates a program and part of the roof drops down on hydraulic pumps. He talks into the PA once more as he instructs Clark what they are going to do and to stand under it. Clark does so placing his hands on the underside. Hank turns to Clark's parents. "Do you know how much he can lift?"

Neither Martha nor Jonathan really know precisely how much Clark can lift. "Back at the farm he could lift the tractor. That is several tons," Jonathan tells Hank.

"Whoa. Tons?" Kitty exclaims in disbelief.

Hank slowly increases the pressure to simulate a few tons to start with. Clark stands there showing no sign of strain at all. "Ok Clark I'm going to increase it slowly. When it comes too much just shout and we'll stop," Hank tells him.

Hank increases the pressure. It passes 10 and Clark still shows no signs of effort on his part. Hank continues to increase the weight. It passes 50...75...100...250...500. Hank has to start to wonder whether Clark is stronger than the force this machine can produce. It's maximum is 1000 tons and by now Clark has surpassed 750 tons of force.

"Man this is insane," Evan mutters in disbelief. No-one they knew short of the Juggernaut was this strong.

Logan on the other hand can see the first signs of stress on the kid's face. The reading reaches 850 tons and Clark is definitely starting to struggle. At 890 he looks on the verge of collapse. "That's enough Hank," Logan tells him. Hank stops it and Clark drops to one knee.

Martha and Jonathan while concerned for Clark are also actually quite amazed at just how much he lifted.

Hank asks Clark if he is alright. Clark gets back to his feet. That was a little draining but he feels ok. "Yes. How did I do?"

Hank looks down at the reading at the point he stopped it at. 894 tons. Almost unbelievable. They may have to look into upgrading that particular machine because if this is Clark at 16 only heavens know just how strong he will be when he is fully grown. "Are you ok to continue?" Hanks asks Clark who confirms that he is.

Next varying targets pop up. Each one is made of a different material. It is to test Clark's heat vision. Hank also has sensors to see whether it is what its name implies. Whether it is infra-red radiation. As Clark melts down each one Hank watches the monitor's that are displaying Clark in wavelengths beyond the visible and as Clark destroys each target Hank can see the beams leave his eyes.

"So what it is he shoots out of his eyes?" Kitty asks.

Hank replies without looking away from the monitors. "It seems Clark was correct in the naming of his ability. From what I'm reading he is projecting concentrated beams of infra-red radiation."

"And what is that in English?" Evan asks.

"It's like heat," Kitty answers.

Hank lowers the targets back down.

"Is that it?" Scott asks. He had been watching with interest. He was team leader after all and he had to know what everyone was capable of. He keeps track of the New Mutants because one day when they are ready they will be x-men too.

"Well that is all I plan to check this way. I have something else in mind to check Clark's x-ray vision."

"His what!" all the girls simultaneously scream which causes both Kurt and Logan to openly wince. They both have rather sensitive hearing.

Hank remains calm though. "Clark indicated to me that he has the ability to see through anything and because of this he named it x-ray vision," he explains.

In response to that all the girls simultaneously fold their arms across their chests.

* * *

_Author's Note: Clark's little testing session was just to put some limits on his powers for the moment. He is only 16 after all. I will keep to the accepted premise that Clark gets more powerful as he ages so this is only his limits for the moment. It has been mentioned at times in the comics that Clark actually does have several internal organs that no human does and that their exact purpose and function is unknown(although more than likely they are responsible for his ability to absorb solar radiation and generate his powers) which is why I added that little part. He is an alien after all despite how human he looks. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Charles had to say Sunday was quiet. Well as quiet as it gets in a house full of teenage mutants. The Kents seemed to be settling in. He even noticed Jonathan surveying the grounds for the best place to put a vegetable garden he believes. Yesterday's testing of Clark's abilities had been very informative. If Clark were a mutant he would be arguably one of the most powerful Charles had ever seen.

Of course the female students had been a little wary around him since the revelation of Clark's possession of x-ray vision. On the other hand Logan was looking forward to placing Clark in his first Danger Room session now he knew what Clark could do. Unlike most people Logan simply saw Clark's powers as a challenge to him to come up with a scenario that would test Clark.

As Charles moves through the mansion past the lounge he overhears Clark and Kurt talking. It seems that those two had connected somehow. He finds them sitting in the lounge along with a few others.

"Codename?" Clark queries.

"Ja," Kurt confirms. "Ve all have codenames vell except for Rogue but zhat is because she von't tell anyvone her real name. Mine is Nightcrawler. Scott is Cyclops. Kitty is Shadowcat. Even Logan goes by Wolverine."

Like Clark needs another name he thinks to himself. He already has two. His Kryptonian name and his human one. "I don't know Kurt. I'm really not good with things like that."

"Then ve'll help you. Von't ve Kitty?" he asks the phasing mutant.

That idea perks Kitty up. She was kind of bored to be honest. "Absolutely! Just as long as you like don't use that x-ray vision on me."

"I don't use it like that," Clark says being overly defensive. "Besides I have to concentrate to even activate it."

"Like ok then," Kitty says in acceptance of Clark's words. "Now let us work on a codename for you." Normally codenames reflect the person's ability but Clark had so many it made it more difficult. Kitty had thought Jean was exaggerating when she said what Clark could do but after yesterday it was obvious Jean totally underplayed it.

Charles moves on and heads for the elevator to the lower levels to find Hank who he finds is in the infirmary reviewing all the data he obtained from his tests on Clark.

"How is it going Hank?" Charles asks him.

Hank looks up from his computer screen. "I could spend a lifetime studying young Mr Kent and not come close to understanding him." Hank brings up video footage from yesterday. "For example I was studying his tests yesterday," he pauses the image and points at the aura of energy around Clark's figure which shows up when viewed at different wavelengths. "Watch his aura when he uses his heat vision."

Charles does so as Hank restarts the video. "It flickered," Charles remarks.

Hank nods indicating that is what he wanted Charles to pick up. "Yes for a moment its strength weakened."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I think, that Clark's body was tapping into some sort of energy reserve."

"Yet it regained strength almost immediately," Charles observed.

"Yes. I don't understand that. It must mean he was recharging somehow. For all I know he absorbs the ambient energy around him. However I believe this aura is connected to what powers his abilities. It is the only explanation."

"What do you mean Hank?"

"I measured and weighed Clark. Now from that I can tell his body is denser than a human of equivalent size but that should only equate to him being about a third stronger than a normal person by my calculations when in reality we all saw how strong he was."

"Anything else about him?"

"Charles I could write a paper on what I have learned in the last 24 hours," Hank says with a little humour. "For example those internal organs I can't identify."

From a purely academic point of view Charles must admit he did find that fascinating.

"It's possible that they might have something to do with how Clark's powers work but that is pure speculation," Hank says. "I will have to much more investigation."

Charles nods in understanding. "What else have you ascertained so far?" he asks.

"He has perfect vision," Hank replies, "not including his x-ray vision."

"Yes did you manage to find out how that worked?"

"His retinas can seemingly detect wavelengths well beyond the visible spectrum but how his eyes do that I could only ascertain by dissecting and studying them which is obviously not possible. I did discover he can't see through lead which makes sense due to the molecular destiny of lead. His hearing is better than a human's but not drastically so. Also Logan might have some competition in the sense of smell department."

Charles quirks an eyebrow.

"I don't think Clark even realised his sense of smell was superior until when we were talking and he mentioned the slight smell of sulphur that follows Kurt about."

"What smell?" Charles asks. He knows when Kurt teleports there is a sulphurous smell but it dissipates quickly.

Hank smiles. "Precisely. It is so faint that few people pick it up but Logan mentioned it to me that he does."

Charles makes a mental note to tell Logan. It might be possible to teach Clark to use that ability in the same way Logan does.

"Basically Charles Clark is a very unique and immensely powerful individual," Hank summarises. "It is a good thing you found him when you did. I hate to think what Magneto would have done if he had found a way to control him."

So does Charles.

"I plan to tell Clark all this later today. He does seem quite interested in knowing. I believe he has quite a keen eager mind although he is a little shy," Hank had observed.

"Well thank you Hank. I know this is a lot to ask you to do so soon after your change."

Hank waves the Professor off. "Think nothing of it Charles. I do owe you."

Hank watches Charles leave before he saves all the data on Clark and encrypts it. After the party where someone broke in a new level of security had been added to everything. He then goes to get a sample of something Charles brought back from Smallville. He opens the small vault and is about to pull out the green meteor rock that Charles had asked him to study, due to its apparently mutating effects on human DNA, when he notices Clark's blood sample that he stored in there as well. It was the strangest thing. It seemed to be boiling.

* * *

Later that day Rogue is in the library, which is one of the few places she can get peace. Understandably due to her powers she isn't much of a people person. Now she likes all her friends and is really appreciative that they took her in when they started out as enemies but sometimes she just needs to be on her own. It is then Clark walks in.

"Oh hi," Clark says at the sight of Rogue. Kurt had introduced him to her last night but being only his second day he hadn't talked to her much. Although she wasn't hard to miss with the unusual white stripe in her hair. Clark's first thought about it was that it kind of an attractive feature. Then he chastised himself for thinking that considering his recent break-up with Lana.

"Hi," Rogue says back as she observes Clark looking kind of nervous. He is fidgeting and looking around. "Are ya alright?"

"Sure. I'm just...," Clark looks around again and lowers his voice. "I'm just trying to avoid Kitty."

"Why?"

"She has it in her head to come up with a codename for me and she won't leave me alone."

'Yeah. That sounds like Kitty,' Rogue thinks to herself.

"Also she thinks I need a make-over," Clark adds. Kitty had made some comments about the fact Clark was in a plaid shirt and that she could 'totally' remake his image.

"Welcome ta mah world," Rogue says sarcastically. Kitty had tried on more than one occasion to persuade her that she needed a make-over. Rogue threatened to absorb Kitty if she didn't drop it and Kitty has never raised the issue again.

"You mean she is always like that?" Clark asks with horror.

"Don't get meh wrong Kitty is a good person but she can be a little trying at times."

Clark frowns as he sits himself down in a chair.

"Starting ta regret coming here?" Rogue queries.

"No. I wanted a fresh start. There was just so much...stuff back in Smallville. I needed to get away from it."

Rogue looks at him with an odd curiosity. He does look burdened now she is really looking. "What kind of stuff?"

"I'm not sure you really want to know." Clark isn't sure he really wants to tell it.

"Maybe ah do," she replies. Rogue does not like when people tell her what she is suppose to think.

"It is probably better you don't."

Rogue can detect guilt in his voice. "Ya know not everyone here are exactly saints. Some of us are here ta get a second chance." Rogue would include herself in that.

Clark is silent for a few moments while he decides how honest he wants to be. "I ran away from home this summer past."

"Been there. Done that," Rogue tells him. She ran away from home lots of times.

"I misused my powers."

"In what way?"

"Ooh let me see here. Broke into ATMs. Robbed a bank. Blew up a police car," he lists off a few of the things he did.

Rogue has to blink twice at that last bit. "Ya blew up a police car?"

Clark nods. "I was...lets just say I was going through a rebellious phase and heat vision plus gas equals boom."

"Ah take it they never caught ya."

Clark shakes his head. "How do you catch someone who can run at two hundred miles an hour, can't be hurt and can break out of any cell like it was made of paper."

Those are good points Rogue will have to admit.

"When I came to my senses I returned the money but still...doesn't make up for what I did." The guilt at his actions is clear in Clark's voice.

"Why did ya do it?"

Clark almost says red kryptonite but that just lowers his inhibitions and he isn't ready to reveal everything about himself yet. "Well the ATMs for money. The bank because I wanted to buy a car. The police car...just for the thrill of it really. I was...sort of intoxicated on my powers," he comes up with as an explanation. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"Ah understand," Rogue says softly.

Clark looks at her with surprise. He hadn't expected her to say that. "You do?"

"Ah do. Not from mah own powers. Ah mean ah hate that ah can't touch anyone without absorbing them but ya see ah also absorb their memories. Ya haven't met the brotherhood yet but a lot of the tahme they use their powers for thrills and since ah absorbed them ah know what it feels lahke."

Clark wasn't sure what to say back. Kurt had told him about Rogue's powers. "I can't imagine what it would be like to never be able to touch anyone."

"It is why ah'm always covered up and even then ah have ta be careful."

"I understand the careful bit."

"Ya do?" she asks a little bit sceptically.

Clark nods. "Rogue did you see how much I can lift yesterday?"

Yeah she did and boy was that something.

Clark tries to sum up the best he can what it is like being him, the burden his powers put upon him. "Rogue I can crush every bone in your body without trying. Even when I do something simple like shake someone's hand I have to think about just how much of my strength I use so I don't hurt them. My body to the best of my knowledge is virtually invulnerable. If you were to run into me it would be like running into a brick wall so whenever someone does that I have to remember to give way. My strength, my invulnerability can't be turned off so I have to be in complete control of my powers virtually every second of every day or..." Clark tries not to think about what could happen.

He looks down at his hands for a moment. It was insane just how strong he was and he was getting stronger all the time it seemed to him. When he was 3 he could lift a truck. By 6 he was able to lift the tractor. After that it came kind of difficult to know just how strong he was since there was nothing he came across in his life that he couldn't lift with ease. Nearly 900 tons is just...nuts. He looks at his hands again. It frightens him to think about just how much damage he could do with them. It gave him nightmares thinking on just how much damage he had already done with them.

At least part of him was glad that he was finally able to tell that to someone. He is so use to normally keeping everything locked up inside him. He is also really tired of keeping everything locked up inside him. It was why he wanted to come here.

Rogue thinks on what Clark said. She had absorbed the Blob but she can't remember Fred ever worrying about such things but then again that is no real surprise. To be truthful Rogue had never really thought what it was like for a guy with superstrength. Clark painted a rather vivid picture that while it might sound nice to be that strong there were drawbacks too. She can see Clark adopt what she can recognise as a full blown brooding posture. Recognise it because she herself adopts them regularly.

"By the way who or what is the brotherhood?" Clark asks.

"Has no-one told ya about them yet?" Rogue asks a little surprised at that. Especially since he and Kurt had seemed to hit it off. Clark shakes his head so Rogue gives him the summary including Mystique and Magneto and Asteroid M. "They haven't been as much trouble since Mystique vanished but they are still annoying," she finishes up with.

Clark listens to her respectfully. They sound a bit like him when he was being Kal this summer past and he just had to think about that and depress himself even more didn't he. "Can I hide out here for a bit?" he asks her wanting somewhere quiet to brood.

Rogue gestures at the empty room. Few of them come in here on a Sunday unless they have some major homework assignment. "Be mah guest."

* * *

It is approaching evening when Clark knocks on the door to the infirmary. Mr McCoy had wanted to go over his test results with him.

"Ah Clark. Come in," Hank permits him. Clark does so. "Please sit down," Hank asks of him gesturing at a chair.

Clark sits in the chair and Hank goes over everything including his suspicion about what Clark's aura signifies. Clark can't give him any more answers on how it works but he does agree to working with Mr McCoy to find out. He wants to know.

"Now Clark before you go I have one last thing to ask you," Hank informs him.

"Sure."

"What can you tell me about the meteor rocks that come from your home town?"

"Can I ask why you are interested?"

"Because I accidentally placed your blood sample next to one and it made your blood boil."

Panic sets in. Instinctual panic. "You have one! Here!"

"Clark calm down. It is locked away," Hank assures him.

Of course it is. Otherwise Clark would be on the floor in a heap by now. Clark takes a few calming breaths. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything you can tell me."

Clark takes a breath and explains that as far as he has been able to work out they are debris from his home planet after it exploded, or at least that is what he guesses happened, and that for some reason whenever he is near them he gets sick, weak and he expresses his belief that if he were exposed for too long they might be able to kill him. He even mentions the name he recently labelled them with; Kryptonite.

Since his first blood sample is basically ruined Clark gives Mr McCoy another one for him to study along with mentioning that lead blocks the radiation kryptonite emits and that if he is going to keep a piece around he asks Mr McCoy to keep it in a lead box.

Hank informs Clark that he will do that but he would like to keep a piece around for study and that he might be able in time to come up with a way to negate the effects it has on Clark's physiology.

Well if that is possible Clark isn't going to say no.

That is when Logan walks in. "There you are Kent. I've been looking all over for ya."

Clark has a feeling he isn't going to like this.

"You done with him Hank?" Logan asks.

"Indeed. He is all yours."

"Good. It's time."

"Time for what?" Clark asks.

"Yesterday was about seeing what ya could do kid. Today you get your first proper Danger Room session."

Clark really did not like the look in Logan's eye as he said that.

The New Mutants consisting of Bobby, Jubilee, Ray, Sam, Amara, Jamie, Roberto and Rahne are gathered in the Danger Room awaiting this evening's punishment. Logan almost never lets them have a day off which you think he would considering the bruises they end up with after one of these sessions.

Just then the door opens and in walks Logan with Clark following on behind dressed back in that black and yellow uniform.

"Yes!" Bobby shouts and punches the air triumphantly.

"What are you so happy about?" Ray asks him.

"With him on our side there is no way we can lose," Bobby states confidently after witnessing Clark's little session yesterday.

"Don't get too confident yet popsicle," Logan warns trying not to allow Bobby to get ahead of himself. Bobby could be a little arrogant and cocky which was surprising considering how many different ways Logan had come up with to knock him on his butt. "Now I'll be up there watching ya all," he says pointing at the observation booth. "Have fun."

Clark watches Logan exit the room and then he turns to his...team-mates he guesses. Kurt had introduced him around to everyone and Clark can memorise anything instantly. They all seemed nice although Kurt had warned Clark of the pranks especially Bobby liked to play on people. He had been a little unsure how to react to Amara when Kurt mentioned she was a princess from a country Clark had never heard of. Ray seemed a little on the short-tempered side but Kurt said that was just who he was. Jubilee who was clearly part Chinese had been extremely friendly. She was a bit like Kitty actually. He learned that Roberto was from Brazil but given this was only his second day Clark had barely said more than hello to him and the same goes for Sam. Clark had not had time to really form opinions on the two youngest, Jamie and Rahne, yet.

As for his current predicament Kurt had made some mention of the Danger Room last night but in truth Clark had no idea what this was about at all. It is something Amara notices. "He didn't tell you what this was about did he?"

Clark shakes his head. "No."

"I wouldnae worry aboot it," Rahne tells him in her Scottish accent. "He never told us either on oor first time."

"Yeah. Logan likes to just throw you in in the deep end," Ray confirms. "But if you want to know the basics then the aim is to stay alive."

As Ray says it laser turrets appear along with giant saw blades and drones fly up into the air. Clark looks on totally stunned. Sam pats him on the shoulder. "Welcome to hell."

The New mutants power up as the first wave of drones fly at them. Iceman freezes them. Jubilee shoots them down using her fireworks which aren't powerful enough to destroy them directly but mess up their sensors causing them to crash. Berzerker blasts them with electrical shots while Magma and Sunspot both throw balls of fire at them. For flying drones Wolfsbane and Multiple's powers aren't that useful. That's when wave 2 hits them from the other direction.

"Incoming!" Jamie shouts as he notices them.

That finally snaps Clark out of his shock as he turns round and uses his heat vision. Problem here is though he hasn't ever tried to use it on multiple flying targets and he misses a few of them.

"We need some help back here," Rahne tells them.

Ray spins round and mops up the ones Clark missed and that's when the laser turrets aim at them.

"Scatter!" Bobby yells as the laser fires. Clark slips into superspeed making it fairly easy to dodge the blasts. Everybody else scatters and tries to take out the turrets. One tags Jamie who splits into several copies. Rahne has transformed into her wolf form as she can move faster and is more agile as a wolf. Clark soon catches on to a tactic. He dodges at superspeed, stops for a moment to blast the turret with his heat vision and move onto the next one.

"Help!" someone shouts. Clark stops to see Jubilee on the ground as one of the giant saw blades comes for her. In an instant he is across standing in front of her as he catches the spinning blade between his hands. The saw blades shatter on impact with him. He offers Jubilee his hand. "You ok?" he asks her.

Jubilee gets up rubbing her bottom. "Oh I'm just super," she grumbles. Clark then spots another turret appear behind her so he grabs her, spins them both round and uses his body to shield her as the laser hits him without any real effect. In the next instant Clark crushes it between his fists.

"Watch out!" Jubilee yells at him.

Clark turns just as a giant spiked ball comes at him hitting him in the face. Clark flies backward even as he leaves a Clark shaped dent in the ball. Well that went well...not. He gets back to his feet to see that the other aren't doing that much better as most of them are lying flat out on the ground and that is when the floor opens up and giant metal tentacles rise up. Now that is just sadistic.

Up in the observation room Logan watches on. Seems they will have to replace that spiked ball. Logan may know what Kent can do now but how he handles himself in a team and under combat conditions is another thing entirely. Hence adding Kent to this little session.

"How's it going?" Charles asks as he rolls in.

Logan snorts. "Same as always. Their teamwork still stinks."

Charles looks down to see the varying members of the new mutants wrapped up in the tentacles even Clark at least for the moment before he rips the tentacle apart with his bare hands. He then goes to rescue the others by tearing those tentacles apart too.

"Well at least they got past the drones this time," Charles comments as a positive.

An hour after it started the new mutants are lying flat out on their backs breathing hard and in desperate need of new uniforms as theirs are...worse for wear could be an understatement except for Clark that is but even he is feeling slightly strained. Pieces of broken drones, saws, laser turrets, and tentacles lie about them.

The doors open and Logan walks in. "Well congratulations," he says in a tone that makes it hard to know whether he actually means that or not. "That is the first time you managed to last the full hour. Maybe next time we can move on to a level 2 simulation."

Clark's eyes widen at the revelation. That was only level 1?

"Kent," Logan gruffly snaps out to get the kid's attention. "Your aim needs improvement and your teamwork is non-existent so that about puts you on a par with the others."

Clark isn't sure what to say to that so he says nothing as Logan moves on to point out everyone else's flaws. The main one being that everyone listened to Bobby and scattered leaving them alone and able to be picked off one by one when they should have stuck together as a team.

"Well that is us done for the day," Logan informs them. "Get cleaned up and ready for dinner and remember early night curfew for those that have school tomorrow."

All the others groan as they try to get back to their feet and they then march slowly out of the Danger Room.

"How come your uniform isn't damaged?" Ray asks Clark as they head for the changing room. After all Clark got hit just as many times as the rest of them. Well maybe not as often but he did get hit. In fact Ray remembers a saw hitting Clark and then shattering upon impact with the guy.

Clark looks down at himself. "I don't know," he answers honestly.

"Did you even break a sweat?" Sam asks him since unlike the rest of them there is no sign of perspiration on Clark.

"I never sweat," is Clark's response.

After getting changed the group all head back up to the mansion where upon the elevator opening Scott is passing by. "Hey I heard you guys lasted the full hour. Congratulations."

It is then Jubilee snaps, grabs Scott by his shirt and pulls him done so they are eyeball to eyeball. "That man is a maniac and I am going to be in pain for a week so save your congratulations leader boy!" Jubilee then stomps off leaving a slightly flustered Scott standing there.

"It's a good thing you didn't mention to her that we have daily sessions," Bobby tiredly quips before he heads off with a slight limp. The rest walks by too all walking gingerly leaving Clark last.

"That bad huh?" Scott asks him. Despite his nagging jealously over Jean Scott had talked himself into giving Clark a chance so he has decided to try and be nice.

Clark doesn't know what to say except "That was the most insane thing I have ever been through." And considering Clark's life up to this point that is really saying something.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute for the Gifted," Scott cracks one of his rare jokes.

* * *

Sunday night and Risty Whilde enters her home. As soon as the door is closed Risty's skin starts turning blue, her height increases, her hair turns red and standing there is no longer a teenage girl but the mutant shape-shifter known as Mystique. As far as Magneto is concerned she assumes this persona to spy on the x-men for him along with being Rogue's friend so she can gain access to the mansion. She had already succeeded in doing this once and if Magneto goes ahead with what he is planning the ability to do so will be needed again. While that is the excuse she gives Magneto for doing this she also does this for another reason. She assumes this form to be near her children. She is willing to admit to herself that she may not be the world's greatest mother but that doesn't mean she does not care for them even if in Rogue's case she does not know that she is Mystique's adopted daughter.

It is then she senses another presence in the house with her. Without warning she spins round and grabs the person who is trying to hide in the shadows. She pulls them out to find it is a blond girl in a green uniform. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Mystique demands to know in a threatening tone.

The girl says nothing. In the next instant Mystique's vision is filled with a green haze and then she finds herself inside a metal dome.

"Mystique," a familiar dark voice says.

Mystique releases her grip on the girl and turns to face Magneto standing directly behind her. "What do you want?"

"For you to stop delaying and bring me what I want," he says in a not so veiled threatening tone of voice implying bad things will happen if Mystique doesn't hold up her end of their bargain.

"I told you. I have the disk." She is referring to the one she copied all Xavier's files onto.

"I know you do." Magneto walks past Mystique to the girl. "Did you find it?"

The girl pulls out the disk from behind her back where she had tucked it into her waistband and hands it to Magneto. "It was where you said it would be," she informs him and it had been. She wonders how he knew where it would be hidden.

"Excellent," he says in praise of her. Magneto turns to face Mystique once more. "Say hello to my newest recruit; Haze," he says introducing the girl.

Alicia Baker aka Haze because when she teleports she vanishes in a green haze. The uniform was Magneto's idea as was the name. Alicia likes it as she does Magneto's ideas of how mutants are superior to other humans. He explained to her that was why her parents locked her up. Because they feared her superiority. It makes perfect sense.

Mystique snorts derisively. "This little girl is your new recruit. Scraping the barrel aren't we."

"Remember our arrangement Mystique," Magneto warns her.

Oh Mystique remembers it alright. Highlight of her month to see Magneto seeking her out and while not quite begging for her help she likes to think of it as close as Magneto would ever allow himself to come to it. She was still angry at him for essentially being discarded after all she had done for him when she did not get an invite to Asteroid M but when he proposed a new arrangement between them Mystique didn't see any better options. Xavier's dream was a fantasy. At least Magneto was realistic. "What do you want?" Mystique asks getting back to her original question.

"Haze needs to be trained to defend herself. I want you to teach her."

Mystique folds her arms across her chest. "Why not just send her to live with the Brotherhood?"

"No. They have proven themselves unreliable though I may have a use for them later. In the meantime they are not my concern nor yours. Now do we have an agreement?"

"It does not risk my exposure," Mystique lays out as a condition.

"Agreed," Magneto concedes. He then signals for Haze to take Mystique back. A moment later they reappear in Mystique's home.

"Come here at 8 every evening," Mystique tells Haze who nods in response. "And one more thing..." Mystique then swings a roundhouse kick to the girl's face knocking Haze to the floor. She then grabs Haze by the throat. "Steal from me again and I will make you wish you were never born," Mystique says coldly. "Do we understand each other?"

Haze nods and Mystique releases her before Haze vanishes. Back in Magneto's hideout Alicia gets back to her feet and rubs her sore face.

"So how did Mystique take it?" a voice from the shadows asks.

Alicia turns to face it. "I don't think she likes me."

In the shadows the figure makes a playing card in his hand glow illuminating his face revealing he is a young man with brown hair and strange red on black eyes. He gives her a reassuring smile. "Worry not petit. Gambit will protect you."

Alicia can't stop the blush coming to her cheeks. He was like the cutest guy she had ever met. Well apart from maybe Clark Kent who was in her class from before her powers manifested when she was allowed to attend school.

Gambit inwardly smiles at the fact he has made the girl blush. She is a little young for him but there is nothing wrong in some harmless flirting. He has to keep his skills sharp after all.

* * *

_Author's Note: Gee I wonder what codename Clark should have? It occurred to me that at first Logan would stick Clark with the New Mutants which is why I wrote that. Also by this point in Smallville Clark's superhearing hadn't developed yet which is why it is only slightly better than a human's at this point. Its manifestation will be in a later chapter. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Clark wakes up Monday morning to the strange surroundings and it takes him a minute to remember where he is. He sits up and takes in his room. It is still taking some getting use to having a room this size but he had made this choice and he was at least going to give it go being here. Well he better get up and get ready. It is his first day of school. After they accepted Professor Xavier's invitation he said he would take care of any issues about having Clark transferred to Bayville High.

So he gets up, thankfully early, because he had discovered that unless you did you ended up in a queue to use the bathroom when they were working that was. It seems a whole bunch of super powered teenagers living under one roof has a detrimental effect on things like bathrooms.

When Clark gets back to his room afterwards he opens his underwear draw to find it frozen. Before he can come to terms with that there is a knock on the door. "Come in."

In walks Kurt. He had been heading back to his room after his breakfast, walking instead of teleporting, when he had seen Bobby sneaking out of Clark's room. So Kurt just had to check up on his new friend and see what Bobby had done. "I see Bobby got you zhen," he remarks at the sight of the ice filled drawer. That is one of Bobby's classic pranks.

"He finds this funny I assume."

"Ja."

Clark shakes his head and mutters he is thankful he is an only child. He then focusses his eyes on the drawer and uses his heat vision on it. In no time his underwear is defrosted, dry and nicely warm. "Well if you see him before me you may want to point out this doesn't work on a guy who can shoot fire from his eyes."

"I'll do zhat," Kurt tells Clark. "So looking forward to your first day of school?"

"Does anyone look forward to their first day of school?" Clark asks philosophically.

"Kitty does," Kurt answers immediately before he decides he better get ready for school too.

Clark looks at Kurt briefly. "If I can ask how do you manage to go to school?"

"Oh I haven't shown you my holovatch yet," Kurt realises.

"Holowatch?"

"I'll show you later but basically it, um, how do you phrase it, projects an image around me allowing me to look normal."

Clark had to say that sounded kind of cool actually. He would love to know how it worked exactly although he can think of a few possibilities himself as to how it could work.

After Kurt leaves and he gets changed Clark heads down to the kitchen for breakfast where he catches up with his mom and he helps her and Miss Monroe make all the other breakfasts. He was really glad that the Professor had given his parents jobs. After everything that had happened to them recently Clark would have hated to be separated from them. His recent encounters with Jor-El had made it that Clark had never been more thankful that his mom and dad where the ones that found him.

His mom tells him that his dad had had a late night helping Logan clear up the Danger Room. Clark wonders if he should feel guilty for that since he himself did destroy a lot of stuff. Last night both parents had expressed concerns about the Danger Room after Clark told them about it. He knows they talked to Professor Xavier about it and that afterwards while they still had concerns they understood that it was a good idea to have a place like that where they could learn to use their abilities safely. The Professor had pointed out that the Danger Room had software that meant it would shut down if it detected that any student was injured.

After breakfast some of them soon load up into a van, Clark included, with Logan having the driving duties. Scott left in a red convertible with Kurt and Clark got to see what Kurt meant by him looking normal. That holowatch was amazing. He bets anything that Chloe would go nuts if she knew about it but he will never be able to tell her anything about it. He had phoned both her and Pete last night to see how they were. He doesn't want to lose complete touch with his friends.

Watching them go from the window in his office is Charles. He then senses another mind. "Come in Storm," he permits her.

Ororo walks in not mentioning that when Charles does that it still creeps her out a little. "Everyone's away," she informs him since she makes sure they all go to where they are meant to.

"Thank you Storm."

Ororo walks up to the window beside Charles.

"Something on your mind Storm?" Charles asks her.

"Nothing in particular," she answers vaguely.

"How are you finding Martha and Jonathan?" he asks her.

"Well I am not complaining about the help Charles and I don't think Logan is complaining either about having someone to help him clean up after the students."

"But?" Charles just feels there is a but coming.

"But what is this all about Charles? Many of the students miss their parents and you don't invite them to work here."

Charles had suspected that Storm would ask this eventually. "Clark's bond to his parents is very important. He wouldn't have come here without them."

"I thought you couldn't read his mind."

"I can't. It was merely an observation that was made to me and one I picked up on when we were in Kansas."

"But why him Charles?"

"Clark is unique," is Charles simple answer.

Ororo could tell that. That was obvious from the sheer power Clark possessed.

"Please protect him and deliver him from evil," Charles suddenly says.

"What?"

"Clark's biological parents' last wish before they died."

At Charles' words Ororo comes to a realisation. "So Martha and Jonathan..."

"are Clark's adopted parents," Charles fills in.

"Did you know his biological parents?"

"In a way," Charles answers so not to reveal his association with Veritas. "That was their wish Ororo and I intend to fulfil it and to do that Clark must be here where we can protect him and if that means giving Martha and Jonathan jobs then that is what I will do."

* * *

"Hey Clark," Kitty says to get his attention. "Like where did you vanish off to yesterday?" she asks him.

Clark shifts his gaze from looking out the window to Kitty sitting in front of him and takes a moment before answering so he doesn't end up saying he was trying to get away from her and hurt her feelings. Kitty is nice but sometimes she is too much. "Um I had an appointment with Mr McCoy and then Logan took me for a Danger Room session," he decides to tell her. It is true after all. He is just not mentioning the few hours he spent hiding out in the library.

"Oh and how did you find the Danger Room?" Kitty asks with a knowing grin on her face about the horrors of the Danger Room.

Clark shakes his head trying to clear the images from his head. "Am I allowed to say crazy and sadistic?"

"Ah," Kitty says in understanding. "So like just the normal then."

"Hey don't forget to mention that Jubilee went totally psycho on Scott!" Bobby shouts out.

"I did not!" Jubilee protests.

"Yeah you did," Bobby argues back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Wow isn't this tha prime example of a sophisticated argument," Rogue mutters sarcastically as Bobby and Jubilee continue to argue.

Upon arrival at the school Clark observes Jean run off over to some blond guy who she then gives a kiss on the cheek to. At that Scott who is standing nearby looks like, well, how Clark imagined he looked whenever he saw Lana with Whitney. Combined with the dark looks Scott had given him in Smallville Clark can guess that Scott probably has a crush on Jean at the very least. It all brings a painful twinge to Clark's heart as it reminds him a lot of everything that transpired between him and Lana.

With a small shake of his head he takes a brief look at his new school. Kitty ends up showing him to the office while along the way reminding him that they still need to come up with a codename for him. Clark reaches the office, notes the door off of it with Principle Kelly on it and turns to the secretary sitting there. "Can I help you?" she asks him.

"Um, yeah. I'm a new student. Clark Kent," he says with a slight stutter that betrays his underlying shyness.

The secretary turns to her computer and looks up Clark's name while he briefly gazes round at the ordinary looking office.

"Ah here we are. Clark Joseph Kent," she says bringing Clark's attention back to her although her using his middle name almost makes him cringe. He hates his middle name. The woman glances up at Clark. "Another one from the Xavier Institute?" she queries having noted Clark's home address.

"Yes," Clark answers nervously.

The woman shrugs one shoulder and prints off his schedule. Clark takes it, says his thanks and heads back off outside where Kitty is waiting for him.

"So lets see what you got?" she asks him in her usual bubbly curious way as Clark lets her look over his schedule. "By the way...Joseph?" she queries with an amused smirk.

Clark shakes his head. "My grandfather. It was my grandfather's name," he explains.

"Uh huh," she remarks lightly as she reads over his schedule. She can see many possibilities for having fun with Clark's middle name in the near future. "Well this isn't like too bad," she comments at Clark's schedule. She reads on a bit more. "Well I'll show you where your locker is," she offers.

Lunchtime comes all too quickly it seems to Clark. His classes were just like the ones back home really and for him mostly just as easy. He always tried never to show it so not to draw attention to himself but due to his photographic memory Clark could remember everything he had ever read or that the teachers had said with crystal clarity. That meant in particular he was good at maths and science. In those subjects everything obeyed certain rules and had a logical path to an outcome.

Anyway he makes his way to the canteen and is looking for a place to sit when Kurt waves him over so he sits next to him. Also there are Kitty, Rogue and Scott.

"So like how was your morning Clark?" Kitty asks him.

Clark shrugs unsure what to say exactly. "Alright I guess. Not that much different from home really."

"Vell I vas never able to attend school before I came here," Kurt tells Clark. "My parents home taught me."

Clark turns to look at Kurt. "What are you parents like?" he asks Kurt.

Rogue, Kitty and Scott simultaneously slap their own heads. Now Clark had done it. Once Kurt started up he could spend hours talking on his parents.

"Oh man. Zhey are zhe best. I mean how many ozher parents vould take in somevone who looked...," Kurt gestures at himself, "vell you know."

"Mine would," Clark says with certainty. After all they took him in even though he knew he was an alien.

Kurt then mentions how his parents found him as a baby by the river.

"Mine found me in a field," Clark lets slip out.

That gets Rogue's attention. "Wait. What do ya mean they found ya in a field?"

Uh oh. Clark has said too much he realises. "Um well mom and dad are my adopted parents and it is like I said. They found me...," he chooses his next words carefully, "abandoned in a field near our house back in Smallville."

"How old were you?" Scott asks with sudden interest since he is an orphan too.

"My parents were never sure. They guessed I looked about 3." Clark has made his slip so he might as well be as truthful as he can without revealing the entire truth about himself.

"What about your family?" Rogue asks.

Clark pauses for a moment before answering. "As far I know they're dead." Along with his entire species if Dr Swann is correct. Clark isn't sure whether to take whatever it is that calls itself his father as something that is alive. As far as he can work out it is some sort of A.I and it is also 1000 miles plus away now which is actually a nice thought if Clark wants to admit it.

"Can you remember them?" Scott asks.

Clark shakes his head. "No." He can remember nothing before his parents found him. Only darkness and this terrible feeling of being trapped alone in a small space.

Scott suddenly feels a connection with Clark he never had before. He lost his parents too and knows that pain but at least he can still remember them.

"Hey guys!"

Clark turns his head to see a blond haired girl wearing make-up and this look like she is bringing trouble. She looks at him blatantly checking him out. "So got some new blood huh?" She checks him out some more. "Well if you keep recruiting hunks like this I may just have to reconsider and come back." She holds out her hand. "The name's Tabitha. No doubt you've heard all the scandal about me and I can confirm that yes it is all true."

Rogue had made some mention of a Tabitha when she was telling him about the Brotherhood. That she use to be a New Mutant but left after some incident with her father. Clark takes her hand. "I'm Clark. Clark Kent."

"Don't you mean Clark Joseph Kent," Kitty blurts out taking her opportunity to tease him. Clark sorely wishes he was not such a good person so he could fry Kitty with his heat vision.

Tabby bursts out laughing. "Joseph! Oh my god!" She sits herself down next to Kurt which has Scott giving her a severe glare. He still hadn't forgiven her for walking out on them. If Tabby notices it she gives no sign that she has.

Kurt meanwhile is more interested in her statement about coming back. "You could come back you know Tabby. Zhe Professor vould gladly have you back." And so would he he silently adds.

Tabby pinches Kurt's cheek affectionately which makes him blush under his fur. "Aw that's sweet Blue but we both know that wouldn't work." She turns her attention back to Clark. "So what's your deal?"

"Deal?" Clark queries with a slight furrow of his brow.

"Yeah. Deal. As in what can you do? Sheesh where are you from?"

"Kansas," Clark answers.

Tabby smirks. "Let me guess. You're a farm boy."

"Yes. I am," Clark says with no hint of shame. Quite the opposite really.

Tabby holds her hands up. "Hey I'm not making fun of you. So what is it you do?"

Kitty lets out a snort. "The list of what he can't do is shorter."

Tabby leans forward and rests her chin on her hands. "Oh really?" she asks intrigued.

Before Clark can say anything Kitty decides to speak for him. "Oh yeah. He is like superstrong, superfast and he can shoot fire from his eyes and oh get this...Clark has x-ray vision."

Clark cannot believe Kitty just blurted that out and he wonders how Tabby will react since most of the girls hadn't taken it that well.

An enormous smile comes to Tabby as she leans back and places her hands behind her head. "So tell me gorgeous. Like what you see?"

Clark's cheeks burn red with embarrassment as he quickly averts his gaze to his tray of food on the table.

"Tabby. You are like incorrigible," Kitty says.

* * *

End of the day and Clark is putting away his books in his locker. It turns out he ended up not too far from Bobby who has been in a bit of a sulk all day it seems because his attempt to prank Clark didn't go quite as Bobby planned.

Clark notices Jubilee walking up to him. "So how was your first day?" she asks him.

"It was alright I guess."

"Yeah well enjoy the rest while you can because Logan will be crucifying us with another training session when we get back," Jubilee tells him with all the sarcasm she can muster to say how much she is not looking forward to that.

Oh goody! Another thing Clark has to look forward to.

"Oh god," Jubilee says suddenly.

Clark looks round as 4 boys approach them. One looking more like a mountain than a boy. Another has white hair. A short gangly looking one and the fourth one with black hair.

"So you're the new geek," the white haired one says to him while looking him over. It had irked Pietro rotten when Tabby had said that Kitty said that this guy had superspeed as well. Of course it didn't really matter in the end because no-one was faster than him. "Just a little friendly advice. However fast you think you are just remember this." Pietro snaps his fingers "Blink and I'm gone."

"I blink pretty fast," Clark says back.

Pietro narrows his eyes and recalls what Tabby said about where this guy was from. "Is that so...farm boy," he says as an insult. Pietro looks Clark up and down again. "You know you really don't look all that special to me but then again I always knew Tabby was exaggerating. It isn't even worth my effort challenging you to a race because even if I did you'd probably decline knowing the humiliating defeat you would face," Pietro boasts with sheer arrogance.

By now Bobby has walked over next to Clark to show a united front. "Why don't you guys just go," Jubilee tells them.

"Stay out of this firecracker," the black-haired one warns her.

"Yeah," the boy-mountain says. "Tabby said he was strong," he cracks his knuckles, "and I want to see how strong."

Clark guesses that this is the Brotherhood and he can't believe he is about to either end up in a race or get in a fight on his first day or if he is really unlucky both. His parents are going to kill him but first things first. "What is that smell?" he just has to ask as the most awful smell possible assaults him.

Bobby points at the short gangly kid. "That would be Toad and seriously dude take a bath some time."

"Hey," Toad protests. "It's a condition yo."

"Yeah," Fred says in agreement with his friend.

"Maybe it's time the Brotherhood taught you some respect ice-cube," Pietro says threateningly.

Lance holds his hand up stopping the others. "The name's Avalanche," he says introducing himself to Clark. "And if you don't know already we are the Brotherhood. What that means is that unlike that school you are going to we live our lives the way we want and we set our own rules."

Clark locks eyes with Lance and stares at him with a hardened glare in his eyes. A glare as hard as steel. Clark does not appreciate people threatening his friends like the white-haired boy just did.

Lance seems to crack first. "When you get tired of babysitting the rookies here look us up," he says making Clark an offer. "Come on guys. Lets go."

They start to walk off. Fred scratches his head in confusion. "So that means I'm not fighting that guy?"

"Wow Fred your powers of deduction are astounding," Pietro says sarcastically.

"Thanks Pietro!" Fred says gratefully. "Wait were you being sarcastic?" he asks as the Brotherhood vanish around a corner.

"So that was the Brotherhood?" Clark can't help but ask.

Jubilee lets out a breath of relief that they've gone. "Yeah. A barrel of laughs aren't they."

Clark looks at Jubilee. "Do they threaten you often?" he asks her with concern.

Jubilee shakes her head. "No they tend to focus on the x-men. Guess it was just our lucky day."

"They were the lucky ones," Bobby says confidently. "If they had tried anything I could so have taken them."

"Before or after Blob had squashed you flat?" Jubilee asks him. She shakes her head and rolls her eyes at Bobby's stupidity. "Come on we better go before the van leaves and we have to walk home."

Clark closes his locker, grabs his bag and the 3 of them leave with Jubilee remarking that she just doesn't get what Kitty sees in Lance.

Watching them leave is the figure of Risty Whilde. When Rogue had mentioned earlier in the day who the new guy was that was living with them Mystique knew that from what she had heard had happened in Kansas that this sounded like the boy Magneto had apparently 'dealt' with. Well it seems Mr Kent is a little harder to kill than Magneto thought. She is going to have to keep a close eye on him. If he can survive what she heard Magneto did to him then he has the potential to ruin everything.

* * *

_Author's Note: Felt like doing a first day at school chapter for Clark as it allowed him to run into the Brotherhood. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Approaching the end of his first week and Clark has to say things were going pretty well. He had settled in and had managed to make new friends because for once in his life his powers weren't an issue. Of course there was still the issue of the fact that he wasn't actually a mutant and it ate at him a little that he was not telling his new friends the whole truth. A part of him wanted to. A part of him has always wanted to be honest but he can't get over the way Pete looked at him immediately after he learned the truth. Pete had looked at Clark like what he was; an alien. Ok Pete had gotten over it mostly but still it had hurt at the time and another part of Clark fears that is just how the others will react as well.

Friday morning and Clark is sitting down to his usual large serving for breakfast. Frankly he is amazed he is hungry at all because yesterday something Clark thought was impossible happened. Something he ate made him ill. In this case they were cookies Kitty had made and honestly he has no idea how she did it because nothing short of kryptonite makes him ill. He wasn't actually sick or anything but he did suffer from what he guesses was an upset stomach.

Just then Kurt pops in with his usual 'bamf' sound and puff of blue smoke. Since his appetite is just as large as Clark's, a side effect of his mutation, he has to start here early.

"Morning Kurt."

"Morning Clark." Kurt takes a minute to see how much Clark is eating. "Man vhat is your stomach lined vith? Last time I ate vone of Kitty's cookies I couldn't eat for 2 days."

Clark shrugs unsure what to say in response.

"Maybe your mozher could give her lessons," Kurt suggests because he just had to say that Clark's mom was a great cook as well as being a nice, warm friendly person.

"I'll ask her," Clark promises Kurt. Clark checks the clock on the wall. In fact his mother will probably be up soon and then he'll help her out. He always tries to help her and Ms Munroe if he has the time. In fact he is up unusually early today even for him but he just didn't feel all that tired today for some reason.

Kurt grabs his cereal and sits down next to Clark. "By zhe vay have you thought up a code-name yet?"

Clark shakes his head. "No."

Kurt has to say it has not been as easy as he thought it would be to come up with something when he suggested it 5 days ago.

All too soon it is time to go back to school. On the way out Clark catches a news report about a strange comet impacting the sun and causing unusual solar flare activity. Since astronomy is his hobby he is mildly interested. He just doesn't have time right now to look into it but he does wonder briefly if these solar flares will affect things like communication satellites and power systems.

At school Clark gets his books out of his locker. Thankfully since he met them on Monday the Brotherhood have seemed to leave him alone and since Clark has no wish to get into any fights he is glad. Well he better get to class. He closes his locker with a 'thud' and heads to class. What he hasn't noticed is the fact that without trying he has left an impression of his hand in the metal door of his locker.

Back at the mansion Hank is trying to get to the bottom of an ill feeling Roberto who had come to him complaining that his sun-derived powers had gone haywire and he was feeling 'off'. Hank had completed his tests for now and he believes Martha is making Roberto some soup so he lets Sunspot leave the infirmary for the time being.

"So what do you think is the matter?" Charles asks with concern for the welfare of his student. Since Roberto was from Brazil he didn't attend school like the other students. Charles taught him here at the institute.

"Hmm," Hank says as he thinks over Roberto's test results. "I believe the unusual solar activity is the cause since I can find nothing physically wrong with Mr Da Costa. My best guess is that he is simply hyper sensitive to it. Once the activity calms down he should be fine and his powers should return to normal."

Charles nods with a small amount of relief.

"I would recommend he does not try to use his powers so he can be excused from any training today."

"I am certain he will be pleased to hear that," Charles jokes knowing how much the students dreaded Logan's sessions.

Hank laughs. "Yes well it will also save on the furniture." Roberto had set the couch on fire earlier by accident. Hank shakes his head. "It's a good thing only Roberto is affected and not any other students or I'm not sure we would have a house left," he jokes.

Back at Bayville High Clark is coming out for lunch and he feels really energised for some reason today. He even decides to have his lunch outside since it is actually quite an unusually warm day for October. It is near the end of lunch however that he sees the Brotherhood bothering Rogue and no-one else seems to be around. Great. So much for avoiding that fight but he can't let them just hassle Rogue like that.

Rogue is getting seriously cheesed off at the Brotherhood. Cheesed off to the point she is thinking of pulling her gloves off and seeing how much they hassle her once she has dropped them to the ground like stones. She guesses they had chosen that today was her day for them to annoy. Ever since Mystique vanished the Brotherhood has fallen into this little pointless routine of picking an x-man to annoy every day. Now Fred is blocking her way. "Get outta tha way Fred!" she demands.

"And what are you going to do about it if he doesn't Roguey?" Pietro taunts her.

"Then I'll move him," a serious voice announces. All turn to see Clark standing behind Fred, arms folded across his chest with a stern expression on his face. Rogue had to admit that Clark looked quite intimidating in that pose. It was far removed from the quiet, shy guy she had been getting to know this last week.

Fred turns round not looking all that impressed. He folds his arms across his chest. "I'd like to see you try that," he dares Clark.

Clark stares at him for a few seconds contemplating that he might have to really do this but before he can a stern voice shouts at them.

"What is going on here?"

All 6 of them look to see Principal Kelly marching towards them looking less than pleased.

"Oh um nothing Principal Kelly," Toad says quickly.

Principal Kelly eyes each and every one of them before his eyes settle on Clark. "You're the new one from the Xavier Institute aren't you?"

Clark has to admit that this guy is making him kind of nervous. "Um yes...sir."

"Well since you're new here I will give you this one warning. I have zero tolerance for any kind of trouble so you better watch yourself young man. I'll be keeping my eye on you," Kelly's gaze widens out, "all of you." He then turns around and leaves in the same abrupt manner he arrived.

Lance walks past Clark. "Another day Kent," he mutters. Toad and Blob follow Lance. Pietro decides to have a little fun with Rogue and grabs the book she is carrying from her and slides it under a car before even Clark can move to stop him.

Rogue mutters some curses as she goes to get her book back and oh terrific. It is Principal Kelly's car. Can her day get any worse?

She tries to reach under the car but can't quite reach it.

"Here allow me," Clark offers as he checks no-one is looking before he places his hand under the car and prepares to lift it gently but instead of doing so he somehow manages to send the car flying into the air and clean out of sight. His eyes widen in complete shock at what he has just done. He doesn't even know how he did it.

Rogue too is in complete shock as she gets to her feet. "Clark not that some of us haven't thought of doing that but why did ya do that?"

"I...I didn't mean to," he stutters as he stares at his own hands in disbelief at what they just did.

Rogue can tell from his expression that Clark means it. She places her hands in his. "Clark. Hey. It's alright. All our powers go crazy from tahme ta tahme. Lets just go and find tha others and figure out what ta do."

Clark nods seemingly in a daze as he closes his hands around Rogue's who suddenly yells out in pain. It felt like a vice crushing her there. Clark jerks back. "Oh god. Rogue. I'm sorry," he says with guilt and fear.

Rogue shakes her hands and flexes her fingers trying to get the feeling in them back. "It's ok Clark," she tells him without being sure she means it. She knows that he could have broken every one of her bones there. She once more reaches to touch him but Clark backs away from her.

"No Rogue. Don't touch me. I can't...I don't...I'll hurt you." Clark has a real fear raging through him that he is losing his ability to control his powers and before Rogue can say anything else Clark is gone in a whoosh and a gust of wind that blows her hair about. She better find the others and now as she heads off to look for them.

Meanwhile Clark suddenly realises as the building blur by that he is moving faster than he has ever ran in his life. He is outside Bayville in seconds and heading west and what is worse is that he can't seem to make himself stop.

Night time comes and there is no sign or word from Clark. Martha and Jonathan are going frantic with worry while Charles tries to come up with a way to track Clark. He had already sent Logan to try and track him but it seems Clark was moving so fast that his trail is almost impossible to pick up. Since Clark doesn't appear on Cerebro it is leaving Charles with few options. Right now he is simply sitting in his office thinking on what to do. He eyes Hank sitting on a chair deep in thought. "What's on your mind Hank?"

Hank looks at Charles. "I was just thinking. Clark's powers go haywire on the same day as Roberto's."

Charles picks up on Hank's train of thought. "The solar flares. You think they may have affected Clark's powers."

Hank nods. "It was like I was telling you the other day Charles as to how I could not figure out what essentially was fuelling Clark's abilities but if he absorbs solar energy in a fashion not dissimilar to Roberto than all this may have given me the answer."

Well the timing may not be the most useful but at least it helps clear up one of Clark's mysteries. It is the phone rings. Charles picks it up. "Hello...Clark?...calm down Clark." Charles can hear Clark on the other end is almost totally breathless. "Take a few deep breaths," Charles advises him. "And start again. Now where are you?"

* * *

Clark leans on the payphone which is just about the only thing holding him up. When his powers finally gave up the ghost he found himself in the unusual position of being utterly exhausted. Speaking of powers they had now totally deserted him. He is simply waiting as the Professor told him to until they come pick him up. Pick him up how Clark had not asked.

Clark's eyes turn skyward as he hears the sounds of a jet and there in the sky is a Blackbird. Clark read about them somewhere. He didn't think the military ever built one. It had been too expensive and too many technical issues as he recalls. Upon the landing the door opens and out running come his parents who soon embrace him in a hug.

"You alright son?" Jonathan asks him. He and Martha had been going frantic with worry.

Clark nods. "I'm just tired. I couldn't stop myself until about 5 miles down the road when my powers gave out and I walked here." He takes a breath. "Is Rogue alright?" is his first question remembering what he did to her.

"Stripes is just fine kid," Logan tells him in his usual gruff manner. Clark hadn't even noticed Logan was there before. "She is tougher than she looks," he continues although, and he won't tell Clark this, her hands do have some bruises on them.

"I'm sorry," Clark says. "I just couldn't control my abilities."

"There is no need Clark," his mother tells him. "Mr McCoy has a theory about what happened to your powers."

On the way back to the jet his parents explain Mr McCoy's theory of the sun being the source of his powers and that its unusual activity lately being the reason his powers have become wildly unstable. In some ways it makes perfect sense. Clark had always loved being out in the sun. It was somehow always able to make him feel better. He allows himself to be strapped in to his seat although he is not too happy. He hates flying.

Logan moves to the cockpit next to Storm. "Alright Storm lets go home," he tells them. By now Clark has already drifted off to sleep due to how exhausted he is.

The X-jet takes off throwing up dust onto the nearby sign. _**Smallville. Meteor Capital of the World**__._ Clark had ran the 1000 miles all the way back to Kansas.

As the jet takes off a formless presence 'watches' them leave. _'Kal-El, my son. The day of destiny approaches and on that day you will return to me.'_

* * *

Upon returning to the mansion Clark is carried still asleep down to the infirmary where Hank quickly sets about the task of performing tests. When he notices how easily he manages to penetrate Clark's skin with a needle he knows something is wrong. Before, even with the adamantium needles, it had taken some effort to get them through Clark's skin but now they slide in as if he was completely vulnerable.

It makes Hank wonder something. He brings in one of those cameras that sees beyond the visible spectrum and aims it at Clark's sleeping form. When the image comes up it confirms what he had suspected. The intense aura that Hank noticed before surrounding Clark is much much weaker. Hardly anymore intense than would surround Hank himself or anyone else.

Jonathan and Martha had been here all the time Hank was running his tests. When he has his initial findings he talks to them.

"How is he?" Martha asks with fear and worry. It is so rare that Clark is hurt or sick that it is an experience she is not use to. She knows in some ways that makes her luckier than other parents.

Hank looks over his notes briefly. "Comparing Clark's readings to the ones I took when he arrived my best guess is that he is suffering from simple physical exhaustion. In which case all he needs is rest."

That is some relief to the Kents. "Do you know how this happened?" Jonathan asks.

Hank pushes the small pair of glasses he is wearing up his nose. "You know my theory about Clark's powers being sun derived. How the solar flare activity precisely caused this reaction may be impossible to ascertain for certain but considering the extremely unusual nature of the activity combined with the fact that from what you said nothing like this has happened before it seems unlikely this will reoccur."

"He said his powers were gone when we found him. Are they still?" Jonathan asks.

"The aura of energy around his body is much weaker than before so I would say yes but to be certain we will have to wait until he wakes up." In the meantime Hank fixes up a drip with a simple saline solution to replace lost fluids. Considering Clark's alien biology that is all he is willing to risk putting into his body.

Martha stays by Clark's side and strokes the ever wayward lock of stray hair from his head.

* * *

The next morning Clark wakes up sore and stiff, a clear sign to him that his powers are still on the fritz. His eyes flutter open to find himself staring at this plain white ceiling.

"Good morning!"

Clark turns his head to see Mr McCoy standing there. "Morning," Clark says a little croaky so Hank hands him a glass of water.

As Clark reaches for it he notices the drip in his arm. "I take it my powers are still gone," he concludes from that.

"You will have to tell me Clark. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Clark says in a perfect dead-pan. Is this what normal people have to suffer he wonders to himself. If it is then maybe it is one part of being normal he could do without.

Clark's humour makes Hank smile. "Do you wish me to get your parents?" Hank asks him. Jonathan and Martha had been persuaded to go get some breakfast although that took some doing as they were reluctant to leave Clark's side.

Clark nods. "Please."

And Hank leaves to go do that very thing.

It is a couple of hours later before Hank finally allows Clark to leave. They had had a discussion about what had happened with his powers and came up with a few ideas but no certainties. While Clark was tired and sore there was not really much wrong with him so as long as he took it easy, which was Mr McCoy's instruction to him, he could go.

The slow trudge up to his room is not the funnest of Clark's life. When he reaches it he takes a moment to look out his window and spots the others outside in the grounds training, running what looks like an obstacle course. Guess he had been excused.

"How are you feeling?"

Clark turns to see Scott standing in his doorway. "I want to say like I ran a marathon but since I have no idea what that feels like I'm not sure it would be accurate."

"Does every muscle in you body hurt?" Scott asks him.

"It feels like every cell in my body hurts," Clark says back.

Scott observes Clark walk a few steps to the bed and sit down. "You are really not use to pain are you?"

Clark shakes his head. "No. Usually nothing hurts...ever."

Scott feels kind of envious at that.

Clark takes a breath. "Um...how's Rogue?" he asks still laden with guilt for hurting her.

Scott can pick upon it. "She's fine."

Clark looks at Scott sceptically. His powers were so out of control yesterday he just can't believe that.

"Really she is," Scott tries to assure Clark and it isn't a lie. Sure she has a few bruises but nothing serious or permanent.

Clark rubs his face. He will have to apologise to her in person.

"How are you?" Scott asks and it is a different question from asking how Clark is feeling. Scott had a feeling Clark was feeling something else. Something Scott feels everyday because of his inability to control his powers. Fear.

Clark remains stoically silent.

"Look if you ever need to talk I am willing to listen. I know something about having uncontrollable powers." With that Scott decides he'll leave Clark to think on his words. Just as he is about to go Clark speaks up.

"When I was 5 I found a bird nest that had fallen from a tree. I wanted to show my mother so I rushed back into the house to tell her. I took her by the arm and started to pull her outside but I was so caught up in my excitement I forgot to control my strength. I still have nightmares about her screams."

Scott's brow furrows slightly. "You had your powers when you were 5?" he inquires. That was strange since most mutants didn't gain their powers until puberty hit although from what Scott knew Kurt had always looked the way he does since birth so it wasn't unheard of he guesses.

"My x-ray and heat vision only developed these last couple of years," Clark explains, "but I've been strong and fast for as long as I can remember and for as long I can remember I've had to take into account how fragile everyone else is compared to me. Ever since that day I hurt my mother I have lived in fear about what happens if I lose control. Then all I did was separate her shoulder. Next time I could kill someone."

At that a thought occurs to Scott that maybe that was why Clark was abandoned in that field he mentioned the Kents found him in. Maybe his biological parents discarded him because of his powers. He has no facts to base that on but it is a possibility that fits what he knows about Clark. Scott moves to sit down next to Clark. "Clark. I understand you know. Each of my eyes has the power to level this entire school."

Clark turns his head to look at Scott and it occurs to him that for the first time in his life he is talking to someone who does at least partially understand.

A small smile comes to Scott's lips. "A few years back when it was just Jean and me here I once tripped up, my glasses fell off and I blew out a wall before I could close my eyes," he tells Clark as a story to show him that it is alright. That sometimes these things happen when you are mutants.

"Really?"

"Yep. You should have seen Logan's face," Scott says with a laugh at the memory.

"Once I was running and misjudged the stopping distance and I ran right through the wall of my house," Clark decides to mention if they were telling stories.

Scott laughs at the image that produces.

"Can you imagine explaining that to my father about why there was a boy shaped hole in the kitchen wall?"

"What did you say?"

"What could I say? It wasn't like there was any other super-powered people I could blame it on. I just had to help my dad repair it." Clark smiles a little nostalgically. "My parents never got mad at me for stuff like that you know. They just accepted that it was part and parcel of having me as their son."

"They are good people," Scott comments not just from what Clark just said but from even the few days that they have been here helping out. Scott found himself instantly liking and respecting both of them. They just had this way about them.

"Yes they are."

Scott lets that hang for a moment before saying. "And you know it is not just me who has caused some property damage. Let me tell you a few things about Jean..."

* * *

A little later Jean bumps into Scott leaving Clark's room. "How is he?" she asks him since she had heard Mr McCoy had let Clark out.

A strange smile comes to Scott's face as he thinks back on all the funny stories he and Clark had just shared. "Sore," he tells Jean. "But he'll be alright."

Jean thinks Scott is referring to more than his physical issues there. In either case she is glad. She is also rather proud of Scott stepping up and willing to help Clark just like a good leader should. She is caught by Scott suddenly laughing. She peers at him intently and then an image flickers to the top of his mind and into hers causing her eyes to widen. "Oh. My. God."

"What?"

Jean hits him. "I can't believe you told him that Scott!"

'Uh oh,' Scott thinks to himself. Jean must have picked up his thoughts he realises. "Um Jean before you get too mad I was just trying to demonstrate to Clark that sometimes all our powers go a little wonky and that he shouldn't beat himself up too much about it."

"I can understand that but why did you have to tell him that story?"

A little grin comes to Scott's face. "Because it's funny."

Jean narrows her eyes and lets out a growl Logan would be proud of. It was not funny at all. It was totally embarrassing. She ended up only in her underwear for crying out-loud and worse it wasn't even her good underwear. Oh he is going to pay for this. "Mark my words Scott Summers you have not heard the end of this," she warns him before she stomps off down the hallway.

Scott watches her go caught between fear of her retaliation and the impulse to laugh as he thinks back on that particular day. It was really funny.

* * *

Some time later after Clark has had a shower, changed his clothes and grabbed something to eat he sets about finding Rogue so he can deliver that apology. Without his powers though that is a much harder task than usual. He eventually finds her outside sitting on a stone bench reading a book.

Rogue is carefully turning a page of her book with her slightly bruised hands when a shadow falls over her. She looks up to find it is Clark.

"Um hi," Clark says rather awkwardly.

"Hey Clark. How are ya feelin?"

"Lets just say I'm getting a new understanding of pain," he tries to joke with tired humour. "Can I sit down?" he asks her.

Rogue nods and gestures at the space next to her and Clark carefully sits himself down. "Rogue I'm not sure if sorry covers it but I am really sorry for hurting you."

"It's fahne," she tells him. "Beast explained what happened. It affected Roberto too. It is not your fault."

That doesn't really assuage his guilt all that much. "That's what Scott said."

"Well ya should listen ta him."

"It is just...you remember what I said in the library last week?"

Rogue nods. Clark mentioned about how he must control himself all the time so he doesn't hurt anyone.

"This...yesterday...this is my nightmare. That my powers will grow beyond my ability to control and everyone I care about will get hurt."

"Clark," Rogue begins to say. "Ah not only absorb people's abilities but if Ah held on long enough Ah could very well kill them. Ah understand alright so please stop beating yourself up. It was not your fault and Ah don't blame ya."

The only thing Clark can think of to say in response to that is "thank you."

At this point Kitty walks by the two of them having returned from her weekly trawl around the mall. "Oh look. It lives!" she jokes at the sight of Clark finally up and around.

Both Clark and Rogue give her near identical dirty looks to which Kitty rolls her eyes. "Sheesh. I was like joking. Lighten up."

Clark shakes his head.

"So like how are you feeling?" Kitty asks him.

"Well if this is what it feels like to be mortal I can safely say I don't like it," Clark informs her. He is just hoping that it is the solar activity that has caused this and that it dies down soon and that his powers return to normal because he could really use that healing factor right now. As he thinks it he also suddenly realises that he is thinking the exact opposite of what he use to think. All Clark has ever wanted is to be normal, like everyone else except right now all he can think of is how much he wants his powers back, to be back to his normal.

Kitty pats Clark on the shoulder. "Aw! Poor baby!" she teases as well as takes a moment to appreciate the rather solid mass of muscle that she is currently patting.

Clark turns his attention to the new mutants who have moved on from the obstacle course they were running earlier to some twisted version of dodgeball where apparently use of powers was allowed. As the ball bounces away Bobby shouts at a huffy looking Jean to throw it back which she does telekinetically and then some. She throws with so much force she knocks Bobby flat on his back making all the other new mutants laugh at his misfortune while Jean continues on muttering something inaudible from this distance.

"What's eating her?" Kitty asks in passing.

Clark finds both Kitty and Rogue looking at him for some reason. "What? I don't know. It isn't like I can read minds or have super-hearing or anything."

* * *

Later in the day and Clark has an urge to see the flares for himself so he had dug out his telescope which he hadn't unpacked from its box and was just finishing lining it up outside as to project the sun onto a piece of white card as you never ever look at the sun directly with a telescope. During the day quite a few of the others had made varying remarks to him, mostly congratulations about wrecking Principal Kelly's car. Apparently many of them had been wishing to do that for awhile. Clark had also found out that he managed to throw it clear out of Bayville much to his surprise. He hadn't realised he was that strong. Luckily he managed not to hit anyone.

The downside to that of course was that it drew unwanted attention. It even made the local news because there was no way to explain the damage but that the car had been dropped from a great height. It seems wherever he goes he causes trouble. A stray thought enters his head that maybe coming here was a mistake even if he was just starting to find his place here and make new friends.

A **'bamf!'** and a puff of blue smoke signals Kurt's arrival. "Dude. Zhere you are. I've been looking for you all over."

"Hey Kurt. Why have you been looking for me? Is something wrong?"

"Nein," he says. "It is just zhat some of zhe guys are going out tonight to see a movie or something and I vas vondering if you vanted to come vith."

Clark thought on that. With settling in and school he really hadn't had a chance to just go out and see the sights as it was. Also he was still powerless so there was little else for him to do except his homework which he hadn't done for obvious reasons like spending half the morning down in the infirmary and hurting all over. He was even now still a little stiff but he he could set Sunday aside to do his homework so he decides to take Kurt up on his offer. "Sure. That sounds great."

A smile dawns on Kurt's face. He had a feeling Clark's loss of his powers, however temporary it might be, was probably getting him down so he decided the best solution was a night out where Clark could forget all his worries. Kurt had already managed to persuade Roberto of the same thing for the same reasons.

"By zhe vay vhat are you doing?" Kurt asks.

"Watching the sun," Clark explains pointing to the projection of its image on the card.

"Cool. Is astrology like your hobby?"

"I think you mean astronomy," Clark gently corrects Kurt from the common misnomer. "And yes it is." Even though it probably seems strange for an alien to be interested in astronomy.

Back in the Professor's office the television is on showing a local news broadcast running the story of Principal Kelly's car.

"Is this going to cause a problem?" Jonathan asks the Professor with familiar concern where as to Clark's exposure is concerned. Martha is here too.

Charles thinks on his reply for a moment. "I believe not. The attention raised is no greater than other incidents the students have caused. It should not last more than a couple of days." Well Charles hopes anyway.

* * *

_Author's Note: Clark's misfiring powers and the cause for them I took from the season 3 episode Perry and I couldn't resist having Clark trash Kelly's car. Also yes I had to throw in the compulsory reference to Kitty's cooking skills or lack thereof. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Logan is a big fan of Saturday nights when the bulk of the kids choose to go out. When you have senses as sensitive as his a house full of hormonal teenagers is no picnic. Add powers to that mix and you get why he spends half his time fixing things or at least it seems to be half his time. However on nights they go out he gets to indulge in his passions. Drinking beer, having a smoke and tinkering with one of the vehicles or as like tonight his bike.

The one thing different about tonight is that tonight he has company. Jonathan Kent. It may have only been a week since they got here but Logan must admits he likes the guy and Martha too. Jonathan is just here sharing a beer with him and helping him tinker and Logan has to say he can't remember the last time he just spent time hanging out as you might phrase it with another guy. He was a loner. It was almost instinctual but there are times like now when even Logan likes company.

Assessing the first week Jonathan has to say that so far he does not regret coming here. The kids seemed like good souls generally and he had found that he had plenty to do in helping clean up after them. On the side he had begun work on transforming a portion of the grounds into something suitable to grow autumn vegetables on. He had struck up a rapport with his current companion and judged Logan while rough round the edges to be a decent person. So yes Jonathan can say that if things continue in this vain he sees no reason why they shouldn't see this through but being a farmer, and being a father to a super-powered alien, teaches you just to takes things as they come and not to predict what the future will bring.

Inside the mansion Charles and Hank are having one of their frequent chess matches which is also an opportune time to discuss any issues about the students. There was nothing major outside of the obvious instability in both Roberto's and Clark's powers while the solar activity continued so in fact that makes it a relatively quiet week.

Elsewhere Martha and Ororo were taking a few moments to share a cup of Ororo's special blend herbal tea around the kitchen table. Ororo had at first wondered why Charles had invited them and his somewhat cryptic reply to her question had not really answered it but as it turns out in the first week here Ororo had found herself quickly coming to like and admire Martha. For starters she had found that Martha shared her love of plants and Ororo had felt some sympathy at Martha's sorrow when she mentioned about having to leave her garden back in Smallville behind.

There was just something immensely likeable about Martha Kent. She was a housewife yet it was clear her mind was sharp enough that she could have done anything she wanted so Ororo's conclusion is that Martha chose to dedicate her life to her husband and son. It was admirable as was the way she had seen Martha interact with the children. It may be early days but Ororo would say that all the signs are that for whatever reasons Charles made his choice it was a good one.

For Martha sipping on the tea Ororo asked her to try this week has certainly been up there and when you take into account the fact that her days have ranged from finding Clark and a spaceship to fighting for her life against meteor infected people that is saying something. Of course the main reason she and Jonathan agreed to this was for Clark. If coming here gave him a better chance of finding himself than Martha was willing to make the sacrifice required. Although so far she would not really call it a sacrifice. In the first week she has been here she has seen that the children here are good spirits whom she can hope she can help guide into adulthood.

There was perhaps more she could do. Martha had many skills but that was for later once they were certain that this, them being here, was going to be a long term scenario.

* * *

In town Clark is just coming out of the cinema along with all the others. As the slightly chilled night air hits him he zips up his jacket. He isn't use to feeling chilly and so far Clark has to say he doesn't like it.

"So what now?" Evan asks anyone as to what do they do now.

"How about ve hit the Gut Bomb," Kurt suggests in reference to the popular fast food restaurant. "I don't know about you guys but I am starved."

"Kurt you like just ate 3 hot dogs and a super-size bucket of popcorn," Kitty points out in what is still disbelief at just how much Kurt eats.

"I can't help it," Kurt says in his own defence. "My body just burn carbs."

Somewhere between the eye rolling and the muttering of various people they all do end up going to the Gut Bomb where the majority of them indulge in a burger except Kitty who had the vegetarian option. Clark is just about half way through his when a voice echoes in the restaurant.

"Hey Kent!"

The group look round to find the Brotherhood have entered. The tension increases immediately as they make their way over to where Clark is sitting.

"So I hear it was you that totalled Kelly's car. That true?" Lance asks him.

"None of your business Alvers," Scott tells him not so politely while wondering how Lance heard about that. His main suspect would be Kitty.

Lance looks at Scott. "Summers there is nothing I would like better than to beat you in front of all these people but I was talking to Mr Super Duper here." Lance turns his gaze back upon Clark. "So is it true?" Lance asks again.

"It was an accident," Clark tells him.

"Of course it was," Lance says very insincerely not believing Clark. "Just like that time we 'accidentally' landscaped his garden."

Toad wipes a tear from his eye. "It was a work of art," he reminisces with his voice choked full of emotion. He then turns his head into the Blob's stomach who pats his friend on the back as Toad seemingly bursts out into tears.

"Did you think over our offer?" Lance asks him in reference to wanting Clark to join them.

"There was nothing to think over," Clark replies. "I am where I want to be."

One corner of Lance's mouth rises up. "For now perhaps. Just to let you know our offer is open ended. When you get tired of being one of the geek squad let us know." Lance then speaks out to all the others there, x-man and new mutant alike. "That goes for any of you who think like Tabby and want to join us."

"Keep dreaming Alvers!" Scott says, his dislike of Lance all too clear.

Lance fixes Scott his most annoying smirk before he Fred and Toad head over to get their own food. Pietro, meanwhile, has spent all this time hitting on a couple of girls in the corner.

"What was that about?" Amara asks from the neighbouring table.

"That was about trying to get a rise out of Scott," Jean answers while Scott is glaring at Avalanche trying to resist the temptation of blasting him through the wall. "And it worked," Jean adds from picking up Scott's thoughts which are less than complimentary about the resident earth-shaker.

"What is it ya see in him exactly?" Rogue asks Kitty.

"He isn't that bad," Kitty says in defence of Lance. She was certain that under his tough exterior he could manage to even be sweet every now and again. She gives him a little wave and he waves back shooting her that smile that makes her knees weak.

* * *

The next day brings no return for Clark of his powers as the sun's unusual activity continues. He uses the morning to catch up on his homework. Beast notices him in the library while looking for a book and glances over his shoulder to spot him completing his maths homework at an extremely impressive rate of speed. What is more Hank can clearly see that so far Clark has answered every question correctly. It makes him wonder just how bright Clark is.

In fact maybe he could suggest to Charles about giving all the students IQ tests. It would help in adjusting their teaching to be more suitable to their respective intellects. He will have to remember to raise it.

After finishing his homework Clark helped his father start work on that plot of land he was going to transform. Without his powers it was harder than he remembered it being but in another way it was also nice and familiar. It was something that he did with his father back in Smallville.

Mid-afternoon comes and still no return of his powers yet that doesn't stop Logan throwing him into a Danger Room session after Mr McCoy determined that Clark was fit and in his current state his powers or lack of were stable enough to allow him to participate. It was one of the simplest programmes. Run around the track and try not to be hit while overcoming various obstacles placed in your way. They were all there, both x-men and New Mutants.

"Why are we doing this programme again?" Evan asks Logan who along with Beast and Storm are supervising.

"Because I said so Porcupine. That's why," Logan replies in his no nonsense way and seriously Spyke's attitude of late was trying Logan's patience to the limit. "Cyke you're up first," he tells Scott.

Clark watches on as the varying x-men attack the course in their own unique way utilising their powers. He watches on wondering how in hell is he going to do this without his powers but as he watches Rogue complete it in a pretty impressive time he can see that that excuse is not going to wash. If Rogue can do it he must be able to as well but of course she has been doing this sort of training for ages which is something he has never really done in his life. His turn seems to come around all too quickly it seems to him and Logan calls his name and he steps up to the starting line.

This is where Logan becomes particularly interested. In the first few sessions he had run Clark through the kid acted like a bulldozer essentially relying on his raw brute strength and seeming invulnerability. What Logan wanted to see is how Clark would act without that advantage. As Clark starts his run Logan's first impression is that he still seems to be moving faster than he would expect. His agility is not too bad either as he dodges shots from the laser turrets. Sure he is getting tagged. Logan had expected that but not as often as he thought. It is when Clark comes up against the obstacles Logan notes a major improvement. Logan can actually almost see the kid working it out how to overcome them. Logan will have to make sure he keeps the kid using his brain even after his powers come back.

Clark is almost at the end when out of the floor a 15 foot high metal wall blocks his path. 'Oh come on!' Clark thinks to himself. He then contemplates on how to overcome it for a minute. It isn't just the wall in front of him there is like a corner with another part at right angles. He thinks on it and decides what to try. He jumps at the wall on his right as high as he can then pushes off of it to propel him upward and grab the top of the other piece.

"Whoa!" Kitty remarks at the sight because Clark just jumped higher than should have been possible. "I thought his powers weren't working."

"They aren't," Beast says, "but in my examination of him I found his body is significantly denser than would be expected. Extending that out I theorise that would mean denser, hence stronger, muscles."

Clark meanwhile leaps off the wall and lands with surprising grace before sprinting for the finish line. Logan stops the clock in his hand noting the time. "Not bad Kent...for your first go."

"Not bad? He rocked!" Kurt proclaims in support of his new friend.

"Thanks Kurt," Clark says genuinely. "But I doubt I did all that great," he adds with modesty.

Once everyone has run the course Logan decides on a team building simulation. One the x-men are familiar with. That is climbing up a mountain to claim the flag. There is a shimmer that encompasses the whole room until the cold metal transforms into a grass covered field at the base of a mountain. Clark is kind of in awe. He hadn't know the Danger Room could do this. How it does this is another question. It all seems so real. "Is this a hologram?" he asks no-one in particular.

"Forge calls it hard-light," Kurt tells him in relation to the person who created the technology. "He tried to explain to me how it vorked but it vent vay over my head."

"Oh it's not that complicated really," Kitty says.

"Not to you maybe," Evan says, "but we're not all straight A protégés."

Clark turns his attention upward. Ok he knows how high the room is really but at the moment this mountain looks really, really high and the thought of climbing way up there is making his stomach queasy. It must show on his face when Storm steps up next to him and asks, "Are you alright Clark?"

"Um," he hesitates to say before he speaks in almost a whisper. "I kind of have a problem...with heights," he says sounding a little embarrassed at his fear.

Storm smiles kindly at him. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about Clark. We all have our own personal fears. I myself suffer from claustrophobia," she is willing to admit to reassure him. It stemmed from her childhood when she lost her parents. Their house collapsed and she and her sister were trapped for hours under the rubble. Ororo still has nightmares about it. "If you don't think you can do this Clark no-one will make you."

But then he will felt like he let people down. No he has to do this. "Thank you but I have to face my fear sometime. Might as well be today."

"It takes courage to admit ones fears and still resolve to face them down," Storm says with some admiration of the young man.

"I don't feel all that courageous."

Storm places her hand on his shoulder. "Just remember Clark that you will never really be high enough above the floor to suffer serious injury. It is only an illusion."

Clark looks upward again. Somehow that isn't much of a comfort right now.

* * *

"Cheer up mein freund."

Clark turns his head to find Kurt walking into the lounge munching on a sandwich of his own creation as Clark had noticed he did regularly. Kurt also seemed to like the strangest combinations of ingredients. "Hey Kurt."

Kurt sits down next to him. "You shouldn't take it so hard that you lost."

Clark didn't think he was taking it hard the fact that he along with the New Mutants lost to the x-men in claiming the flag. Clark was rather chuffed with himself that he managed to do it at all without his powers and confronting his fear. His stomach was doing somersaults the whole way through but he did it. It is a fact he confesses to Kurt.

"You are afraid of heights?" he asks in surprise.

Clark nods.

"Even though you are invulnerable...normally."

Clark shrugs now. "I have been for years. I can't really explain it."

At this point Kitty wanders in. "Oh there you are Clark. I was meaning to ask you something."

"What?"

"You get your powers from the sun right?"

"So it seems."

"Roberto does too except his powers don't work at all unless he is in direct light yet yours do. How is that?"

Clark thought about it and could understand Kitty's confusion. "I'm not sure but I have been thinking on it these last few days."

"And what did you come up with?"

Using what Mr McCoy had learned about him so far and what he and Mr McCoy have discussed these last couple of days Clark explains his theory to Kitty. "That my body stores the energy like a battery." Therefore at night when there is no sun he is taping into an 'energy reserve' when he uses his powers.

"So you don't have them now because..."

"My guess is that when my powers went into overdrive on Friday the 'battery' was run down flat." He simply expended all the energy his body had stored in other words.

"So why haven't you recharged?" Kitty asks using the battery analogy.

"It would again only be a guess but somehow that strange comet that hit the sun altered the wavelength of the light it is giving out into something that is not possible for my body to process. In fact I borrowed some equipment from Mr McCoy earlier in the day and found that the sun's electromagnetic spectrum had red-shifted slightly."

Kitty nods as if that makes perfect sense while Kurt just looks at the two of them completely lost. "So if say the sun turned into a red giant tomorrow you wouldn't have your powers?"

"Well if the sun turns into a red giant Kitty we would all be fried when it expands to a size close to Earth's current orbit."

"I know that! I was just theorising and...you are like pulling my leg aren't you?"

Clark smirks slightly. "That would be telling," he teases and in response Kitty throws a cushion at him which he catches and places down next to him. "To answer your question I would say yes but really this is all speculation on my part based on the evidence of the last few days."

"It does fit though," Kitty says in support of Clark's speculation. "And if you're right your powers should return as soon as the sun returns to normal."

"If I'm right."

"And if you're wrong you are still like abnormally strong according to Mr McCoy due to your body's density." She shakes her head. "It is like so unfair you know. Even without your powers you are stronger, faster, more agile and probably have more stamina and are like basically just more durable than the average person."

"Übermensch," Kurt says.

"What?" Kitty asks him having not quite heard him.

"Übermensch," Kurt repeats. "The way you are describing Clark makes him sound like an übermensch. You know...a Superman."

Kitty's face lights up and it is almost possible to see the light bulb go off above her head. "That's it Kurt!"

"Vhat's it?"

"I should have like thought of it earlier," Kitty says chastising herself.

"Kitty vhat are you on about?" Kurt asks her completely lost.

"Remember I promised to help Clark think of a codename."

"Ja."

Clark meanwhile has jumped onto what Kitty is on about. "Kitty. No."

"Why not? It's perfect."

Clark shakes his head slightly. "Kitty look at me. Do I look like a Superman?"

Kitty looks Clark over. He has changed out of the skin tight uniform into a simple t-shirt and jeans but damn he still looked gorgeous.

"Who looks like a Superman?" Jean asks as she now enters the lounge.

"Clark," Kitty answers before bringing Jean up to speed on the conversation so far. Now it is Jean's turn to re-examine Clark's appearance.

"Hmm," Jean starts to say. "I don't know Kitty. It might not quite fit. After all he is younger than you are."

"Point," Kitty concedes. "So what do you think Clark's codename should be Jean?"

"Do I get any say in this?" Clark asks.

"No!" Jean and Kitty say together.

Clark looks at Kurt who simply shrugs back as if to say 'Sorry. You're stuck'.

"How about Superboy?" Jean suggests.

Kitty breaks out into a huge smile. "I think you nailed it Jean. I mean Superman will probably fit better when he is older."

Clark once more turns to Kurt. "They do know that talking about someone in the 3rd person as if said person is not in the same room when in actuality he is is rude right?"

"Oh lighten up...Superboy," Kitty says.

"Kitty there is no way on earth I am using that as my codename," Clark tells her in no uncertain terms.

Kitty sees that as a challenge. One she is happy to accept. "We'll see Clark. We'll see."

* * *

The next morning and a ringing breaks into Clark's consciousness. 'Stupid alarm clock,' is his first coherent thought. Doesn't it know his powers are on the fritz and therefore he is actually tired. He reaches out to hit the snooze button and slaps his hand down on top of it which causes a sort of crunching noise. Clark cracks open an eye to see he has totally crushed the clock. Guess that means his powers are back. Could their timing be any lousier though?

Of course why break the habit of a lifetime. He destroys alarm clocks on a regular basis at the moment between being asleep and being awake when he isn't in full control of his strength. Heck it happens so often his parents always buy him a new one as a sort of joke Christmas present every year.

On the plus side having his powers back means getting ready takes him only about a minute once he has had his shower. With his powers restored, and as long as they aren't acting up, he guesses that will mean school as normal.

On his way down to breakfast he passes Kitty humming happily to herself. "Morning Clark," she greets him too cheerfully.

"Morning Kitty."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." And to prove he zips down to the far end of the hallway and then back again. "See."

Kitty smile at him. "Well that's great. Your parents will be pleased. They were really worried about you when they brought you back Friday."

Clark sighs slightly as that dents his mood. He always seems to put his parents through a lot.

"Well anyway I'll let you get going," she says as she walks off. "I'll meet you at the van...Superboy!"

Clark turns around to tell her he is so not using that codename but she phases herself through a wall and is gone before he gets a chance. He had tried everything he could think of last night to dissuade Kitty that Superboy should be his codename. He would have gone as far as mentioning Eric Summers, the boy who stole his powers and that Chloe had written an article on calling him 'Superboy' and how that soured the name, but that would have meant explaining kryptonite, which somehow allowed his powers to be transfered into Eric, which would have meant almost certainly led to him explaining that he is an alien which he isn't willing to do yet.

"Hey Clark." Clark turns round to find Jubilee walking up to him. "Did Kitty go by here?" she asks him. "I need to ask her something."

Clark points along the hall to where Kitty went. "She phased through that wall."

Jubilee shoots him a smile. "Thanks Clark. By the way how are you?"

"Back to normal."

"Well that's...," Jubilee pauses long enough for it to be dramatic, "Super!"

Clark suppresses a groan. "She told you didn't she?"

"Who told me what?" Jubilee says pretending total innocence in the matter.

Clark just shoots her a glare causing Jubilee to shrug her shoulders and say with a broad smile, "Hey as the saying goes; if the shoe fits."

"This one doesn't fit," Clark says earnestly.

"If you say so. If you excuse me though I really do need to find Kitty." Clark steps to the side and lets her pass before he continues on his way towards the kitchen. Going down the stairs he passes Ray and Sam who laugh as he approaches and Clark can't help but think they are laughing at him.

"Clark," Sam says stopping him about halfway down. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" he asks and it seems to Clark struggling to keep a straight face.

"Sure," Clark says trying to be as friendly and open as possible with his new friends.

"Well Ray and I were wondering what the secret was?"

"What secret?"

Sam snorts out a laugh he can't quite hold back and Ray does the same. "The secret to how your hair manages to be so 'super'." At that the two of them bursts out in uncontrollable laughter.

Not these two as well. Clark just moves on swiftly but if he was thinking his trip to the kitchen would be any smoother he was wrong. The entire way there there was another student making some quip involving the word Super. It tests even his patience. How in blazes Kitty had managed to do it Clark had no idea. It didn't seem possible in the time since he saw her last night to this morning but she has done it somehow.

Clark walks into the kitchen to find it empty apart from Rogue. It seems his alarm clock was set incorrectly and he is a little behind this morning. "Morning Rogue."

"Morning," she says before her lips curve upward into a little smirk, "...Superboy."

This time Clark groans. "Not you too." He grabs a cereal box, a bowl and milk from the fridge and sits himself down. "Is there anyone Kitty hasn't told?" he asks.

Rogue shakes her head. "No." Being Kitty's room-mate Rogue had heard all about Kitty's plotting to get everyone in on the whole 'Superboy' thing. Truth be told though in Rogue's opinion it did seem to suit Clark somehow.

Clark starts into his cereal, swallowing the first spoonful before saying "I would be lying if I understood this whole codename thing but lets just accept it as a given. I can understand some of them like why Scott is Cyclops and Evan is Spyke but Superboy?" Clark shakes his head. "It makes me sound like I have a giant ego or something."

Rogue watches him as he goes back to eating his breakfast and broods. God is he handsome even when he broods...and she should so not be thinking stuff like that. God where did that thought come from she wonders. She already has unresolved feelings involving Scott. She doesn't need to add Clark to that mix. Besides it isn't like he would look at her that way even for a second. Why would he? She isn't pretty like Jean or Kitty. She's the girl who can never be touched. She's the girl who will never again know what it feels like to have someone else touch her skin to skin. Not even the simplest sensation of holding someone's hand.

"I'm stuck with it aren't I," Clark says in reluctant realisation about his new name.

"It's not that bad really," Rogue tells him expressing her genuine opinion.

"How did you come up with yours?" Clark asks.

She didn't really come up with it. It sort of became a nickname due to the fact she ran away from home a lot. She was the 'Rogue' child. God are those memories she could do without. Not willing to share that she simply tells Clark that is is a nickname and leaves it at that.

* * *

That night Clark is out in the grounds with his telescope looking up at the stars alone. He has never really thought about it before until he found himself living in a mansion with 13 other teenagers just how much time back in Smallville he spent alone in his loft, in his Fortress of Solitude as his father called it. Sure he had friends like Pete, Chloe and Lana but he did spend a great deal of time on his own. He probably did so because of what he is. Different. Even here he is different. The others are mutants but as far as Clark had decided they were still human. Something he is not. He comes from one of those stars although you can't see it. With a telescope all you can see is the galaxy Krypton used to reside in. Clark wonders from time to time exactly what happened to it. His interactions with Jor-El have not completely dented his curiosity in that area.

"Don't ya feel the cold?" a familiar southern laced accent asks him as he is out here dressed in a only his blue t-shirt, jeans and red jacket.

Clark turns his head to see Rogue coming out rubbing her arms. It is the autumn so the nights are starting to turn cold. In the night's air her breath is visible. "No. I don't. What are you doing out here?"

"Ah'm to remind ya that we have school tomorrow and we have curfew since the Professor's telepathy doesn't work on ya."

Clark checks his watch and sees how late it is. "Oh. Guess I lost track of time. Sorry."

"Are ya alright?" Rogue asks him.

"Sure. Why do you ask?"

"Ya just vanished after the day's Danger Room session," she reminds him.

"I just...sometimes I just like to be on my own. You know alone with my thoughts."

Rogue understands that impulse well as she watches Clark pack up his telescope in a few seconds. She then looks up at the sky. It was a clear night and the stars were quite bright. "Do ya know all tha constellations and stuff?" she inquires.

"It is my hobby so pretty much yes."

"Think ya could teach meh about them?" she asks him. Rogue did have an interest. She had stared out of many windows in her life contemplating her lot and there were times she looked up at the stars and wanted to know what she was looking at. For some reason she had never got around to it but now there was someone to teach her so she saw no good reason not to.

"If you want." He checks his watch again. "But not tonight."

Rogue rubs her arms again and shivers a little bit. She hadn't bothered with a jacket and was really feeling it. "Yeah. Definitely not tonight."

Clark picks up the box with his telescope and he and Rogue head back to the mansion. As they reach the door Rogue stops for a moment and looks at the stars again. "Clark. Do ya think there is life out there?" she asks him.

Ooh boy. If only she knew that life is standing right next to her. It makes him feel a bit guilty every time he thinks about the fact he is lying to them all. He so badly wants to be accepted for who he is but at the same time he fears what the reaction will be when they find out he is not as human as they are. As for Rogue's query he answers it as best he can without either lying or telling the truth. "The universe is vast Rogue. With so many stars in the sky I'm positive the spark of life ignited somewhere else."

It catches Rogue just how much certainty Clark says that with. Almost like he knew for certain it was true. She mentally shakes her head. Yeah right. Aliens. Mutants she will buy but aliens...not a chance.

* * *

_Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who gave me suggestions for Clark's codename. In the end though I decided to stick with something classical simply because of the way in the end Kitty describes Clark. Ubermensch's direct translation is Overman as in over or above a man and even without his powers Clark is still that so Superboy it is. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Up next: a little thing I am calling '**A week in the life**'._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A week in the life...**

**Monday.**

Clark wakes up bright and early as usual. Habit of a lifetime from living on a farm. It had been a month since he came here and his life now had something of a routine to it. As he gets out of bed he notices the room has a cold feeling to it. Not that he is cold himself. What he means is that he can tell that it is colder than it should be. The inkling that something is wrong is confirmed when he find there is no hot water. It doesn't take much after that to figure out that the boiler for the mansion has packed up...in November.

Breakfast is kind of funny with most of the others wrapped up in several layers of clothing except for himself, Bobby, Kurt, Roberto and Amara. Kurt's fur and Amara's and Roberto's powers keeping the three of them warm. In the background the radio is tuned to a local station which unfortunately means having to listen that totally obnoxious 'shock jock' Leslie Willis or at least Clark finds her totally obnoxious. She had only started about 2 weeks ago and was the new big hit sensation radio personality or something. Personally Clark has no idea why she is so popular.

"God Clark how can you sit there in only a t-shirt?" Jubilee asks him through chattering teeth.

"Because we are manly men," Bobby goads Jubilee. He too for obvious reasons is not bothered by the cold. In fact to rub it in he too decided to only dress in a t-shirt.

"You're a walking freezer," Jubilee retorts. "Of course you don't feel the cold."

"What about me?" Amara asks Bobby since his theory doesn't really hold up for her.

"You have an inbuilt furnace," Bobby points out in relation to Amara. After all she is not called Magma for nothing. He then leans back in his chair with his feet on the table. "Yep. You girls are lucky to have guys like me and Clark here," he boats with utmost cockiness.

Several of the girls share a look before Jean uses her powers to push Bobby's chair past the tipping point until he falls over landing flat on his back causing everyone to laugh at how he looks. Even Clark can't help a chuckle and a stray dark thought that Bobby deserves to be knocked down every so often. God in the last month the number of pranks Bobby has pulled on him...

It's a good thing he is a mild-mannered guy. Otherwise he is certain he would have fried Bobby to a crisp by now.

* * *

**Tuesday.**

Another Tuesday, another day of school is Clark's thought as he gets his books out of his locker.

"Kent!"

Clark closes his eyes and groans. Another Tuesday. Another day putting up with that jerk Duncan Matthews. What the hell does Jean see in this guy?

Jean is a smart, beautiful, kind and sympathetic soul. Duncan Matthews is none of these things. He is just a bully and since Clark is the new student he tends to get picked on more than the other poor unfortunates Duncan usually chooses. Although Clark doesn't get why Matthews keeps bothering him especially since he once tried to knock Clark over by 'bumping' into him. Duncan missed a football game with a bruised shoulder for that stunt. Serves the jerk right.

Clark turns to face Duncan and his gang. "Something I can help you with?" Clark asks as politely as he can manage.

Duncan gets right in Clark's face. "I missed a game because of you...farm boy," he says with great hostility and trying to say farm boy like it is an insult when to Clark it isn't.

Clark is also kind of surprised that Duncan can remember that far back. He doesn't say that of course. "You bumped into me," is all he says.

Duncan eyes Clark. "You trying to be smart Kent."

Clark has to bite back saying 'Like that is hard around you' in his best sarcasm. Now if Rogue was here that is what she would say. "I'm just stating what happened," Clark says trying his best not to sound too condescending.

"Well I'm thinking you need to be taught a lesson," Duncan says a threat.

Clark has to fight to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Even with the 4 of them they couldn't make him move an inch unless he let them. When two of Duncan's friend pin him up against the row of lockers Clark reaches the choice point of this little scenario. Use his powers if only subtly to throw them off or stand here and pretend to be getting hurt...or stand here and don't allow his body to give when Duncan's fist hits him.

As Duncan aims a shot at his stomach Clark goes for option number 3 and as the fist slams into him he can see Duncan's whole face contort in pain before he tries to hide it.

"You can consider that getting off easy Kent and a warning. Next time I won't be so easy on you," Duncan informs him.

Clark then watches the 4 of them head off down the hall with Duncan noticeably cradling his hand. Funny thing is Clark doesn't feel guilty at all.

Lunchtime and as Clark sits eating he spots Jean tending poor Duncan's hand. Of course from what Clark heard Duncan had made up some sob story about catching it his locker. Not that Duncan had done it hitting him.

"Rogue," Clark says addressing the southern belle sitting next to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I know it is none of my business but why is Jean dating Duncan? The guy's a jerk."

Rogue snorts. "Please. Little miss popular is way too high on her horse ta notice small things lahke that." She then turns her head to look at him. "Why are ya asking this? Did he do something?"

Clark lets out a sigh. "Only tried to get me back for bruising his shoulder."

"Is that..." Realisation dawns in Rogue's mind. "You're tha one who hurt his hand."

Clark shrugs. "He hit me and you know what happens when someone tries to hit me."

Rogue does. She had watched Clark in enough training sessions to know what happens when objects him him with any speed or force. They tend to shatter.

Clark goes on to tell her the whole story and how he had to bite back his retort about it not being hard to be smart around Duncan. It makes Rogue laugh. She doesn't laugh all that often which is a shame because she has a nice laugh.

"Ah wish you had said it and Ah had been there to see it," Rogue says genuinely. "Really though Clark why didn't ya just beat tha crap out of him. We both know ya can."

"I don't think the Professor would see that as using our powers responsibly," Clark points out. It was one of the lessons the Professor made great pains to teach them all. In Clark's case his parents had been trying to teach him that for as long as he can remember.

"Maybe not but one day ah would love to see him get what he deserves."

"Would it make me a bad person if I said 'so do I'?"

"No. It just makes ya human."

At that Clark can only manage a ghost of a smile. One of the things that he was still keeping to himself was the truth of what he was and everything that goes along with it. Mostly the guilt about keeping from people who are his friends. He decides not to dwell on that thought for too long.

"Besides," he decides to add. "I'm looking forward to the day you beat the crap out of him." He had caught a glimpse of Rogue training with Logan once and she certainly knew a few moves. More than enough to put someone like Duncan Matthews down if she wanted to. "I'll sell tickets and make a fortune."

Rogue smiles and shakes her head at him. Clark could be kinda silly on occasion when he let himself be. Kitty used the phrase an adorable goofball and Rogue for once couldn't disagree with her friend.

Hey he got a smile out of her too which makes this a good day. Rogue has a lovely smile.

"Hey loves. What are you two up to?" a voice with a strong British accent asks.

Clark looks to see it is Rogue's friend Risty. Clark didn't know what it was but there was something about her that irked him which was odd. She was basically friendly and he knew Rogue liked her as she was one of her few normal human friends. Yet there was something...he didn't know what so he didn't mention it to anyone. Maybe he is just imagining it.

As lunch ends Clark watches Rogue leave with Risty. Being different ages at school lunchtime was really the only time he saw her.

Watching on with studied interest not too far away is one Katherine Anne Pryde. It had not escaped her attention that Clark and Rogue seemed to hang out quite a bit. Of course Clark does tend to attract a lot of Kitty's attention. Sure she likes Lance but Clark is...well gorgeous and smart she had found. You just had to talk to him on any subject for awhile and you quickly discovered how smart he was. He was more than smart actually. Mr McCoy had given them all these IQ tests and while no-one had been forced to reveal what they got Kitty had been curious so she hacked(one of her many skills) into the institute files and looked them up and Clark's score was more than impressive. In fact his score made him a certifiable genius. He could easily be moved forward a year at the very least yet Clark spent all his time trying not to show he was anything that special.

It all added to his mystery really. Clark was guarded about certain aspects of his past. He was a nice guy don't get her wrong. He is always polite and helpful. Once he opens up you find he has this great self-deprecating sense of humour but there is always a part of himself he never reveals. Kind of like Rogue.

It could be why they gravitated towards each other at first and became friends but as she watches Clark's gaze linger just that little too long on Rogue's departing form the idea forms in Kitty's head that maybe it is starting to grow beyond that.

* * *

**Wednesday**

"Morning mom," Clark greets his mother, as she walks into the kitchen, who as was the habit of all the Kents was up before just about anyone else.

"Morning honey," she greets him with that her warm smile.

Over the last month Clark and his parents had talked about how things were going. At first coming here had been almost on a trial basis. If it didn't work out it was the 3 day drive to California and his grandfather's. So far they had agreed to continue.

Clark was happy. He could admit that. He had more friends than he had ever had in his life and for once, minus the whole alien part, he didn't have to hide himself or what he could do. Sure living in the institute meant his life had never been crazier in a way. There was the whole week, for example, where thanks to Bobby being bored, which is as Clark found out a very bad thing, there was an unending series of practical jokes being played back and forth in an ever escalating cycle of retaliations until the Professor had decided enough was enough and put an end to it.

One thing of note during that week was the number of jokes that Jean ended up playing on Scott like she was getting him back for something or other.

Clark's eyes then widen in amazement as into the kitchen walks Kitty, actually dressed, although half asleep and covering her mouth as she yawns. Kitty was never up at this time. She was not a morning person. "Oh look. It lives!" he jokes using her line when he was powerless back at her.

Clark can almost see the neurons in Kitty's eyes fire up as it sinks in what he said and she flashes him a look.

Martha can't help a small chuckle. "Be nice Clark. Kitty is making your breakfast this morning."

Dread. That is the only word for the expression that comes to Clark's face. Kitty's food was the only thing that has ever made him ill outside kryptonite. "You-You agreed to let her help you?" he says in utter astonishment, not quite able to believe it.

Martha would agree when she started helping Kitty her cooking was...it lacked finesse. She'll put it that way but she was improving slowly.

Clark can't himself at making a jab. "Does Mr McCoy know of this and does he have the infirmary on standby?"

Now Kitty was really awake and ready to hit him back. "Well at least I'm not a 200 pound wrecking ball. How long did it like take Forge, Logan and Mr Kent to fix the Danger Room after you destroyed it?" That was during the prank war week.

"I did not destroy it," he protests. "Someone," he glares at her, "hacked in and changed the programme level settings to maximum." Clark had ended up fighting off everything the Danger Room could throw at him and yes inevitably in the process of doing so Clark will admit he damaged the Danger Room but he far from destroyed it.

"Are you like accusing me of something Clark?" Kitty asks him looking all too innocent, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"How many people here have the smarts to do that?" he asks her. What he had found out since his arrival was that Kitty was a lot smarter than she first comes off as being.

"Hmm Jean does. I'm betting it was her."

"Jean was not the one who accused me of shrinking her clothes."

"Well someone did and it was caused by someone," Kitty glares at him, "fast drying them."

"I'm not the only one who has heat related powers around here Kitty. Both Amara and Roberto do too." Clark is admitting nothing.

"Yeah but you are the only one who can move fast enough not to be seen."

Clark places his hand over his heart in a mock show of pain. He even breaks out the wounded look in his eyes. "Your accusations wound me Kitty."

Kitty snorts. "Just you wait until I find something that can hurt you Clark. Then you'll be sorry."

"Ooh I'm shaking with fear. Like don't hurt me Kitty," he mock pleads with her.

Martha has to catch herself or she would burst out into a full bellied laugh which would not be very nice. She doesn't see that side of Clark often. Chloe tended to bring it out of him the most. It seems in Kitty he has found a new foil. In fact the vice versa is true too. Most of the time Kitty was very sweet but somehow Clark brings out this side to her. They almost acted like long lost siblings or something.

The look on Clark's face leaves Kitty caught between the urge to try and strangle him or to kiss him. Considering what she learned yesterday about him and Rogue she better stow both urges until she figures out what is really going on. In the meantime she turns to Clark's mother. "Mrs Kent," Kitty starts to say. "Are we still doing that special breakfasts for Storm after the...you know whole kidnapping thing?"

Oh yes. The kidnapping thing. One night last week this African witch doctor kidnapped Storm to take her back to Africa where apparently she was worshipped like a Goddess. Clark himself had only gotten the second hand account of the rescue. He had wanted to help but the point had been respectfully made to him that this kind of mission requires teamwork which is something he was not ready for.

Clark had had to admit that the point was well made. Part of the learning curve was looking over the recordings of your Danger Room sessions and seeing where you lacked. Now Clark might be able to rip apart and survive being hit by almost anything but as he watched back the recordings he could see that utilising his powers in a team...well he wasn't good at it. He was trying to improve though. Still it had not been natural or easy for him to just sit on the sidelines when he had the power to help.

Back to the here and now since then his mother had been all motherly as far as Ms Monroe was concerned in doing little things for her. Clark had noticed that his mother and Ms Monroe did seem to get on quite well. They shared a love for gardening for one thing and Clark would say they were friends or at least in his opinion they are.

Your mother is a miracle worker," Sam says to Clark after breakfast as they gather in the lobby about to depart for school.

"Nein. She is a saint," Kurt says in contradiction. "No-one but a saint could teach Kitty to cook somezhing edible."

When the students had learned that Kitty was cooking breakfast the groan was probably audible in New York City itself but out of respect for Mrs Kent they all tried it at the very least. To their great surprise it turned out as Kurt said to be edible. It was not the greatest thing Clark had ever tasted nor was it the worse but the fact everyone ate it you could see that it made Kitty almost physically fill up with pride at her accomplishment.

* * *

**Thursday**

"Are you sure you want to do this Clark?" Jonathan asks his son.

"No...but lets do it."

Jonathan wasn't sure either. Clark was lying down in the infirmary hooked up to monitors. Mr McCoy had wished to see and record how Clark reacted to kryptonite in an attempt to better understand its effects on him. As a natural parental instinct Jonathan's wish was to keep anything that is harmful to his son as far away from him as possible. However Mr McCoy could make a very persuasive argument for doing this. That perhaps it was even possible to find a way to negate the effects of kryptonite on Clark. If that was possible then Jonathan was just about able to allow this.

Hank gets the lead box with the piece of kryptonite he keeps from the safe. His studies on it were far wider than how they effected Clark. He was also studying its mutating effects on DNA. Human and also if it could cause further mutation in those in possession of the x-gene. Of course his experiments were restricted to blood samples he obtained only and certainly not like some of the horror stories he had heard from Clark and Martha and Jonathan.

This Lionel Luthor sounded like an abhorrent human being. Exposing real living people to the meteor rocks, cloning a real human girl and in effect resurrecting her from the dead. As a man of science himself it shames Hank to think others who also claim that title would go along with such acts.

Hank places the box of a table next to where Clark lies. "Now Clark you will be exposed for precisely 30 seconds. If it becomes too much however please just tell me and we will end it."

Clark nods while he braces himself for the indescribable agony that is about to come.

Hank activates all the cameras and sensors around Clark before he opens the box. The green rock inside instantly starts to glow as it only does around Clark or samples of his blood. It was curious the way the rock reacted to Clark's presence. It did not glow like this otherwise.

Clark grits his teeth as his blood boils in his veins and what feels like every cell in his body screams in pain.

Watching Clark pains Hank. He is a doctor and he is not suppose to inflict pain on his patients but for his study there was no other choice. Using samples of Clark's blood could only tell him so much.

After what seems like an eternity to Clark Hank closes the lid of the box and the pain subsides although the weakness and nausea usually takes a few minutes to subside completely. Hank quickly checks Clark over.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Clark dead-pans in his usual stoic fashion as he sits up. "But it'll pass."

Hank watches the read-outs of the monitors to see that indeed in a very few minutes all Clark's vital signs return to his normal. "Well I'll review all the data Clark and let you know as soon as I can what I find," Hank informs him.

Clark nods as he pulls the sensors off his chest. "Thank you Mr McCoy."

Before Clark can get his shirt back on a myriad of voices draw near.

"Are you sure he's here?...Yeah he said he had an appointment with Mr McCoy...Besides we've looked everywhere else."

The door to the infirmary slides open and barging in come the New Mutants. At the sight of Clark still shirtless the girls in the group stop dead still, with their mouth open slightly agape. In fact what looks like drool forms at the corner of Jubilee's mouth. Clark's uniform never left all that much to the imagination but seeing him without it the girls could safely say their imaginations suck. The reality was way better.

"You ill or something?" Bobby asks him, oblivious to the raging hormones that are surging through the females next to him.

It is Hank that answers. "No. I was simply performing a few tests on Clark. We're done though."

"Well good," Ray says pointing at his watch. "It's time for our session with Storm."

Oh. Clark hadn't realised that much time had passed. He hops off the table and puts his shirt back on as he heads off to get changed with a group of girls following all with slightly dreamy smiles on their faces.

* * *

**Friday**

"Hello!"

Crap! Why did she have to answer it. He had been phoning once a week since he left and she had never answered it before despite the fact she lived in the same house as who he was trying to reach.

"Hello!" the voice on the other end of the line says again.

Clark summons up the nerve to speak. "Hey...Lana."

"Clark?"

"Um yeah. How are you?"

There is a noticeable delay before Lana speaks again. "Fine. You want me to get Chloe?"

Conflicting thoughts enter Clark's head here. Yes so he could end the awkwardness and the reminder of his heartbreak not to mention the complete and utter screw-up he made of his relationship with Lana. His other choice is to say no and talk to her because he still cares. He can't turn his emotions off and stop caring about her. Decisions. Decisions.

Clark is spared by the voice of a certain perky blond speaking. "Hey Clark!"

"Hey Chloe. How are you?"

"Oh you know how it goes here in Smallville."

"Has something happened? Are you hurt? Are you in trouble?"

"What? No, no. Well no more than usual."

Clark can practically see her cheeky grin. Since he left Chloe had mentioned a girl who could invade dreams, her idol Perry White had blown through town and Lana had developed an unnatural attraction to a fellow student who turned out to be a meteor freak who had the ability to influence people. He was stopped by this new security force care of LuthorCorp. It was seemingly Lionel's new PR gimmick to show that he cared. Chloe wasn't buying it and frankly Clark didn't really buy it either. Officially they were an aid to the police to deal with Smallville's unusually high crime rate. In reality Chloe suspected and Clark tended to agree there were some kind of meteor freak hit squad.

"Oh I nearly forgot Lex is back in town," Chloe mentions.

"He is?" Clark says with some surprise. He hadn't known that.

"You didn't know?" Chloe asks with the same surprise in her voice.

"The number I use to have for him was disconnected. I tried to write to him but didn't receive a reply," Clark mentions.

"Interesting," Chloe says in that infuriating tone of hers when she is about to launch into another one of her investigations.

"Chloe," Clark says warningly. "Don't make me call Pete." He had already spoken to Pete but he would call him back if he had to to stop Chloe from doing something crazy.

"Clark seriously. You're a thousand miles away. You need to let stuff go. It's been a month and I'm still here."

Well it was the one thing about this move that made him doubt about doing it. What would happen to his friends without him. "So have you spoken to Lex?" Clark asks.

"You're kiddin right. I can't get within 100 feet of the mansion these days. They like trebled the security ever since Lex was put in charge of Lionel's meteor freaks hit squad."

"Lex is in charge of it?"

"Didn't I mention that?"

"No you didn't."

"Well he is. From my sources it seems he persuaded Lionel to be put in charge of it after they saved him from Van McNulty." Van McNulty was the son of a cop, Tina Greer had killed, and had concluded that meteor freaks needed to be exterminated and for some reason targeted Lex to die but Lionel's new security force saved Lex and managed to grab McNulty.

Well if Lex is in charge of it then maybe Clark won't have to worry as much. Lex is not all bad and certainly a lot better than Lionel.

Chloe decides to move on to asking Clark how his life is going. "So how is life in the school for the gifted? God I never thought I would be asking Clark Kent a question like that."

"Chloe you are aware you just said that out-loud right?"

There is a pause before she says "Yes I am aware." Which translates to no I wasn't aware until you pointed it out and now I'm desperately trying not to let you know that. Clark can't help but smile. Some days he really misses Chloe.

Shortly after getting off the phone to Chloe Clark runs into Scott who asks him what he is up to and Clark explains he was just talking to his old friends.

Scott nods in understanding. They all did that, those of them who had family and friends elsewhere. He himself was on the phone earlier talking to his brother Alex in Hawaii. They even talked a bit about maybe Scott going there for Thanksgiving so they could spend it together as a family with Alex's foster parents.

* * *

**Saturday**

Charles, Hank and Logan look down from the control room at the latest simulation. It was suppose to be just Hank and Charles but Logan found out about it and wanted to observe. Clark had come up with the aesthetic and it was like no aesthetic any of them had ever seen. Crystals as thick as tree trunks rise at angles and interlock high above. Ice platforms rise to varying heights and angles. It was...unearthly.

"So how did the Boy Wonder come up with this?" Logan asks using his newest nickname for Clark.

"He said he had a dream about this and drew it as I asked him to," Charles answers.

"You asked him to?" Logan queries.

"Yes. Since I can't read his mind I asked that any dreams he has that he wishes to discuss with me he should draw what he sees," Charles explains. "Then I thought that the best way forward to help Clark understand his dream was to create it here in the Danger Room." Hank had helped programme what it was Clark was trying to create. Clark had said he could not remember ever seeing a place like this so how did he managed to dream it. Dreams are taken from memories so Charles' thought that maybe this was from somewhere in Clark's subconscious and that perhaps bringing it to life will help him understand where it fits in in his mind.

Down below in the Danger Room Clark is wandering through the forest of columns. It was so strange being here. It felt like...home. He could swear blind that he had been in a home that looked like this yet he has no memory of such a place. Clark touches his hand to one of the columns, the pull to do so being irresistible.

As he touches it there is a flash and Clark is somewhere else. He feels different. He raises his hand in front of his face and can see it is small and chubby. He is a baby. He looks up and looking down at him is a beautiful blond woman in possession of the same blue eyes he has. She opens her mouth to speak and in a voice he knows yet has not heard in what seems an eternity she says softly, lovingly "Kal-El."

Clark flashes back to the Danger Room and stumbles back a pace or two. What was that? That woman. Was that...was that his mother...his biological mother?

A little later that day in Professor Xavier's office.

"Do you really think she could have been my mother Professor?" Clark asks him after he had explained what happened in the Danger Room. He had not told his parents yet. He wanted to try and understand what he saw first before he shared this with them.

"What do you think Clark?" Charles asks him back.

Clark's brow furrows deeply. "I've never been able to remember anything before I landed on Earth. My first memory has always been of the turned over truck where I found my parents."

"That does not mean that the memories are not there Clark. If what you saw is accurate you were there as a baby with your parents."

Clark thinks back on the flash. He had remembered nothing else beyond that. "She was sad," he says suddenly.

"What makes you think that?"

"I'm not sure...a look in her eyes."

"A look of a mother who knew that soon to save her son's life she would have to send him away perhaps?"

"Perhaps," Clark is willing to concede. "I...I don't even know her name." He pulls his knees up to his chest and feels...shame he thinks. His own mother and he doesn't even know her name. He had gotten so use to hating Jor-El he had never even bothered to ask about his mother. He had placed her in the same category as Jor-El but if his memory is accurate maybe he was in error. It wasn't just the look in her eyes he could almost sense her sadness...and her love.

Charles moves over to where Clark is sitting and places his hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy was obviously upset. Not just from his body language but as Charles spent more time around him he had started to associate certain brain patterns with emotions. He could not read Clark's thoughts but he could sense the changing patterns as Clark's emotional state changed. Charles felt great sympathy for him. Clark carried such a great burden he had learned from what he had been able to get Clark to admit. He blamed himself for the meteor mutants simply because his ship came down with the meteors. Virgil had revealed to him that as far as anyone knew Clark was the last of his species in the universe. There are no words Charles can think of that can help Clark there. All he can do is give Clark a home here and try and make Clark understand that he is not alone.

There is a knock on the door. "Come in Logan," Charles permits his friend.

Logan steps in and sees Clark, his knees up to his chest, looking more emotionally vulnerable than he had ever seen him. The kid was usually very good at hiding his true feelings. Almost as good as Logan himself is. "If this is a bad time..."

Charles looks at Logan and suddenly remembers that Logan wanted to use this Saturday for some special training for Clark and Rahne as well because while it was cold it was a nice day with no rain forecast and well even if there was Logan might have asked Storm for a favour. Charles turns his attentions back to Clark. "Clark," he says very gently.

Clark looks up at the Professor and then notices Logan is in the room. "Oh. The training," he suddenly realises.

"If you don't feel up to it," Charles offers.

Clark gets to his feet. "No. I...I think some fresh air might be good to clear my head."

Charles nods in acceptance of that.

"I'll just go get changed," he tells Logan and in a blur and with a gust of wind Clark vanishes.

"Everything alright?" Logan asks Charles.

"Yes," he assures his friend before explaining a little bit about what is happening without betraying Clark's confidence. He tells Logan that Clark has suddenly had a memory of his biological mother he never knew he possessed. Charles has a feeling Logan of all people will understand about the strain of recovered memories.

"I'll take it easy on him," Logan decides.

Charles smiles a little because Logan's easy is quite difficult by most people's standards but his heart is in the right place. "Have you already set it up?"

"Yeah I laid down the scent trails last night and this morning." The training was to teach Rahne in her wolf-form and Clark how to use their sense of smell to follow a trail. Logan had laid different trails of different ages through the woods that border the mansion's grounds. Charles owned them too.

Later that day after Clark finishes his training Martha and Jonathan sit with Clark in their room at the mansion as he tells them all about his flash of memory. It was a large room, large enough to essentially have a small living area on one side and the bed on the other. She and Jonathan were on the small couch and Clark was sitting in a chair across from them.

For Martha in particular listening to Clark say what he has said...it has been an...unsettling experience to listen to her son say he had a memory about his biological mother.

"I can't believe I forgot her," Clark says unable to get past the fact that he did.

"Clark," Jonathan says trying to be careful in his approach to this. It was clear this had had an effect on Clark. "Are you sure about what you saw?"

Clark tries to explain it as best he can. "I...felt her love, her sadness. I felt a connection. She was my mother. I'm sure of it." There is a minute of silence. "She's dead though now isn't she. They're all dead except me."

It had been awhile since either Jonathan or Martha had heard Clark speak about his people with any sort of sadness. Jor-El, or what claimed to be Jor-El, had pretty much soured Clark's attitude to their fate. This vision of his has seemingly only served as a reminder of how alone and different he truly is.

Martha moves over to Clark. Seeing the pain of loneliness in his eyes is breaking her heart. She places her arms around his head and pulls him to her as she tries her best to comfort him and take his pain away.

* * *

**Sunday**

Rogue was spending her Sunday how she likes to spend them. Alone with a book in the library. Well almost alone. Clark was there too. It had become something they did since he arrived. Just the two of them. Clark loved to read she had discovered. It was something they had in common. They also talked...well the funny thing was they could just seem to talk about nothing. There were parts of herself she didn't want to talk about and parts of himself Clark obviously didn't want to talk about so they talked about the stuff they wanted to.

It was...nice. Clark was funny when he let himself be especially when he and Kitty were doing their little bantering back and forths. She had heard Sam say that they reminded him of himself and his siblings back in Kentucky and Sam has a lot of siblings so he knew what he was talking about.

Right now Clark is drawing in a sketch book. She had never seen him do that before. She didn't know he could draw. What she did know that since yesterday he had been quieter than normal even for him and Clark was most of the time rather shy and quiet. From what she heard from Kitty it stemmed from something Clark had been doing in the Danger Room yesterday morning but he wouldn't talk about it to anyone but the Professor.

"Clark?" she queries.

"Hmm?" he replies without looking up.

"Ya ok?"

"I'm always ok Rogue. You know that. I'm invulnerable."

Rogue is not very convinced. "That why have ya barely looked at meh today."

Clark stops his drawing and his eyes slowly draw up to look at Rogue who is looking at him with obvious concern in her eyes. He lets out a sigh. "Really Rogue. It's nothing I want to burden you with."

A lot of people would just leave it at that but those people aren't Rogue and she is not one to subtly probe around the edges. She is the straight to the point type of person. "Ah'm not buying it Clark. Ah thought we were friends."

"We are," he assures her. "It is just..." he trails off not sure what to tell her and what not to.

"What Clark? It is just what?"

"You know I said I couldn't remember my parents, my birth parents."

"Yeah."

"I saw my mother."

"What?"

Clark explains it. The strange dream about a strange yet familiar place and how at the Professor's suggestion he created it in the Danger Room and while there he had a flash of memory where he saw what he guesses was his mother. He then takes his sketch book and shows Rogue what he was drawing. "This is her," he tells her. "This is my mother."

Rogue took the book from him and studied the pencil drawing. The detail was amazing. "She's beautiful." Rogue then holds the book up next to Clark's head and compares him to the drawing. "Ah can see her in ya."

"Really? I thought it was just the eyes." Rogue looks at him a little puzzled before he explains. "I have her eyes. In my dream I saw that she had blue eyes like mine."

And Clark has these incredible expressive cerulean blue eyes that you could almost drown in Rogue had decided so if she could she would thank Clark's mother. "What was her name?" she asks him.

"I don't know." He shakes his head. "What kind of son doesn't know his own mother's name?" The loathing and shame was back in his voice.

"Clark..." she tries to say but he cuts her off.

"How could I forget her Rogue?"

Rogue bites her lower lip. Really this kind of thing is not her forte but she can see that it is really bothering Clark. Normally she wouldn't do this but she decides she will this time. She will open herself up. "Ah can't remember mah mother either."

Clark looks at her intently with those eyes of his. Rogue has to wonder from time to time just how much those eyes of his actually see. "Really?" he asks her.

Rogue nods. "Ah was adopted when Ah was 4. Before then...it is all...fuzzy."

"I'm sorry. I've probably brought up bad memories for you."

"Ah would be lyin' if ah said some of it wasn't bad but some of it was good too. Ah guess it just depends on what part ya want to focus on."

Clark smiles a little bit. "You are a lot wiser than you let on."

"Well thanks...Ah think."

"That was a compliment," Clark assures her.

"So ya alright now?"

"I will be. Still I wish I could remember her more."

"Meh too," Rogue says softly with just a hint of vulnerability present in her voice. She turns her attentions back to Clark's sketch book and starts turning the pages. Inside she finds pencil drawings of them all, her included. The detail is amazing. He makes her look more beautiful than she thinks she is. Is that how he sees her?

She turns a page and finds sketches of 3 people she doesn't know. "Clark. Who are they?"

Clark gets up and moves round so he can see. "Oh. They are my friends back in Smallville." He points at each one in turn, "Pete, Chloe and...Lana."

Rogue is struck by the way he said that last name. There was a slight strain to his voice. A thought enters her head that it indicates that there might have been more than friendship between Clark and this Lana. She decides not to pry though. "What are these?" she asks pointing at the symbols which accompany each drawing.

Clark thinks fast. Those symbols are Kryptonian script. He actually had barely noticed he had been writing it. "Oh um those are simply everyone's names in the language of the Kawatche Indians who are native to the area around Smallville." That is not a lie in fact. Not entirely. It just happens the Kawatche were taught their language by a Kryptonian.

"How do ya know it?"

Ok now this is where Clark has to be creative so he starts with the truth about how he literally fell into the caves. How the Kawatche were grateful that a lost piece of their heritage had been rediscovered and they made him a sort of honorary tribe member. Of course this is because Joseph Willowbrook thinks Clark is some mythical figure depicted on the walls called Naman but Clark doesn't tell Rogue that part. He has to flat out lie when he tells her that the Kawatche were kind enough to teach him the language.

Rogue's lip twitch slightly. "Fell in huh?"

Clark almost scowls at the humour he detects. "There was a crevice. I didn't see it," he says in his defence.

At the image of Clark falling through this crevice Rogue can't help but laugh. "Sorry but it is kind of funny."

Ok maybe it is a little funny but only because he wasn't hurt by the fall.

Kitty walks in to find them like this with Rogue still laughing. 'Interesting,' she thinks to herself. "So like what are you guys up to?" she asks them.

"Not much," Rogue tells her friend. She then decides to show Kitty Clark's drawing of her.

"I mean like...wow Clark. This is totally awesome," Kitty says in praise at the rendition of herself.

"You can have it if you want," Clark tells her. He has no problem with that.

Kitty thinks on that and then decides on something else. "I don't suppose...you didn't happen to draw one of Lance did you?"

Rogue rolls her eyes. Of course Kitty would ask that.

Clark takes the book back from Kitty. Yes the Brotherhood too are in here. Not that he likes them any. He just likes drawing what he sees. He finds the one of Lance, tears it out and hands it over to Kitty.

Kitty takes a few seconds to appreciate it before thanking Clark.

"You're welcome Kitty." Clark checks the time and decides to go and see if his parents need any help with anything.

As he departs Kitty turns an eye to Rogue and can see her watching Clark leave with the same slight look of longing she saw Clark give Rogue in school the other day. 'Interesting. Very Interesting,' she thinks. She wonders if they are even aware that they possibly might like each other. Kitty resolves to talk to Rogue about it.

**That night...**

"So like what is going on with you and Clark?" Kitty had waited until she and Rogue were in their room just before they went to bed to ask.

Rogue dressed in her orange and green pjs turns to look at Kitty and places her hands on her hips. "What do ya mean 'what is going on'?"

"Well you know you two do seem to hang out a lot. Those Sundays in the library, those nights with the telescope...just the two of you...all alone." She puts just enough suggestive tone in her voice to get her point across.

"That ain't funny Kitty!" Rogue says with a scowl.

"There is nothing wrong in saying you like him Rogue. After all he is kind, polite, funny and lets not forget down right gorgeous."

Rogue couldn't argue with that. Clark was gorgeous. "If he's so great Kitty why don't you ask him out," Rogue says trying to get away from Kitty's suggestion.

"I would in a heartbeat if I thought I stood a chance but," she gives out a little over-dramatic sigh, "I'm not the one he stares longingly at."

"What?" Rogue seems shocked by that. "No he doesn't," she says in total denial. After all she can't think of a reason why he would.

"Sure he does and you look longingly at him when the two of you think no-one is watching."

"Ah do not look at him longingly Kitty and even if ah did like him in tha way ya are suggesting, which ah don't, it would never work. He can never touch meh...ever!"

That is always what it comes down to for Rogue. Kitty knows she can't even imagine the hell it must be for Rogue never to be able to touch another person again but she also feels that it shouldn't be used as an excuse for Rogue to cut herself off from the world. "Rogue you know maybe one day you might be able to control it."

Rogue scoffs at that suggestion. "Yeah like some day as in neva neva. Kitty Ah don't torture myself with thoughts of things that ain't goin' ta happen."

"But Rogue...," Kitty begins to say before she is cut off.

"Kitty please. Drop it! As mah friend please just drop it."

"Ok," Kitty says. She'll drop it...for now.

Satisfied by that Rogue moves to the window to shut the curtains. She looks briefly at the stars in the sky and remembers all the nice times she spent with Clark recently doing the same. It brings a small smile to her lips as she slides the curtains shut and heads for bed.

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter is a little idea I had so I could jump time forward a bit. Also did you notice the passing reference to one of Superman's villains in the Monday part? You'll be seeing more of her soon. Thanks to all those who wrote reviews. Next up: A certain Lionel Luthor shows up in Bayville forcing Clark to make the choice whether to tell his friends the truth about himself or leave._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Sunday night at a house in Bayville Mystique is re-reading over the note left to her by her...pupil. One Haze. It reads...

_Can't make our training session tonight. Mission for you know who._

_H._

Oh Mystique knew who alright. It seems her little pupil gets to go on missions instead of Mystique these days. She feels so loved.

Truth be told after Mystique got over her original anger at Haze she had turned out not to be a bad pupil. Her training was progressing well and a teleporter without question is a massive asset. Of course the teleporter it should have been on their side was her son but it didn't seem very likely he would be seeing things her way any time soon.

At least she gets to see him at school.

So no training session and no job for Magneto. Just her alone in this house.

Alone.

All alone in a big empty house.

"God I need a life," Mystique mutters to herself.

* * *

At the exact same time on the other side of the world...

"Cold chere?" Gambit asks his companion.

"Freezing," Haze replies between her teeth chattering. "I know I'm new to all this but is there a reason we are doing this in the middle of frickin November in the middle of frickin Russia?"

Gambit smiles at her. The girl has spirit. He will give her that. "Not our place to question petit. Just obey de boss."

Haze frowns. Here she is a relatively attractive, in her opinion, 16 year old and what is she doing? Trying to blend in in a forest in Russia just so she can kidnap some kid to force her brother to work for Magneto. She peers through the trees at what is a farm house and waits.

The wait is not too long as there is a roar from inside the house and flying out through a window comes Sabretooth. Shortly after that out of the door comes a man who looks to be completely covered in metal. As he nears Sabretooth she can hear him say in heavily accented English "I already told your boss no."

Sabretooth gets to his feet and snarls. His job is to get this mutant as far away from the house as possible with help. Now where is that Cajun thief?

Gambit look on as the giant metallic man lands another massive blow on Sabretooth knocking the not insubstantial mutant through the air. "D'at is goin to leave a mark non?" he remarks to Haze.

"Aren't you suppose to be helping him?" Haze reminds Gambit.

Gambit flashes her another one of his smiles. "Gambit will assist him but..." Sabretooth receives another bone crunching blow, "maybe not just yet."

Haze has to place her hand over her mouth otherwise she would burst out laughing. Sabretooth was a bit...uncouth to say the least and she wishes she could feel more sympathy than she is but it is funny to see him get a little beaten up. Besides with his healing factor it isn't like it will be permanent.

An annoyed cough from behind the two of them brings a swift end to their enjoyment. Both turn their head to find Magneto floating there. Gambit likes getting as much enjoyment as he can out of his life but he knows when there are times to just shut up and do his job. This is one of those times and while he does feel a little rotten about helping kidnap a child he owes Magneto after Magneto freed him from jail. Gambit strides out of the trees, pulls a few of his playing cards out and charges them up. With the metallic man fighting Sabretooth he doesn't see it coming. Gambit aims right at the back of the knees and the giant man falls down to them but considering the minimal damage done to the armoured skin Gambit can tell he will be back to his feet shortly.

Sabretooth takes advantage of the moment to jump on top of his foe and try and pin him down.

"Leave my brother alone!" a voice says passionately in Russian and running from the house is a young girl with blonde hair.

"Illyana!" the metal man shouts back. "Don't!"

"Haze. Now," Magneto commands.

Haze doesn't entirely feel great about doing this but does as she is told as she vanishes in her usual green mist and appears right in front of the girl who can't stop herself from sliding into Haze's arms. The two of them vanish in another green mist.

"Illyana!" the man screams as he throws Sabretooth off of him and runs to where his sister vanished. When he finds nothing he drops to his knees.

"Piotr."

Piotr Rasputin looks up and sees that it is that man in the red again floating a few feet above the ground. He had come before making an offer about joining him. Piotr had no interest in the man's ideals or his cause. He gets back to his feet and glares at Magneto. "You! You did this!"

"I warned you that one way or another you would join me," Magneto reminds Piotr of their last conversation.

Piotr makes a move to attack Magneto still in his metallic form. With a simple gesture Magneto freezes him exactly where he stands. "Don't be foolish and even try to attack me. Your sister's health would suffer."

"You would threaten an innocent girl just to get what you want?" Piotr says in disgust.

"I do whatever I think is necessary." Magneto lands down on the snow covered ground. "Join me Piotr and no harm will come to your sister."

Piotr would rather not but what choice does he have now that Illyana has been taken. His parents are dead. Illyana is his responsibility. He must do whatever it takes to protect her. "I have your word she shall not be harmed?"

"Do as I command and she will enjoy a better life than she does here," Magneto tells him. "Now do you agree to serve me?"

Piotr nods in reluctant agreement.

"Excellent." Magneto summons 4 metal spheres to take them all away. The data Mystique got from Charles was proving most useful. First this Russian boy who could turn his entire body into a form of organic steel making him immensely strong and near indestructible. Next he planned to look up another mutant in Australia who had the ability to control fire. They would be the first members of his new elite. His Acolytes.

The spheres touch down. "Come now...Colossus."

Piotr looks at Magneto a little oddly at the use of that name. Again what choice has he but to accept whatever Magneto wants. He has Illyana. Piotr steps inside one of the metal spheres while Gambit and Sabretooth step inside the other two. Magneto floats himself inside the last one and all 4 then fly into the sky and towards one of Magneto's bases.

* * *

Another Monday, start of another week with the usual grumbling from some of the students about wishing the weekend was longer. Clark is just sitting in the kitchen munching on his breakfast vaguely listening to the morning broadcast of the local news channel on the tv which Clark finds a hell of a lot more interesting than listening to that Leslie Willis.

At the moment it is something about a boost to the local economy the male reporter is saying. "There was a boost to the local economy today when Luthorcorp announced the setting up of a new regional headquarters in downtown Bayville."

Clark's eyes shoot up the the screen just as Lionel Luthor himself appears saying how excited he is about the opportunities his new venture will bring. Clark had basically tuned him out by now. This was really, really bad because there could be only one reason Clark could think of for Lionel being here. Him.

The revelation on the news leads very quickly to a meeting with the Professor and himself and his parents. Clark watches his dad pace back and forth in the Professor's office seething. His mother is sitting offering an apology. "We're sorry Charles," Martha says. "It seems we have brought our problems down on top of you."

"You have nothing to apologise for Martha," Charles assures her in his usual generous manner. "You could not have known Lionel intended to follow you assuming that is what he is doing."

"Of course it is what he is doing," Jonathan angrily says. "The man just doesn't know how to leave people alone."

Clark was agreeing with his mother. It seems he has brought his problems down on his new friends. He's going to end up ruining their lives as well. He shudders to think what Lionel would do to them if he ever found out what they were and what they could do. Clark was just starting to think he had found a place he could fit in and now this happens. Why does this always happen to him?

Every time he even approaches being happy fate seems to like knocking him down. For example just when he thought he and Lana were a serious couple that is when Jor-El first started to speak to him and turned his life upside down.

"So what do we do?" Clark asks.

Charles didn't need to wait until someone answered it. He could already see what Martha and Jonathan were thinking. Like the good selfless people they were they were thinking of packing up and leaving so they could protect the students. Problem there is that leaves Clark more vulnerable. Lionel may not know who Clark really is but he is obviously obsessed with the boy to go through the effort of setting up a headquarters in Bayville. Charles can only conclude Lionel will follow the Kents wherever they go. At least here Charles himself can do something to protect them from Lionel.

"We be more vigilant," Charles says. Jonathan opens his mouth to speak but Charles cuts him off with the raising of his hand. "I know what you are about to say Jonathan. While I try not to 'listen' your thoughts were quite loud," he informs them.

Jonathan and Martha had almost forgotten that Charles was a telepath.

"Charles we do not wish to endanger your students," Martha tells him, the attachment she has built up for them since they arrived easily detectable in her voice.

"I appreciate that but if you leave Lionel will only most likely follow you. Here at least we have the means to protect you."

"Professor. You shouldn't put anyone else at risk for me," Clark says selflessly.

"Clark I once knew Lionel before you came to Earth. I know what kind of man he is. The greater risk is that he finds out the truth about you where I can't do anything to protect you. I will of course not force you to stay but please don't make any hasty decisions."

The Kents agree not to make any hasty decisions and think over what their next step will be. The Professor's next step is to ask Logan to step up the security around the mansion. He has to tread the thin line of explaining why without revealing what Clark is as he promised he wouldn't. What he comes up with is a half truth.

"What does this Luthor want with the kid?" Logan asks Charles showing his protective instinct.

"The same thing all men with power want Logan. More power and from what the Kents have told me he has been observing Clark for some time suspecting but not knowing for certain about him. They did not think that his obsession would go as far as following Clark here. Nether did I."

"You sound like you know him," Logan comments.

"I knew him once many years ago. From what the Kents have said it doesn't sound like he has changed any." Or at least not for the better.

"What does he know about us?" Logan asks needing to know how great the threat is.

"It depends what you mean by us. He knows of the meteor mutants. That is what he most likely suspects Clark is." Or at least that is what Charles hopes Lionel thinks Clark is. "However if you mean x-gene mutants I don't know. It's possible with all his wealth and power he has contacts high enough up in government circles to learn of us."

That makes him a very real, very great threat in Logan's books.

* * *

A couple of days later everyone had noticed that Clark had been a bit down without knowing why. He had even begun to start spending more time alone away from everyone. At school he tended to go off by himself at lunchtimes.

"Hey Kurt!" Scott greets his friend as he joins him, Kitty and Rogue for lunch. Jean was off as usual with Duncan which was just...what the hell does she see in that jerk that she doesn't see in him?

"Hey," Kurt says back sounding downbeat.

"Like what's up Kurt?" Kitty asks him having picked up on his downbeat tone.

"Yeah. Why tha long face?" Rogue asks.

"Clark," he says simply.

"What about him?" Scott asks.

"You mean you don't know," Kurt says somewhat surprised. Had he been the only one Clark told?

"Know what?" Scott asks him.

Kurt breaks the possibly very sad news to his friends. "Clark might be leaving."

"What!" Rogue almost screams. No, no. He can't be leaving. He wouldn't do that. She won't believe it.

"Why would he be leaving?" Scott asks utterly perplexed. Clark had seemed perfectly happy the other day. He was really starting to fit in, be part of the group so it didn't make sense to Scott.

Kurt explains what Clark had said when he having decided to find out what it was that was bothering Clark. He explains to his friends what Clark said about Lionel Luthor.

"The guy had Clark investigated?" Kitty asks wanting confirmation on what Kurt said.

Kurt nods and repeats the part about a private investigator that Lionel had sent to spy on them.

"Did Clark say why he did that?" Scott asks.

"All he said vas zhat he vonce saved Lionel's son from a car accident and ever since zhen Lionel has been having him investigated trying to prove he is more zhan vhat he appears."

"But why does that mean he has to leave?" Kitty asks not quite able to determine the logic.

"So he doesn't put us at risk," Rogue answers having gotten to know a little bit how Clark's mind works.

"He thinks by leaving this Luthor will follow him and no longer pose a risk to us," Scott adds now having cottoned on to where Clark's logic is heading.

"But that just...sucks!" Kitty finally decides is the right word. No-one disagreed with her.

Not too far away Lance listens in as Kitty laments Kent possibly leaving. Lance wouldn't be sorry to see him go. He had seen the way Kitty would look at him, the way the two of them would banter like...a couple or something. It had made his blood boil. He had only made that offer of Kent to join the Brotherhood to get up Summer's nose. Seriously Lance didn't think any of the geeks would actually take him up on it.

Before Kent showed up Lance had been toying around with the idea of ditching the Brotherhood and going over to Xavier's. Not that he believed in all that mutants and humans living in peace crap. He didn't. Not for a second but he would be near Kitty and god knows there are days he can barely stand living with Pietro. Then Kent had to show up and now even when he gets some alone time with Kitty she goes on and on about all of Kent's 'super' powers. That had changed his mind about going over. Hearing about the guy was bad enough but living with him and seeing Kitty go all doey eyed over him...not a chance in hell. He would rather put up with Pietro for a century rather than endure that but if Kent leaves...maybe he could rethink that defecting idea.

* * *

As Clark walks back to the mansion, he had felt like being alone and walking it, after school he is trying, and failing, not to feel too depressed. God. Why does this stuff always happen to him?

It was the question he had been asking himself ever since he heard that news broadcast a couple of days ago. Damn Lionel Luthor. 'Why can't he leave me alone?' Clark thinks to himself. It has just never stopped. From the day he saved Lex's life, something Clark has no regrets about doing, since that day Lionel has just seemed endlessly obsessed with finding out his secrets. So much so that he has followed him here.

There have already been others who have suffered because of Lionel's obsessions. Clark won't allow his new friends to suffer the same fate. The only option therefore is to leave. He had spent most of the day trying to come up with a different conclusion but the hard cold stark truth was that the only way Clark could protect his friends was to get as far away from them as possible.

He enters through the doors to find Jean sitting on the stairs for some reason.

"Finally!" she says somewhat exasperated as she moves over to Clark, takes him by the arm and starts leading him. "Where have you been?" she asks him sounding a little annoyed.

"Um walking home," he lamely responds not sure what is going on. He can't be that late can he?

Clark looks at Jean trying to read her face so he doesn't really pay attention to where she is leading him until they walk into the lounge where he finds everyone, students, teachers, his parents there looking like they are waiting for him. Now he really has no idea what is going on. "Hey guys. What is going on?"

Scott steps forward and starts to explain what has been going on.

* * *

Flashback to earlier.

"It totally sucks!" Kitty complains more passionately than she had at school as they all re-enter the mansion after school that day. She had been thinking about the possibility of Clark leaving and the more she thought about it the more annoyed and angry she became at it. Clark was a great guy and just because some lunatic billionaire has some weird obsession with him shouldn't mean he has to leave.

While Jean didn't say it she agreed with Kitty when she found out what was going on with Clark. She knew a bit about Lionel Luthor...ok she knew what she had read about him but from what Kitty had said and what Kurt had said it seemed there was a lot more to the guy than he officially allowed people to know. He didn't sound like a very nice person at all.

"Zhere has to be somezhing ve can do," Kurt says.

Scott listened on too. To do something what they needed was more information and since he remembered Clark and his parents going to see the Professor that morning of the news broadcast it is obvious the Professor knows something so the first step was to go see the Professor.

Charles looks up to find Scott, Jean, Kurt and Kitty standing in his office with a most serious expression on all their faces. "I assume this is about Clark."

"Yes," Scott confirms. "He told Kurt he may be leaving. Is that true?"

"Clark and his parents have not completely decided on that yet but I feel that they are leaning towards that yes."

"But like why?" Kitty needs to know.

"Yeah and who is zhis Lionel Luthor?" Kurt asks.

Charles sighs. "Before I say anything what exactly is it Clark told you about him?"

They all look at Kurt who says "Vell not all that much. Just Lionel suspected he had abilities and vas investigating him."

Ok Charles can work from there without revealing Clark's secret. "This stems down to the Smallville's meteors. As you know they are capable of causing mutation. Someone in Lionel Luthor's position would be interested in studying that but not even he can simply go around snatching people he only suspects are mutants without being sure."

"He experiments on mutants doesn't he," Jean jumps to.

It is at times like this Charles has to remember that even in their short lives his students have seen much. Many things they shouldn't have about the cruel side of human nature. "Most likely although no-one can prove it and the military probably sanctioned it."

"He wants to prove Clark is a mutant so he can experiment on him?" Kitty asks, the very thought making her queasy.

"Kitty I wish I could tell you that the world is full of only good people but it is not," Charles says with some sadness.

"It's alright Professor," Scott says in understanding. "I think we know that better than most but like you taught us it is about believing that the good outweighs the bad."

"Clark thinks by being here he is risking all of us," Kurt states what the consensus position is.

"I wish I could say he was wrong," Charles tells all 4 of them. "However if Clark and his parents are correct Lionel will continue to investigate him and by default that increases the risk we ourselves are exposed."

"Professor you can't mean you wish them to leave can you?" Jean asks him.

Charles shakes his head. "I do not wish them to leave Jean but I cannot make them stay either."

"Then we just have to persuade them to stay," Scott declares with authority. "If someone threatens one of us."

"He threatens all of us," Jean adds.

A smile comes to Kitty's face. "Once an x-man," she starts to say.

"Always an x-man," Kurt finishes.

Charles can only look on at them with pride shining in his eyes.

Martha and Jonathan find themselves in their room in the position of facing four teenagers passionately expressing a wish they don't leave. Scott, Jean, Kitty and Kurt decided their first task to get Clark to stay was to talk to Mrs and Mr Kent.

"You shouldn't have to run in fear of this man," Scott tells them.

"Scott," Martha begins to say, "we, Jonathan and I, have come to care about all of you since we came here. We will not put any of you at risk because of one man's obsessions."

"Even if we choose to accept the risk?" Jean asks her back.

Jonathan shakes his head. He is touched by them coming and expressing their view but they don't understand. "Lionel Luthor is a very dangerous man. If he discovers what you are he won't hesitate to capture you and do...who knows what to you. Martha and I will never allow that."

"Well I would say that I would feel sorry for anyone who comes here looking for trouble." All heads turn to see Logan standing at the door. He continues. "You say this Luthor is a dangerous man. I say the man doesn't know the meaning of dangerous until he tries to mess with any of us."

Storm then appears next to Logan. "Martha. Jonathan. As Jean said it is about choice. If we all agree to choose to accept the risk will you stay?"

Jonathan and Martha share a look. "You all agree to accept this?" Jonathan asks.

Behind Logan and Storm all the other students appears. "Yes we do," Rogue tells them with her somehow ending up the spokeswoman for them all. They all felt the same. Sam, for example, had formed a bond with Mr Kent. Sam came from a farming family and had always felt his family were what you would call 'salt of the earth' people. The Kents are the same essentially. The same qualities are there. Having them around had actually eased the home sickness. Heck he even enjoyed helping out Mr Kent on that plot of land he is growing food on. At the other end Amara, while she was a princess, never suffered from that superiority complex that other royalty do. She appreciated that it was people like the Kents that provided the food that allowed any civilisation to survive. They were lovely warm open people who she would be more than happy to come visit her homeland one day.

The Kents share another look. They are deeply touched by this show of consolidation but even if they might be willing to consider staying that leaves one issue; what about Clark.

* * *

Back to the present.

Clark blinks. All of them agree to taking the risk. He doesn't know what to say. Back in Smallville he took the risk of his exposure all the time to help people but not many ever rescinded in doing the same for him. "Guys...I am really grateful but I'm not willing to risk it. Lionel is my problem."

"No Clark," Scott corrects. "He is **our **problem because you are one of us."

Jean puts her hand on his shoulder. "We all want you to stay Clark. You and your parents."

Clark looks to his parents. He can just tell from their expressions that as usual they will support whatever decision he makes. Clark is torn. He doesn't want to leave. He doesn't want to put anyone in danger. Then there is the gnawing guilt that has been eating at him steadily the longer he stayed here. The guilt made even worse by Scott's statement because he is not one of them. He is one on his own. An alien from an extinct race and he has been lying to them all about who he really is. They are making this decision without knowing the whole truth. They deserve to know that.

Clark addresses them. "Everyone...I...am really lost for words at this. You don't know how much this all means to me. For most of my life I have had to hide away who I am. Here, for the first time, it didn't matter that I was...freaky." His choice of word elicits a chuckle from everyone. "However even from you there is something I have been keeping secret and you need to know it before you make this choice."

It doesn't take Charles more than a few seconds to realise what Clark is about to do. "Clark. Are you sure?" he asks him.

"They need to know why Lionel is really after me Professor. They deserve that."

Charles nods in acceptance.

Kurt raises his hand. "Um someone want to explain what is going on?"

Clark takes a deep breath. God he is so nervous his hand is actually shaking. "You all might want to sit down," he advises them. "This is kind of a long story."

Martha and Jonathan move to Clark's side while everyone finds some place to sit.

"Son?/Honey?" they both query at the same time.

"They need to know," he tells his parents.

Martha and Jonathan know how difficult what Clark is about to do for him. They know he fears that his friends will look at him different, worse case scenario that they look at him like a monster. However Clark is right. They do need to know if they are willing to choose the risk. In either case they'll support their son. It is all they can do.

Clark takes another breath as everyone gets comfortable and looks at him expectantly. "As you know I moved here from Smallville but I am not originally from Smallville or anywhere near it. In fact I'm not originally from anywhere near this galaxy. I come from a planet called Krypton."

* * *

_Author's Note: I made the decision awhile ago that as soon as Lionel showed up Clark would have to tell his friends what he was or leave and since I have no plans to have him leave any time soon that left only one option. The other part of this chapter was about explaining how Colossus ends up working for Magneto and I chose that it is because Magneto and co kidnap Colossus' little sister giving him no choice but to work for Magneto. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Everyone tries to deal with the fallout of Clark's revelation._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Complete silence pervades the room for quite awhile. Finally it is Jean who breaks the silence. "Is this a joke?" she asks.

"No Jean," Charles says. "What Clark is saying is the truth."

"You knew?" Scott asks, looking and sounding a little hurt that secrets were being kept.

"Yes Scott I did," Charles confirms for the leader of the x-men.

"Don't blame the Professor Scott," Clark says in the Professor's defence. "I asked him not to say anything."

"Why?"

Clark manages a sad chuckle at that. "Why? You keep what you are a secret because of the fear of how people will react and this is despite the fact you are human. How do you think people will react to finding out I'm an alien...a being not born of this world."

That gives Scott pause for thought while everyone else is trying to absorb the revelation. Most are simply too stunned to react yet. It is Kurt that finally speaks next. "So you really are an alien?" he asks Clark.

"Yes. I am."

"Zhat is so...COOL!" Kurt says with much enthusiasm.

It makes Clark feel a small bit of relief that at least one person hasn't shunned him.

Kitty speaks next. "Do you really look that? Or do you change shape? Are you green? Do you have antennas?" she quickly reels off the series of questions. It may sound kind of geeky but she feels like Kurt. This is just so cool to meet a real life alien.

"Yes. No. No. Definitely not," Clark reels off as answers.

"How much of it was a lie?" Scott asks still sounding a little hurt.

"Which parts?" Clark asks back.

"Any of it? All of it? You said your parents found you in a field? Was that true?"

"Yes that's true. My spaceship crashed down into a field while my parents were driving past it and that is where they found me."

Quite a few of the student's eyes widen at the mention of a spaceship.

"You-you have a spaceship?" Kitty asks in wonder.

"Had a spaceship," Clark corrects her. "I destroyed it." Before anyone can ask why or how he adds "Long story which should wait until later."

"Are zhere others like you?" Kurt asks.

A fleeting moment of pain and loneliness flashes across Clark's features at that question. "No," he says very softly. He then explains. "You see the meteor shower that hit Smallville was dragged down in the wake of my ship. The rocks are pieces of Krypton."

Puzzlement came across Jean's face as she asks "How are they pieces of Krypton?" having not put it together.

"Because Krypton is gone."

"Your people? What about them?" Storm asks, having finally moved past her shocked state.

Clark bows his head slightly. "Gone. I'm all that is left. The Last Son of Krypton." And as he said the words it hit him again. That feeling of isolation and loneliness.

There are a few gasps at that and a few people put their hands to their mouths as that revelation sinks in.

"Oh my God," Kitty whispers in horror as the realisation hits her of just how lonely Clark must be. "I'm like so sorry Clark."

There is another silence that follows that. Rogue just looks at Clark. Dear God she thought she felt lonely and isolated but...how did he cope with it she wondered. How did he cope with being the only survivor of his race.

"So...any other questions?" Clark asks the assembled group. They might as well deal with it all now.

Logan to everyone's surprise asks the next one while he mentally notes to remember to have a long talk with Charles about this later when they are alone. "Is that why this Luthor is after ya?"

Clark shakes his head a little. "I have no idea why Lionel is after me beyond what I already said really. At first I raised his suspicions when I saved his son's life...I think. After that...a lot of the people altered by the meteors were dangerous and I had to stop them. I guess it looked suspicious how I always seemed to be there when something weird happened and how I always managed to survive unharmed. I don't know if Lionel's suspicions about me stretch beyond me being meteor infected or even if he believes in extraterrestrials."

"He does believe in them Clark," Charles suddenly adds to this conversation.

Everyone looks at the Professor. Charles has decided if Clark is going to be honest so should he. "You see Virgil Swann and I belonged to a group who called ourselves Veritas that also included Lionel Luthor, Edward and Genevieve Teague and Robert and Laura Queen. Virgil had been looking for years for proof of alien life and he found it. Hidden amongst some of Earth's most ancient civilisations were texts all written in the same language. Your people's language Clark."

Clark blinks rapidly. Dr Swann never mentioned any of this to him and why the hell not would be a question Clark would be asking him next time they meet.

Charles continues. "From what Virgil managed to translate he found in every one of these cultures the same story about a Traveller from far across the stars who told a story...a prophesy if you will, that the last survivor of his race would be sent to Earth and that was what Veritas was about. We were awaiting your arrival."

"Why?" Clark asks him.

Charles quotes a particular line Clark is familiar with. "Please protect him and deliver him from evil. That is why Clark...or at least that is what is was about for Virgil, myself, Robert and Laura. Lionel, Edward and Genevieve on the other hand most likely wanted to use you...use your power to glorify themselves." Charles moves on to the end of Veritas. "However before you arrived circumstances changed. Robert and Laura died in a plane crash shifting the balance of power within the group to Lionel and the Teagues. Time passed, you had not arrived and it began to seem that perhaps Virgil had been mistaken. My work with mutants became my main focus and we all simply went our separate ways. I know I never mention this to you before and I understand if what I am saying feels like a betrayal Clark. For that I am deeply sorry."

Clark is hurt and feeling betrayed but he can put that aside for a moment. "What does Lionel know?"

That is Martha and Jonathan's question as well and they too are feeling hurt and betrayed.

"Probably exactly what you think he knows. After all if he knew the truth what do you think he would have done by now?"

"Tried to snatch me."

"Well that isn't happening," Kitty says in no uncertain terms. "It doesn't matter if Clark is an alien. Right?" When there is no support for her she turns and fixes all the others with a glare. "Right?" she asks them more forcibly.

"Right," a few of them say but even then it is a mumble. Most of them are still trying to absorb all of this.

Emotions bubble through Clark at this. "I need some air," he says abruptly and before anyone can stop him he zips off with his usual gust of wind.

Charles takes a moment while he rubs his forehead. "I think maybe it is best for everyone if we take some time to absorb these revelations."

With that every one goes off on their own to think over what has happened.

* * *

Jean finds herself sitting in the kitchen as her place to think about things.

"You weren't very supportive you know."

Jean looks to see Kitty has entered the room.

"It was a shock Kitty," Jean says in defence of herself.

Kitty sits herself down at the table. The lack of anyone supporting her and Kurt in support of Clark was bugging her rotten. In fact she was pretty darn angry about it. "So like what happens now?" she asks Jean.

Jeans shakes her head. "I don't know. I mean before I thought Clark should stay and we should support him."

"And now?"

"Now...he lied to us Kitty."

"We lie all the time," Kitty points out. Jean looks at her friend puzzled by that statement so Kitty elaborates. "To our human friends. You know like your friends Paul and Taryn and hey don't forget your boyfriend. You lie to him."

Jean shifts uncomfortably in her chair. Kitty is hitting pretty close to the mark. If anyone should understand why Clark would want to keep it secret it should be them. It is just...god he is alien. You would never suspect...yet it actually makes sense of a few things like the sheer array of powers he possesses. Well beyond a mutant's but maybe not an alien's. Not to mention it explains why she can't read his mind.

Jean bites her lower lip. The conversation spiralled off topic so quickly she realises there is a lot of things they never asked Clark. God they never even gave him a proper chance to explain why he chose not to tell them before. That was the very least they should have done. It leaves Jean not feeling so great about herself.

"In the end I guess you have to decide whether anything has really changed Jean. You either want Clark to stay or you don't," Kitty tells her. She stands back up. "Think about it," she says as she leaves Jean on her own to do that very thing.

* * *

Scott is in his room lying on his bed when there is a knock on the door. "Come in!" he tells whoever it is.

The door opens and in walks Kurt. "Scott can ve talk?" he asks.

Scott sits up. "Sure Kurt. What is on your mind?"

Kurt gives Scott a look that says it should be bleedin obvious what he wants to talk about.

Scott takes a moment but he catches up. "Oh right Clark."

Kurt moves to sit on the chair next to the desk in Scott's room. Once comfy he says "So I vas vondering vhat you think."

Scott rubs his face with his hand. "I'm not sure what to think Kurt. I mean he lied to us." There was a detectable hint of anger and betrayal in Scott's voice.

"Ja, he did," Kurt says in full acceptance of the point. "But I get vhy he did."

"You do?"

Kurt nods and holds up his arm with his currently inactivated holowatch on it. "It is not easy being different."

"Kurt we are all different."

"But you don't look like I do. You haven't been called a freak or a demon or monster. You haven't had mobs chase you through zhe streets."

Scott blinks under his shades. The pain and anguish in Kurt's voice was stark. "That really happened to you?"

"My ability to teleport only activated shortly before zhe Professor found me and I couldn't control it at first," Kurt explains. "I teleported right into zhe middle of zhe nearest town." It was not a pleasant memory for Kurt having people, some literally with pitchforks and burning torches like in some movie, chasing after him calling him names. It was actually the Professor that saved him. The mob had cornered him and just when Kurt thought that was it this strange blank expression came across the faces of the people in the mob before they simply turned around and left. It was when Kurt was trying to work out what had just happened that the Professor rolled around the corner and the rest as they say is history.

"Is that...do you think that is what Clark thinks will happen to him if people knew? That he would be chased through the streets?"

"For certain? Nein but if he is anyzhing like me zhen I would say zhat zhe thought has crossed his mind." Kurt stands up. "Look I know I goof around sometimes."

Scott arches an eyebrow. "Sometimes?" he queries sceptically.

Kurt smiles slightly. "Ok a lot of zhe time but in zhis case I know vhat I'm talking about. I'm not saying you don't be angry at Clark but just try to put yourself in his shoes and ask vhat vould you have done. He deserves zhat at least."

Scott looks at Kurt curiously. He had only rarely seen this side of Kurt. The serious side where you could get a hint at what he must have gone through looking like he does. The side that can actually make good points that deserve to be thought upon.

Kurt leaves after that to allow Scott to think about it. As he walks down the hall he bumps into Kitty.

"Well?" she asks him.

"I zhink I got the point across," he tells her. "Vhat about you vith Jean?"

"I think I got the point across too."

Kurt and Kitty had decided that they were going to try and do everything they could to get Clark to stay and that meant getting everyone back on side like they were before Clark's revelation.

"Who next?" Kitty asks Kurt.

"Vhere's Rogue?"

"Where she always is. In our room...brooding. It is like best not to bother her until she is in a good mood."

"Rogue has good moods?" Kurt asks sounding genuinely surprised.

What counts as a scowl on Kitty adorns her features. "That had like better been a joke Kurt."

* * *

Meanwhile the lounge is where you find the other 3 girls, Jubilee, Amara and Rahne, sitting in silence until Jubilee decides she has had enough of the quiet. "So is someone going to say anything?" she asks.

The silence continues.

"Oh come on anything. Anything at all."

Rahne finally says "He doesnae look like an alien."

"Well only if all aliens aren't smokin hot," Jubilee quips causing the other 2 to look at her. "What?" she asks them. "He is. Just because he is like some...child of the stars or something doesn't make it less true."

Amara stares at Jubilee. _Child of the Stars._ That phrase...she knows that phrase. It is from her people's history. A _Child of the Stars _came to her kingdom and helped lead the rebellion against Selene, the cruel immortal sorceress, who used to rule her kingdom. Selene was defeated but they did not know how to vanquish her. With the help of the _Child of the Stars, _however, they were able to banish her and place some kind of barrier around Nova Roma through which Selene could never enter the land again.

Amara had never really thought what _Child of the Stars _meant just assuming it referred to some sort of benevolent god who had taken pity on her people but maybe it meant something else entirely. Maybe it was referring to a being like Clark who visited this world. She wondered if Clark was related in anyway to this mythical being of her people.

Rahne turns to Amara. "What do ye think?"

Amara is caught a little off guard being too caught up in her thoughts. "I...sorry what?"

"About Clark."

From what she took from her history Amara responds "I think that it doesn't really matter what he is. What matters is the type of person they are and if they are willing to help others selflessly."

"Wow that was like really profound there Mara," Jubilee says.

"Aye," Rahne says in agreement. "And also I would take Clark over Bobby any day." Bobby could be really immature sometimes and those damn pranks he loved playing on her...well some days she was half tempted to 'wolf-out' so to speak and bite him.

"Oh he isn't that bad really," Jubilee says in a surprising defence of Bobby. Sure he was a little immature at times but he wasn't all bad.

"Isn't that what Kitty says about Avalanche," Amara says to Rahne.

"Aye," Rahne confirms.

Huh. Makes Rahne and Amara suspect Jubilee might be warming up to the iceman.

Jubilee moves on oblivious. "So what do you guys think though? I mean I still don't want Clark to leave. I mean so he's an alien big deal. Right?"

"I don't want him to leave," Amara confirms for reasons beyond just liking Clark.

"Me neither," Rahne says in agreement with her friends.

"Well alright then," Jubilee says happily. "As soon as Clark comes back from 'getting some air' we'll tell him."

The other 2 nod in agreement just as Kitty walks in not realising that there is no persuading she needs to do as far as these 3 are concerned.

* * *

In the rec room are Bobby and Jamie playing a computer game, Roberto and Sam playing a game of pool and Ray simply sitting in the corner watching the pool game. Evan has gone off to think on this on his own the way he always does; on his skateboard.

"Are you ever going to take the shot?" Roberto asks of Sam since it seems he has been dallying over his current shot forever.

"Don't rush me," the native Kentuckian says back. It was a tricky shot and he needed to take his time over it.

"You can't help but note how we are avoiding the elephant in the room," Bobby wryly observes.

All the others fix him a glare.

"We are not avoiding it," Ray argues with him.

"If you want my opinion," Bobby says.

"We don't!" all the other 4 boys say at the same time.

Bobby ignores them. "Not all that much has really changed. We either want Clark and his parents to stay or we don't and they leave."

"Ah can't believe ah'm about to say this but Bobby is right," Sam says sounding in disbelief that he is saying that.

"Had to happen some time," Jamie quips which earns him a small glare from Bobby who in retaliation freezes Jamie's hand allowing him to win the racing game they were playing.

Jamie shakes his hand free of the controller. "I think Kurt was right. It is kind of cool if you think about it."

Roberto actually chuckles. "Yeah. Finally someone more freaky than us mutants," he says light-heatedly and in not in any way trying to demean Clark.

Ray thinks about where he was before he ended up here. He lived down in the sewers with the Morlocks, mutants whose physical mutations meant they could no longer live above ground. Ray had ended up there after his parents kicked him out when his powers developed. He learned down there what it meant to be shunned and isolated from society and it was not something he wished upon anyone. He learned that there is a whole lot more to people than what they might look like or what they are. That being said he says "My opinion hasn't changed from earlier. I thought Clark and his parents should stay then and I still do. This whole alien thing...in the end the only thing that matters is what type of person they are."

The others look at Ray strangely, surprised that he could say something profound like that. In the end they also all agree with him. Sure it was a shock at first but you get over that and they all find that their opinions haven't actually changed. Clark should stay and as soon as he gets back they'll tell him so.

* * *

"Well Chuck I have to say that you are full of surprises," Logan tells Charles. He is currently in the Professor's office leaning up against the wall. Hank and Ororo are there too as the Professor finishes explaining his association with Veritas.

Charles feels Logan also means he is full of secrets too. He decides to address that. "We all have parts of our lives before we came together here that we keep to ourselves Logan. Up to now my association with Veritas did not affect our work here. It was part of someone I use to be."

Logan chews that over. What Charles is saying makes sense. God knows Logan has his secrets and that is just the stuff he can remember. "How angry are they?" he asks and Charles knows Logan means Martha and Jonathan.

"They are understandably upset that I was keeping secrets that revolved around their son from them. Once they have calmed down I will go and speak with them." Charles had barely needed telepathy to ascertain that. Charles is caught by Ororo sitting there looking lost in deep thought. "What are your thoughts Ororo?" he asks wishing to know her thoughts the traditional way with her airing them.

Ororo looks up at Charles. Her thoughts have actually been cycling around a single thought. "I was thinking about how terribly lonely Clark must be if he is truly the only one of his people left."

"I believe it pains him more than he tries to let on," Charles feels he should share his observation.

Logan hates all this touchy feely lets deal with people's feelings crap. "As much as I adore all this sharing," he says less than genuinely, "bottom line is what do we do now?"

Charles must say Logan is correct. "My personal view is that I wish Clark, Martha and Jonathan to stay. However considering tonight's revelations I will understand if anyone feels differently. Not to mention I am unsure what Jonathan, Martha and Clark's choice will be."

Logan turns to Hank sitting in a chair. "You're awful quiet about this whole thing."

Hank glances at Logan. "To coin a phrase if you have nothing useful to say don't say anything at all."

That puzzles Logan slightly. "Wait a second...did you know about this?"

"I am Clark's doctor Logan," Hank says as his explanation. "However as for Charles' revelations I was in the dark as much as you were."

Logan shakes his head. "You know what this really isn't making any difference to anything. We brought the kid here to keep him out of Magneto's hands. Now he may be an E.T. but the simple fact is that that reason remains. The Boy Wonder is way too powerful to risk Magneto getting his hands on him."

"Would Magneto still want Clark if he knew the truth?" Hank puts forward uncertain that he would considering Magneto's agenda of **mutant** supremacy.

Logan snorts. "All he sees mutants as are weapons for his war. All he would see Kent as is a really big weapon."

"Logan is correct," Charles confirms. He takes a moment's pause. "However that can't be the reason that they stay. They must stay because it is what they want. I must go see Jonathan and Martha, apologise to them for keeping what I knew secret and let them know we want them to stay if that is what we do indeed want." Charles waits to hear what the other's think.

"Well I of course wish them to stay," Hank says.

"I've already said my piece," Logan says.

"Clark must know that he is not alone," Ororo says which means she wants him and his parents to stay too. On a more personal front she strongly wishes Martha to stay. Making friends is difficult considering her life and Martha has become one of the best she has had in her life for many a year.

Charles nods in gratitude as he makes his way out of the office. Hank decides that maybe this is a good moment to catch up on some work and departs the office leaving Storm and Logan. Ororo gets to her feet. There is still the issue of dinner that must be made but before she goes she needs to say something to Logan. "You know you may be able to fool everyone else but not me."

"What do you mean Ro?" he asks his friend.

"You only wanting Clark to stay because you want to keep him out of Magneto's hands," she says in a way that expresses how she is not buying that. "It wouldn't kill you Logan to admit you care about him and Jonathan and Martha and that that is the reason you don't want them to leave."

"I admit nothing darlin'," Logan says as he decides to make his exit.

Ororo watches him go with a little shake of her head. Underneath that gruff exterior Logan was a kind caring man. She was his friend and she knew this because she had seen it...on one or two rare occasions. Maybe one of these days she will actually get him to admit it. She soon makes her way to the kitchen and as she wanders along the halls she bumps into Evan coming back in.

"Hey Auntie O," he says using that nickname he has for her.

Ororo looks her nephew over and has to say he is far too under-dressed to be out at this time of year. He will catch his death of cold. A points she makes to him.

"I guess," he is just about willing to concede. "But I just needed to think about stuff and boarding helps me think."

"And what do you think?" Ororo asks eager to hear his opinion.

"I'm not sure. I mean...Man! An actual E.T. living with us all this time. It messes with the brain if you know what I mean."

Ororo thinks she does. It was a surprising revelation to say the least. "But does it really change who Clark is?" she asks of him.

Evan scratches his head and thinks on that. "I guess not," he decides.

"Does it change your decision about whether he and his parents stay or not?"

Evan shrugs. "I don't have a problem with them staying," he says in that understated way of his.

Ororo smiles with some pride at her nephew for his decision. "Well I have to go get dinner started. I'm going to make your favourite," she tells him.

"What's the occasion?" Evan asks a little puzzled as to why he is getting his favourite.

"Do I need a reason to do something nice for my favourite nephew?"

"Auntie O. I'm your only nephew," Evan points out since his mother is Auntie O's only sister and he is an only child.

"Well how else would you be my favourite," she quips with a laugh.

"Oh. Harsh Auntie O. That is harsh," Evan says but with a smile as he shares in on the joke.

* * *

Jonathan Kent can only come to one conclusion after tonight's revelations and that coming here had been a mistake. It actually pains him to think it because while at first he hadn't been sure coming here was the absolutely right choice the last month had begun to change his mind. Clark had been happy here. He had begun to let people in which was never easy for him.

Jonathan will admit he had been happier here than he thought he would be. The kids were good souls generally. He himself had started to fall into a routine around here he was happy with but Charles had been keeping secrets involving Clark from them and now...well any trust he was building with the man has just be shattered.

Right now he is simply sitting in his and Martha's room. Martha is staring out the window most likely looking for Clark. While Jonathan was concerned for Clark he also had this feeling that unlike last time he ran off Clark will return. Clark, like himself, no doubt just needed to be alone with his thoughts.

Jonathan stands up and makes his way over to his wife and wraps his arms around her waist. He kisses the top of her head. "He'll come back," he assures her.

Martha sinks into her husband's embrace hoping...praying that he is right. This summer past without Clark had been hell on her. She doesn't think she can go through it again. "Why can't our lives ever be simple?" she asks Jonathan.

"I think simplicity went out the window the second we found Clark Martha."

"Why can't people leave him alone?" she asks angry that certain people, especially Lionel, just seem to be endlessly obsessed with her son.

"I wish I knew sweetheart," Jonathan says wishing he had the answer.

There is a knock at the door and Jonathan leaves Martha to go answer it. He opens the door to find Charles there. "What do you want?" Jonathan asks in a hostile tone.

Charles had expected that. "To apologise."

"Well you've done so now please..."

"Jonathan wait," Martha says cutting him off before he finishes. "Let him in."

Jonathan turns his head to look at his wife with an expression asking 'Are you sure?'. Martha nods in response and Jonathan steps aside. Charles rolls in and Jonathan shuts the door.

"Did you mean it?" Martha asks Charles.

"Mean what?" Charles asks choosing not to use his telepathy.

"What you said about protecting Clark from evil," Martha elaborates from what Charles said earlier.

"I did," Charles confirms. "In a sense that is why I set up this school. To protect my students from the evils in this world that would exploit them."

"All his life all I have ever wanted is for Clark to find people and a place he could be himself with. I still want that place to be here."

"Martha?" Jonathan queries as he makes his way to his wife's side.

"I'm tired of it Jonathan. Tired of having to keep all the secrets, tell all the lies," she explains to her husband.

Jonathan rubs her arm seeing how truthful that statement is. She is tired. "Martha don't you think I get tired as well but we both said we'd do whatever it took to keep Clark safe."

"Taking him away from here won't make him any safer Jonathan. I'm not willing to give up on this just yet." She looks at Charles. "Assuming you are willing to let us stay."

"Personally I want you to stay and so do Logan, Ororo and Hank," Charles tells the Kents. "As for the students...I cannot give you an answer. They must be allowed to decide for themselves."

* * *

Jean finds herself wandering rather aimlessly around the mansion. She had been thinking on things as Kitty suggested. In fact she was kind of surprised how serious and solemn Kitty had been during that conversation. She hadn't been really aware Kitty had that side to her nature. Jean guesses that even after all this time as friends Kitty can still surprise her. The sensing of a familiar mind brings Jean out of her internal musings as she finds Scott walking towards her. "Hey Scott."

"Hey Jean," Scott says caught a little off guard. He hadn't noticed Jean having been lost in thought after his conversation with Kurt. He had been trying as Kurt suggested to put himself in Clark's shoes. What if he was an alien all alone in the world? What would he have done?

The answer is that Scott feels he would probably have done what Clark did and keep it secret and try and blend in as best he could. Hell that is exactly what he tries to do being a mutant.

"Interesting evening huh," Jean says since she is struggling to think of what else she can say.

"Yeah."

"Not sure I've ever seen this place so quiet," Jean remarks because since Clark's revelation it seems everyone has gone off for quiet contemplation.

"Well not since it was just the two of us," Scott amends.

Jean smiles nostalgically. "Those were the days. No worrying about the next prank Bobby would play on you."

"No worrying about whether Kitty would phase through the door while you're changing...or something."

Jean eyes Scott curiously and wonders whether he is being hypothetical or whether Kitty has actually done that and if she has why the hell has Kitty never mentioned it? She means come on she bets Scott must be pretty fit and...um this so not an area her mind should be straying to considering how Scott is only her friend despite that annoying small voice at the back of her head that says they should be more than that. Jean continues to ignore it.

Scott runs his hand through his hair. "Do you think we overreacted?" he asks her in relation to what happened before with Clark.

Jean shrugs unsure how to answer. At first she would have said no but now...maybe in hindsight they had. "It was a shock," is all she can mange to think of to say.

"Do you think we made Clark think that we thought he was a monster or something?"

Jean's eyebrows rise a little. "Why do you say that?"

"Something Kurt said to me," Scott replies without going into detail.

God Jean hopes not. That would be...ugh what the hell is wrong with her. This whole school is about showing that mutants and humans can live together without any sort of prejudice and here she is possibly rejecting Clark because he is something different. "I am stupid."

Scott looks at her in total shock that that word passed her lips. "Jean?"

"I am a total moron," she continues.

"Jean?" Scott queries once more but all he gets from her in form of a response is for Jean to grab his arm and start dragging him off. "Um Jean where are we going?"

"To see Mr and Mrs Kent," she informs him.

"Why?"

"To apologise and tell them we want them to stay."

"We do?"

Jean stops for a second and looks at Scott hard.

"Oh right we do," he says in agreement because basically yeah that was what he was coming around to thinking. The two of them head to Mr and Mrs Kent's room and on the way they bump into virtually everyone else who had decided on doing the same thing. Everyone except Rogue that is.

Kitty explains that Rogue is still brooding and that if you value certain body parts bothering her is not a good idea right now. All the boys visibly wince as their minds turn to one particular body part.

Jean and Scott step forward and knock on the door determined that they are going to get Clark and his parents to stay.

* * *

Meanwhile not too far away Clark sits looking out into the night. It was all happening as he feared. His new friends' reaction seemed to be following Pete's reaction. That they now saw him as different to before. When Pete had said that he couldn't look at Clark the same way anymore...god that had hurt more than anything kryptonite could do to him.

On top of that of course is Lionel's appearance. Everywhere he goes he brings trouble and danger to all those around him. Maybe he should have just done what Jor-El wanted him to do and leave. At least then he wouldn't be facing this heartache.

Clark does appreciate that Kitty and Kurt stood up for him back there but in reality they can't possibly realise what danger he can bring.

As reality bites Clark drops his face into his hands. There is only really one solution. The original one. He can't stay here. For everyone's sake he should go. The quicker the better.

* * *

_Author's Note: I know. I know. Another chapter full of introspection and soul searching but it needed to be done IMO. The next chapter will wrap this little bit up as Clark makes his final choice about staying or leaving as well as Clark getting to the bottom of what the Professor and Dr Swann know about him and then I will move the story on. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next morning Kitty returns to her room after breakfast to find Rogue sitting by the window looking out. With the exception of Rogue all the students had made their wish clear that none of them wanted either Clark or his parents to leave. The Kents had said they were touched by that the final choice had to be Clark's. One problem had come up though when they tried to tell Clark. No-one knew where he was.

"You didn't come down for breakfast," Kitty mentions to Rogue.

Rogue shrugs slightly. "Wasn't hungry."

"Rogue is everything...you know alright?" Kitty is only asking because even by Rogue's standards this brooding session had gone on some time.

"Ah don't know. Is it?" she asks back which causes Kitty to frown up in confusion.

Kitty grabs a chair and moves it next to Rogue so she can sit down. "Like what's the matter Rogue? I mean you have been seriously quiet since last night." The silence continues. "Are you angry at Clark?" There is a twitch in Rogue's features that Kitty interprets to mean she has nailed the issue. "You are aren't you?"

Rogue drags her eyes from looking out to her friend. "Ah wasn't at first," she explains.

"But," Kitty prompts Rogue to continue.

"But as ah thought about it more...ya know how Mystique lied ta meh. Used meh ta try and hurt all of ya and ah thought he was mah friend but he has been lyin to meh as well."

"Maybe so but let me ask you this; do you think he did it to try and use you like Mystique did?"

"Why are ya so interested in defending him?" Rogue has to ask. She has not been completely oblivious to what has been going on since last night.

"Because he is my friend and while I can't be certain I think I understand why he lied now back to my question; do you really think Clark lied to try and use you?"

Rogue takes awhile to answer before she decides "No."

"Do you think he lied because he was terrified of what we would think of him if we learned he wasn't human?"

"Where did ya get that from?" Rogue asks wondering how Kitty came up with that idea.

Kitty shrugs. "It is kinda obvious really. His fears can't be all that different to what we go through being mutants but what I'm getting from you here is that his being an alien isn't the issue. It is the fact he lied to you."

Rogue contemplates Kitty's words. The fact Clark is an alien isn't actually the issue. It was the lying. She hates people who lie and keep secrets from her because it has been done too often to her in her life to manipulate her and all for their own benefit and not Rogue's.

"Rogue I'm like sure Clark didn't mean to hurt you and I'm sure he would apologise if he was here."

"Yeah well he ain't exactly rushing over ta apologise ta meh is he."

"Join the club," Kitty says light-heatedly.

"What does that mean?"

Kitty suddenly realised that Rogue didn't know. "I mean he hasn't apologised to anyone because he never came back last night and no-one knows where he is."

Rogue's brow furrows ever so slightly before she stands up suddenly and announces "Ah know where he is." She pushes past Kitty and grabs her coat.

"Like where are you off to?" Kitty asks as Rogue heads for the door.

"Ta find Clark and get some answers," she declares her intentions. Rogue has never been the type to just sit around anyway. When she wants to know something she just goes and asks and there is so much she needs to know.

Rogue quickly makes her way out of the mansion and heads over towards the cliff that overlooks the sea. She makes her way down the stairs cut into the cliff face. At the bottom is a small jetty that they use in sea rescue simulations and there sitting at the end with his legs dangling over is Clark. She knew he would be here. She can remember showing him this a few weeks back and pointing out how most of the time it was deserted and that she likes to come down here when she really needs to be alone. In return Clark had told her about his loft back in Smallville that was his 'Fortress of Solitude' when he needed to do the same so it struck her that if he was wanting to be alone then this was the only place he really knew where to go.

Rogue makes her away along the jetty.

"Hello Rogue," Clark says without even looking at her.

Rogue gets to the end and sits herself down next to him. "How did ya know it was meh?"

Clark taps on his nose. "The nose knows," he says in what could be a joke but his voice is too flat and humourless.

Great. If Logan wasn't bad enough now there are two bloodhounds. "Have ya been here all night?"

Clark shrugs. "More or less."

Rogue looks at him in that red jacket of his and asks "Aren't ya cold?"

"Don't feel the cold," Clark says back while Rogue notes he has told her that before so why she is asking it again she doesn't know. It just seemed like the thing to say. "So what brings you here?" Clark asks her.

"Because ah'm pissed at ya," she says bluntly.

That was kind of a confusing answer. Surely if you're angry at someone you avoid them. Not seek them out. "I'm guessing you're not the only one," Clark guesses. When he left last night a few of them had looked quite angry and hurt.

"Actually ah am." Clark turns his head finally and looks at her as Rogue explains. "Everyone else did some soul searchin' or something and decided they want ya ta stay."

Clark is surprised at that but what about Rogue. "And you Rogue? What do you want?"

"Ah want ta know why ya lied ta meh."

"Because I'm so used to it I don't know how to stop anymore."

"What?" she asks completely befuddled by his response.

"Rogue since the day I landed on Earth I've had to lie about myself. I'm not like a mutant. My powers didn't turn on one day. I've always had them. 5 minutes after I got here I lifted my parents' truck...clear above my head." He runs his hand through his hair. "It started that day essentially. I couldn't speak a word of English but since that day I've been lying to hide what I am because I thought if people knew they would look at me..."

"Like a freak," Rogue puts forward.

"That and worse. Like I was an inhuman...thing."

"Clark," Rogue says softly. "Ah don't care what ya are. Ah'm angry at ya because you lied." Rogue then goes on to explain how Mystique used her as to why she is angry.

Clark listens carefully. "I'm sorry," he says softly. "You're right to be angry at me. Hell Pete was when he found out."

Rogue looks at Clark. "Your friend?" she queries in relation to Pete.

Clark nods. "Yeah he found my spaceship so I kind of had no choice but to tell him."

"How did he take it?" she asks slightly curious to know in case one day she thinks she could tell Risty about herself.

"Not well. I tried to tell him that I wasn't any different to before. That I was still the same person but he said that it did change me. That I was different and the way he looked at me..." Clark trails off not wishing to relive the pain of how Pete looked at him.

Rogue can hear the pain in his voice and says "He's an idiot."

A small smile actually tugs at the corner of Clark's lips at the way she said that. "That's a little harsh," he feels he has to say in Pete's defence.

Rogue snorts. "Ah've got worse words than that ta use believe meh. Ah told ya Clark this isn't about what ya are. It was tha lying."

"And I've just told you why I lied."

Rogue takes a second but she gets it. Pete's reaction. That was why he lied because he feared they would all react like that. "Lahke ah said he is an idiot."

"I'm sorry," Clark apologises again. "Professor Xavier said that if I was honest you would accept me as what am I but I was afraid that you wouldn't."

"Well at least that is honest but ah have ta say that you're an idiot too."

"Now you sound like Chloe. She was always calling me dumb."

"Ah've never met her but ah lahke her already."

Clark gazes out at the sea for a few moments. "I should probably still leave. It would be safer for everyone."

"How do ya figure that?"

"Knowing what I am always causes trouble. Just look at Lionel showing up."

"Well ah can't make ya do anything Clark but it would kind of make it pointless all tha hard work Kitty and Kurt put in in your defence."

"What hard work?"

Rogue explains how they went around the mansion all evening trying to defend Clark.

"I'm surprised about Kitty," Clark admits.

"Why?"

"I thought she was still mad at me for that whole 'shrunken clothes' prank."

"Ah thought ya said it wasn't ya that did that?"

Clark smiles ever so slightly. "Well if you think back I never actually denied doing it." Clark always skirted around answering the accusation directly.

"It was ya!" Rogue realises.

"I am neither denying nor confirming that but seriously I'm surprised she took it so personally. After all it did give her an excuse to go shopping."

"Lahke she needs one."

Rogue's tone there makes Clark let out a chuckle.

"So are ya going ta leave?" Rogue asks him.

"Do you want me to stay Rogue?" he asks her in such a way that her answer will make the difference. "I can't stay against anyone's wishes especially not with Lionel nosing about."

"Ah'm still angry at ya," she needs him to know, "but ah don't want ya ta go."

"Thank you."

"So will ya stay?" she asks him.

"Last night I had decided that I was going to go..."

'Please god let him say but,' Rogue prays.

"but if you what you say is true and that the others want me to stay then I'll stay. Although you have to realise that it won't be as easy to keep everything a secret with Lionel about."

"If that Luthor guy threatens ya ah'll drain him dry," she promises.

"Thanks for the sentiment but I don't really think you would want his thoughts in your head." God only knows what goes through Lionel's head. "How did you find me by the way?" he asks her finally realising that he hadn't before.

"Ah have many skills," Rogue answers vaguely.

"I'm sure you do. So did I miss anything?"

Rogue shrugs. Since she spent most of the night in her room so she can't give a full answer. "Not much ah think. Ah think there are probably still a few questions about ya know everything for ya."

"Yeah. I figured there would be."

"Ah have some questions," she says.

"Shoot," Clark makes the offer to her to ask anything she likes.

"All the stuff ya told meh since ya got here was that..."

"They were not complete lies. I tried to be as honest as I could without mentioning anything alien related. For example you remember those symbols I write in my sketch book."

"Yeah."

"They are in the Kryptonian language which was taught to the Kawatche Indians by a Kryptonian who visited Earth about 500 years ago. I really did find the cave like I said and I really am a sort of honorary member of the tribe because...well the tribal elder kind of worked out who I was and that I was of the same race as the one who visited his ancestors."

"Kryptonian? Is that what your people were called?"

"Yes."

"And are ya really tha only one left?"

"As far as I know, yes." Clark lets out a sigh. "But there is a lot I don't know about them or myself," he says sadly. "From what the Professor said he might know more about my people than I do." That clicks something inside Clark's head. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I'm sick of having secrets kept from me as well." Clark shoots to his feet, turns and starts to head back towards the mansion.

Rogue follows him. "Clark wait! What are ya on about?" she asks having no idea where his last statement came from.

As they walk, Clark deliberately holding himself to human pace he tells Rogue the story of how he first met Virgil Swann. "I thought the message he showed me was it," Clark explains, "but obviously he knows more that he didn't tell me. I need to know why."

They reach the bottom of the cliff and Rogue lets out a sigh. She really doesn't feel like walking up all those stairs.

"I'm apologising in advance," Clark suddenly says.

"For what?"

"For this." He then sweeps Rogue up into his arms, bends his knees and with a superhuman push jumps up. Rogue buries her face into Clark's shoulder as the wind whips by but she feels oddly safe. This is quite an experience being in Clark's arms. She could almost feel the power that must ripple through them yet at the same time he was holding her tenderly, gently like she was something precious.

Clark lands at the top of the cliff and lowers Rogue back to her feet. "You ok?" he asks with gentle concern.

Rogue nods slowly as her brain tries to catch up with her body. "Sure but ah thought ya were afraid of heights," she mentions wondering why he chose to do that.

Clark shrugs. "I had my eyes closed."

Rogue looks at him closely. "Ya are jokin' right?"

Clark's lips curve into a tiny smile. "Maybe."

* * *

Charles looks up at the door to his office as it opens suddenly to reveal Clark closely followed by Rogue. The serious expression on Clark's face tells Charles that this is certainly not a social call. Clark draws up on the other side of the desk. "I need to know," he announces. "I need to know what it is you know about me."

Truthfully Charles isn't that surprised at what Clark is demanding. "I understand Clark. I'm willing to share what it is I know but I will make the caveat that my knowledge has its limitations."

"What about Dr Swann?" Clark asks. "Does his knowledge have...limitations?"

"You would need to speak to Virgil about that," Charles says unsure exactly just what is the extent of what Virgil knows.

Clark thinks on that for a second before asking the Professor "Do you know where Dr Swann is?"

"Last time I spoke to him he was staying in his house in New York," Charles informs Clark.

Clark does a quick mental calculation. By bus or car New York is about an hour away. At the speed he can run it is about 15-20 minutes tops.

"You wish to go see him," Charles can say he can safely assume.

"When I chose to come here Professor it was because I was tired of denying what I was. I wanted to know who and what I was. I wanted to know what I was really capable of doing...yet somehow there always seem to be others who know more about me than I do."

By the end of that Charles could hear anger had begun to lace Clark's voice. Anger and a touch of frustration perhaps.

* * *

"Ah can't believe ya are actually skipping school," Rogue says in surprise. Clark was normally almost the first out the door every morning. In some ways he was like Scott. Kind of a boy scout except Clark was more laid back. He didn't have that stick up his butt that Scott does.

Clark gives her a wry smile because the Professor of course suggested that meeting up with Virgil waited until either after school or until the weekend but Clark decided that he couldn't wait and Rogue decided to come with him and Clark could just tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer. "So are you," Clark points out.

Rogue smiles and responds with a little sass "How else can ah live up to mah name if ah don't skip school every so often."

So here the two teens stand outside the door to Dr Swann's house. Clark had carried Rogue all the way here as he ran it which Rogue has to say was an interesting experience. The door is opened by one of the staff who leads Rogue and Clark to a large room where Dr Swann in his wheelchair has been waiting for them.

"Hello Kal-El," Virgil greets him. Virgil says it despite the presence of the girl because he knows Clark would not have brought her here unless she knew what he was and that Clark was willing for her to know more.

Rogue looks at Clark. "Kal-El?" she inquires.

"It's my name. My birth name," Clark explains to her.

Virgil greets Rogue. "A welcome to you as well...Anna."

Clark's head whips round to look at Rogue whose facial expression looks like she is about to go apoplectic. She glares at the man in the wheelchair. "How do ya know that?" she demands to know of him. Only the Professor knows her name for obvious reasons.

"Curiosity is an admirable trait," Virgil answers somewhat cryptically.

"Mah nahme is Rogue. Remember it," she tells him in no uncertain terms that says that he is never to use her real name again.

Virgil smiles kindly at her. "Of course. Forgive me."

"Anna?" Clark queries with a slightly amused twinkle in his eye.

Rogue fixes him a glare as well and scowls at the look in his eye. "Ya tell anyone that and ah swear ah'll find a way ta hurt ya."

Clark makes a gesture of zipping his lips closed as he can tell she is deadly serious about that.

"You are here for answers I assume," Virgil says bringing matters back to the reason he can fairly certain guess as to why Clark is here.

"Professor Xavier told me of Veritas," Clark says. "Told me of the evidence that my people have visited earth before."

"And you want to know why I never told you about it last time we met."

"Well...yes."

"You were not ready."

"Who are ya ta make that decision?" Rogue asks him essentially beating Clark to airing the very same thought he was having.

"It was a choice I made," Virgil says calmly. "One borne out by Kal-El's actions over the summer." He addresses Clark. "I opened the door to your heritage because I thought you were ready for it. In time I assumed you would come back to me when you wished to know more. Instead what do you I find you doing? Who caused the explosion on the farm? Who ran wild in Metropolis?"

Clark tenses slightly as the pain of those memories resurface. "You don't understand. There was another message in my ship from my biological father. It said I was sent here to conquer. Do you know if that is true?"

"I don't have all the answers. I am on the same journey as you Kal-El."

Clark turns round and walks a few paces away. "God, don't call me that. I don't even know who that is."

Rogue moves beside Clark and places her gloved hand on his arm trying to calm him down at seeing how agitated he is.

Virgil takes a moment to compose his next response. "Fathers often want futures that their sons reject. That struggle is as old as the human race," he tells Clark.

Clark smiles a little sadly as he turns back round. "Except I'm not...human."

"Humanity is not only about biology. It is also a philosophy."

"My father only managed to stop me last summer because he made a deal with Jor-El. I don't know what or what the consequences will be," he says with fear of what will happen when Jor-El demands that the deal be upheld. His father would not tell him what deal he made.

Virgil considers his response to that for several seconds. "From my research your people seemed to believe that the journey into adulthood was a series of trials...of tests that had to be overcome."

Clark looked at Dr Swann not quite able to grasp that. "Are you saying that everything Jor-El has put me through...has put my parents through was some sort of test?"

"As I said I don't have all the answers. Only what I was able to piece together from what your people left behind on their visits to our planet. However consider this. Why were you sent here to conquer when if they wished your people could have conquered Earth thousands of years ago when we were much more primitive."

Clark thought about that and had to say it made sense but...everything he went through was some sort of bizarre test? All that suffering, all that pain...what kind of race does he come from to inflict that upon him?

"Clark," Rogue says softly. He looks down at her looking up with those lovely green eyes of hers. He can see an unspoken question in them. The one she has been saving ever since Clark spoke of Jor-El's intentions. "I don't want to rule anyone Rogue. If I did I would have taken Magneto up on his offer. I just want to live my life. I chose to attend the institute because I thought that was the best place for me to figure out who I was and how I do that."

"Which is why I asked Charles to allow you to attend," Virgil informs Clark. "So you could discover your destiny."

Clark frowns slightly. "My father always says that we make our own destiny."

"Your father is a wise man Clark," Virgil says in praise of Jonathan Kent. "I too submit we are who we choose to be."

"Except Jor-El won't allow me to choose. It is either his way or I am punished."

Rogue scrutinizes Clark closely. She wonders what he means by 'punished'.

"I wish I could give you the answer Clark," Virgil says genuinely. "However I fear that it will fall upon you alone to find a way to reach a resolution with Jor-El."

Clark wishes he could be surprised by that but he isn't. Problem is he has no idea how to reach any sort of resolution with Jor-El.

Virgil continues with a warning for Clark. "Time is also something that may not be on your side."

"What do you mean?" Clark asks him.

"Activate screen," Virgil commands and the flat screen on the wall activates with Kryptonian symbols streaming across it.

Clark moves over right up to it. Rogue follows him. "Clark. What is it?"

Clark's brow furrows deeply as he reads the message. "It's a message from Jor-El," he says then remembers Rogue probably has no idea who that is. "That is my biological father's name," he explains to her.

"What does it say?"

"It says _'Kal-El, my son. The day of destiny approaches and on that day you will return to me.'_"

* * *

A little later Clark and Rogue are sitting off in a small room where Virgil had food and drink brought to them. "Look I know a lot of that probably didn't make a whole lot of sense," he says to Rogue apologetically about his conversation with Dr Swann.

"Ya think?" she replies somewhat sarcastically.

"Sorry. I guess I kind of sidetracked from telling you everything but..." he lets out a sad sigh, "a lot of it isn't very pretty Rogue. I caused a lot of pain to the people I love because I made the wrong choices."

"Well you can ya tell me now," she suggests.

Clark thinks on it for a moment before deciding "Ok. I guess the best place to start would be when my ship started talking to me..."

It started at when Jor-El demanded he leave Smallville and Clark's refusal to do so and expanded outward where Clark had to explain about what kryptonite is to Rogue when he reached the part about trying to use it to destroy the ship. From there it was the resulting explosion that caused his mother to lose her baby to Clark running away and what really happened in that summer in Metropolis with Clark hopped up on red kryptonite. He catches Rogue looking at his chest. "What?" he asks her.

"Ya were marked?" she wants to clarify at the symbol being burned into his chest.

"Yes I was. I mean it's gone now but for that whole summer it wouldn't heal which meant I was in constant pain. I think it was suppose to motivate me to do what I was told. Kind of like a severe version of tough love or something."

Several words enter Rogue's head. None of them have a PG rating. "Is that what ya meant earlier when ya said Jor-El punished ya?"

"Yes."

"What is Jor-El?" she asks him.

Clark shrugs uncertain exactly. "Best guess some kind of artificial intelligence, an extremely sophisticated computer program, based on the real Jor-El's memories and thought patterns."

"What did ya mean when you said Mr Kent made a deal?"

Clark's lip draw thin. "You have never seen me on red kryptonite Rogue and I really hope you never do. I become...not a very nice person. For me it's like a drug and I was out of control. Running wild just like Dr Swann said and my dad...I don't know how exactly but Jor-El gave him powers just like mine and he came to Metropolis to take me home one way or another."

"What happened?"

"Well I refused to go or take my ring off so it ended the only way it could I guess. We ended up fighting each other," Clark says with strong feelings of remorse at what transpired between him and his dad. "I really don't want to go into the details but considering I am sitting here lets just say it all worked out in the end."

Rogue shakes her head. "And ah thought mah life was strange but at least ah don't have ta worry about mind altering rocks."

"Or life threatening ones. Don't forget about those. God knows I can't," Clark tries to say with some light humour to improve the mood.

"What does it feel lahke?"

"What? Green Kryptonite?" Rogue nods. "It is hard to describe but it can literally make my blood boil. It is the worse pain you can imagine multiplied by a thousand times and even then I doubt you are doing it justice."

Clark reaches forward and picks up a thick folder off the table in front of them. It is a copy of Dr Swann's research on his people. Clark was going to take it back with him and study it so that he is as well informed as he can be whenever that 'day of destiny' comes along and so does the inevitable confrontation with Jor-El.

"So what now?" Rogue asks him.

Clark checks the time. "We should probably be getting back. After all I have what I came for."

* * *

About 20 minutes later Clark is lowering Rogue back down outside the mansion where she has to take a few moments to fix her windswept hair. As they make their way up the stairs Clark says to Rogue "Thanks for coming with me."

"You're welcome. It had its highlights."

"You know last night was the first time I voluntarily told anyone about who I am and I'm actually glad I did. It feels like...I don't know this weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I was hating lying to you all especially you Rogue."

Rogue stops for a second outside the doors surprised at that. "Why meh?" she asks wondering how she ranks above everyone else

Clark shrugs unsure why but it had been bothering him more around Rogue. Maybe because they had become such close friends. "I don't know. It just was," is all he says.

Rogue looks at him and for a second in his eyes she swears she catches a look from him that show feelings beyond friendship. Then she dismisses the idea instantly.

The doors to the mansion suddenly open and standing there are Jonathan and Martha looking less than pleased at their son for skipping school, running off to New York and not coming to see them first. Clark's whole demeanour changes as his shoulder's slump. He knows he is in trouble.

Rogue decides to that perhaps it is best she go while noting how funny it is to see Clark who is so powerful instantly wither in front of his parents. Rogue makes it as far as the stairs before a familiar gruff voice stops her.

"Goin' somewhere Stripes."

Rogue turns to find Logan somehow directly behind her him having managed to do so without Rogue hearing him. "Ah was goin up to mah room."

"Not before we have a little chat about you skipping school you ain't."

Rogue looks at Logan's expression and can tell one thing. That she is joining Clark in the doghouse but considering everything that she learnt today about Clark Rogue decides that whatever trouble she lands in will be completely worth it.

* * *

_Author's Note: The part where Clark complains about how everyone seems to know more about him than himself is my stab at Smallville where it seems to me that everyone always seems to know more about Krypton and Kryptonians than the actual last Kryptonian. Well anyway that aside essentially this is where I'll end all the introspection and move the story on. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

What surprises Clark about the next few days is how quickly everything seems to return to normal...or as normal as it gets at the institute. Sure there had been the inevitable barrage of questions aimed at him from just about everyone which he answered patiently clearing up where he told half truths or omitted saying anything alien related from what he had previously told everyone about himself along with apologies for everyone from himself which they all accepted.

This of course had been followed up by the equally inevitable jokes and teasing of him but just as Professor Xavier had said it seems that everyone accepted him as is. His fears of rejection had been groundless after all which just confirmed his decision in the end to stay.

He had ended up being grounded for a week for skipping school which wasn't such a bad thing really. It gave him time to read Dr Swann's research which showed that almost every major civilisation in history had been visited by his people. There was always somewhere some tablet or wall inscription or something similar with Kryptonian symbols on it. What surprised Clark the most was that there was no mention of his people being conquerors. More like explorers. Teachers even. It all makes it so contradictory to everything he knows from Jor-El and leaves him with many unanswered questions as it relates to whatever it is that claims to be his father.

After another 'same old, same old' day at school Clark is in the changing room getting suited up along with the other boys of the New Mutants ahead of their usual DR session. He still did not like the generic uniforms they all wore. The colours were just not to his taste. What he had done was get rid of the gloves. Clark has enough issues with judging how much of his strength to use on objects. The gloves just dented his sense of touch making it more difficult so he got rid of them.

While Clark did get on best with Kurt, Rogue and Kitty he also inevitable got on well with Sam whose family were farmers down in Kentucky so it gave them something in common to relate on. He and Sam had had quite a few talks about farming.

Bobby was alright once you overlooked his tendency to play pranks on everyone. Jamie also had a mischievous side he had discovered although when adults were around he always put on this innocent butter wouldn't melt in his mouth act. The other New Mutants made some mutterings that Jamie was like the boy in the Omen.

Ray was...well Ray. He was kind of hard to get to know. Kept himself guarded which Clark is obviously in no position to judge on not that he ever would. Of course Ray also had that temper of his. Clark did know that Ray was here because his parents kicked him out so he guesses Ray has justified reason to be angry and have a short fuse or maybe it is something related to his powers. Clark just didn't know him well enough to be certain.

As for Roberto...well they did share that day when both their powers went haywire and Clark had learned a bit about Brazil from the times they did talk about stuff. A part of Clark would love to see more of the world one day. Perhaps one day after school and everything is done he will do some travelling.

Clark pulls his boots up and he and the others trudge to the Danger Room where they meet up with the girls all of them wondering what horrors Logan has in store for them today.

* * *

"CANNONBALL!" Sam yells in what has become his new habit every time he uses his powers which allow him to fly like a missile through the air. He impacts on his target, a robot sentry, which looks a bit like the T-1s in the third Terminator movie. His impact causes it to explode at which point the Danger Room automatically dissolves the simulation.

Logan walks in clapping sarcastically. "Well congratulations Hayseed. You managed to kill the hostage."

The simulation was one where as a small team of 3 they made their way through this maze avoiding the obstacles and traps to its centre where they had to rescue a hostage. It was more advanced than Logan knew the New Mutants were ready for but he has a particular reason for throwing them into this. So far they had lived up to his expectations. The first team to try it had been Jamie, Roberto and Rahne and they managed to kill the hostage too by stumbling into a painfully obvious trap that they somehow missed and this was at a level setting the x-men could do in their sleep. Shows how far the New Mutants still have to go. Sam alongside Amara and Ray had just failed now as well which just left Clark, Bobby and Jubilee to attempt it.

Logan turns to them. "Well now lets see if third time's the charm or whether you manage to kill the hostage too."

At this point the 'hostage' shoots Logan her most withering glare. "Ya are enjoying this way too much," Rogue says. This was part of her punishment for skipping school. She had to play the damn damsel in distress because Logan knew how much that grated her to be thought of like that.

"Small adjustment. From now on the hostage will be gagged," Logan says with the tiniest of smirks pulling at his lips.

Rogue swears she is going to drain him dry in a minute. The simulation starts up again leaving Rogue at the centre of the maze waiting to be rescued. Logan leaves for the control room to observe as Clark, Bobby and Jubilee run the maze. With the use of Clark's vision they make good progress as Clark can literally see the hidden traps and through the walls to what is up ahead allowing them to plan for how to overcome it.

They reach the centre where they find Rogue being guarded by a giant robot spider. Well more correctly Rogue is locked up in a cage attached to the bottom of it.

"That is so lame," Bobby comments the second before the spider fires at them from turrets on its sides. Clark grabs both Jubilee and Bobby and zips back round the corner out of sight.

"I hate spiders!" Jubilee complains vigorously.

Clark looks at her. "Did you ever mention that to Logan?"

"Why?...Oh wait a second. Are you saying he did this on purpose knowing I was afraid of them?"

Clark shrugs a shoulder in such a way to say that is exactly what he thinks.

Jubilee's face darkens slightly. "You know what you're right. This is exactly something he would do." She peers around the corner. "So anyone got a plan?"

"I do," Clark announces. All 3 descend into a huddle as Clark explains what they are going to do.

Rogue hates her life right now and she is so draining Logan dry for this. Locked up in a tiny little cage under a giant robot spider of all things. She has already been 'killed' twice and she can see death number 3 rapidly approaching although part of her has some hope that with it being Clark's turn she might actually be rescued this time.

Rogue spots Clark appear round the corner. Her spider friend fires at him but he dodges it easily as he seems to be heading over towards the corner. Oh she gets it. He is drawing its fire. "Jubilee now!" Clark shouts.

With the spider distracted it doesn't spot Jubilee until she starts letting off her fireworks at it blinding it.

"Iceman go!" Clark shouts in what sounds very much like an order. Bobby appears over the wall on one of his ice slides. He then circles round the spider freezing up its legs and immobilizing it.

This is what Clark planned. He may be fast but to be sure of getting Rogue safely he needs the spider immobilized if even for only a few seconds. With it frozen he zips in and slides underneath it. He grabs the bars of Rogue's cage and pulls them apart allowing her to slip out. He picks her up and zips away. Bobby slides back out of sight while Jubilee keeps blinding the spider while she back slowly round the corner. That done she slides to the floor a bit worn out trying to catch her breath.

Bobby is quickly to her side. "You alright Jubes?" he asks her with concern for her.

"I'm just...pooped."

"You did great Jubilee," Clark tells her in praise of her work. "You too Bobby."

"Naturally," Bobby says with his usual cockiness in response to which Rogue rolls her eyes at him. Her gaze then drifts to Clark. It wasn't hard to miss how well Clark was built at any time in whatever he wears but in that uniform...

Rogue shakes her head. 'God what am ah thinking?' she wonders to herself. She knows where thoughts like that can only lead to. Her being heartbroken. She hasn't even noticed the little look over Clark is giving her.

Clark has to say he knows Rogue trains hard and in that uniform it really shows...and what the hell is he thinking? Didn't he learn his lesson with Lana not to go down this path again.

Up in the control room are Storm and Logan. "Did you learn what you wanted?" she asks him since he was the one that insisted on running the New Mutants through what she would say was a too advanced scenario for them.

"Yeah. I did."

* * *

Later in the Professor's office Logan, Ororo Hank and Charles are having one of their regular catch up meetings to see how everything is going with the student's training.

"So how did today's sessions go?" Charles asks.

Ororo reports. "The x-men were proficient although Evan is still needing to be reminded on keeping his focus," she says with a hint of disappointment at her nephew although ever since the incident where she was kidnapped there has been a noticeable improvement in him, both in his attitude and his seeming commitment to the training.

"And the special one you set up for the New Mutants?" Charles inquires.

"It reinforced what we mentioned before," Ororo tells him.

"Clark," Charles guesses as some particular issues had been mentioned around him.

Ororo nods. "His control over his powers was already superior to the other New Mutants when he arrived here and he learns very quickly." Clark almost always had to be taught something only once while most of the others it could take several attempts to get them to learn it.

Hank inwardly smiles unsure if Storm knew how true that was. From his testing of Clark Hank had found Clark absorbed information at phenomenal speed. Clark had a photographic or perhaps even an eidetic memory. He could have been moved up a year except his parents had not wished to draw unnecessary attention to Clark which Hank could understand. To compensate Hank himself had been giving Clark extra tutelage ever since he gave him that IQ test.

Ororo continues with her assessment. "The truth is Charles Clark's main problems originally were lack of experience of teamwork and using his mind to overcome obstacles rather than running through them relying on his invulnerability and brute strength. He has improved markedly in both of these areas and today he showed some potential for leadership on top of that. To be blunt he has almost reached a point where keeping him with the New Mutants is holding him back."

This is not being disrespectful to the New Mutants. They have improved too since they arrived but Clark has improved more and he was already ahead of them in control of his powers to start with.

Charles leans back in his chair as he contemplates on this. He knew Clark's control over his power was impressive. It had to be as his strength was something he could not turn off. He had not quite anticipated though on Clark improving so fast. He needs a strategy to deal with it. He leans forward. "Here is what we shall do. Clark will remain with the New Mutants for now but Logan," he pauses for a second to make sure Logan is paying attention, "I want you to see about fitting in some extra sessions for Clark so as to bring him to a level closer to the x-men."

Logan makes a grunt which Charles translates as his agreement.

* * *

Across town Mystique catches the attempted kick of her pupil with relative ease before sweeping Haze's other leg from under her and sending her landing on her back with a grunt. "Better but still needs improvement," she assesses with clinical coolness.

Alicia pushes herself to her feet. They were in the basement of Mystique's house which had been turned into a gym. Alicia retakes her fighting stance. Mystique attacks with swiftness but hits nothing but a green mist. Her eyes dart around her and she uses all her other senses as well waiting for...ah ha.

There she is. Directly behind her. Mystique shifts her body to the side just as the punch comes in. She grabs the wrist and twists hard. As she turns round she is met by to her surprise a kick to her stomach forcing her to let go of the wrist. That is followed up a punch which Mystique blocks followed by another with the same result. Alicia tries to push home the first time she has gotten any drop on her teacher but finds herself frustratingly denied and once Mystique turns the tide back to her advantage it doesn't take all that long before Alicia finds herself once more on her back on the mat.

Mystique stands over her looking down. "Still not good enough."

Alicia frowns. What does the woman want. Perfection or something. Alicia has never trained like this before in her life and they have only been at it a few weeks. Alicia gets back to her feet.

"So how are the new recruits?" Mystique asks trying to wean information out of Alicia that she can't get from Magneto.

"Colossus kind of keeps to himself which is understandable I guess. We did kidnap his sister." So he isn't exactly going all out to be friends with her or Gambit. Quite the opposite really.

"Which in time he will realise is for the greater good," Mystique says already knowing this.

"Pyro. The guy is seriously unhinged. All he loves to do is burn things." Pyro has the ability to control fire and all he seemed to do with it was burn things while laughing manically. It was sort of disturbing. Alicia lets out a sigh.

"Problem?" Mystique asks at the sigh.

"I guess I just miss hanging around people my own age," she tells Mystique feeling the need to tell someone and god knows Magneto probably doesn't care less about stuff like this.

Mystique cocks her head for a second before her form shifts into the one of Risty. "Don't be sad luv. It'll all work out in the end."

Alicia manages a smile at the effort. Mystique reverts to her natural form and decides to give her pupil some encouragement in one of her rare generous moments. "You are doing better. Keep practising what I showed you."

"I will," Alicia promises.

"Well at least you listen to me. The Brotherhood never did," she laments.

"Well that is their loss then isn't it," Alicia says after all she had leant a lot from Mystique who as time passed turned out not to be quite as cold and uncaring as she had seemed when they first met.

Mystique manages a smile at that. "Yes it is."

* * *

**Friday night.**

"Hello Charles."

Charles looks up from the menu he was reading. He is at one of Bayville's better restaurants meeting someone at their request. "Lionel," he says back.

"May I sit?" Lionel asks of his one upon a time friend.

Charles gestures at the chair opposite. "By all means and perhaps you could tell me what prompted you to call me after all these years."

Lionel sits down. "Well with Luthorcorp moving into the area I thought I would look up an old friend."

"How is business?" Charles asks him playing along with until he can find out whatever it is Lionel is really after.

"Oh you know how it goes. It has its ups and downs," Lionel answers deliberately vague.

"And Lex, how is he doing?"

"Never better," Lionel says with a little bit of a fake smile because Lex was still a bit difficult sticking his nose where it was not wanted into Lionel's affairs. "And what about you Charles? How are you doing? I see you run a school these days."

"I'm well and yes I run a school. I find nothing more rewarding than helping the next generation fulfil its potential."

"Of course. A very noble cause." Lionel takes a few minutes to look over the menu as well. "I heard you took in someone I met in Kansas. A Clark Kent."

Ah so this is what this is about. Charles should have figured. "I did indeed," he says keeping his answer short.

"Into your school for the 'gifted'. I wasn't aware that Clark was blessed in such a way."

"Sometimes a gift is not always obvious. Do you have some interest in the boy?"

Lionel laughs that off or tries to at least. "Well he did save my son's life. That does merit my eternal gratitude."

"Of course," Charles says humouring Lionel.

"Do you ever think Charles on our time together before?" Lionel asks him.

"Not especially."

"You never wondered if Virgil was correct in his theories?"

"I am not sure even Virgil is certain anymore about his theories. After all nothing has ever been proven for sure...unless you are telling me you know different."

That wasn't a bad attempt at throwing it back there Lionel will admit. "I know no more than you Charles from when we last met."

"Yes at Robert and Laura's memorial service wasn't it?"

"Yes. Terrible shame that."

"Indeed. A brand new plane having engine failure. It shouldn't have happened." It shouldn't have happened which leads onto the suspicion that it was not an accident.

"Life is full of tragedy."

"Too true." Charles places down his menu on the table. He is a little fed up of this beating around the bush are engaging in. "What is this really about Lionel?" Charles asks, his tone now one of utmost seriousness.

Lionel drops the pretence and gets straight to the point. "I know Clark Kent is connected to our work in Veritas. I don't know exactly how yet but I will find out Charles," he promises.

"The boy is under my protection," Charles warns him off.

"I will know the truth Charles."

Charles notes something there. An almost desperation in Lionel's voice. He uses his powers just a little bit and senses...

What he senses changes the situation completely.

* * *

Meanwhile outside the institute a man stands on the roof of his car trying to look over the high walls. Why? Because it is what Lionel Luthor pays him for. He is to spy on one Clark Kent and learn all he can about him. It is then he hears what almost sounds like an animal growling.

"Something I can help you with bub?"

The man turns to see a short man with wild hair and a scruffy appearance standing in front of his car. He tries to laugh his actions off. "Well you see my car broke down and I was just seeing if anyone was in so I could use a phone."

Logan takes a few steps round while the man climbs down. He glances in the window and spots the mobile phone lying on the seat. Now why isn't he buying that explanation he wonders. On the back seat he spots a laptop powered up and actually running images of earlier in the day when the kids went to school. "Ya know filming kids...I'm sure there are laws against that sort of thing."

In the next second the man has pulled a gun out and pointed it at Logan because he is right and considering how it looks if the authorities were notified he would be in big trouble.

"Now you really don't want to do that," Logan advises him not the least bit put off by a little gun being aimed at him. He then slowly extends his claws.

"What the hell are you?" the man asks at the sight of 3 metal knife like objects emerging from between this man's knuckles on each hand.

"Bub I'm your worst nightmare." Then in a flash Logan has sliced the gun to pieces. The man's eyes widen in total terror as he tries to flee only to run into an fist with adamantium laced bones which lays him out.

A little later after Logan has tied the guy up he sits on the front of the car and waits for Chuck to return from his dinner meeting which he does soon enough. Storm had driven him about tonight. The car stops beside Logan and Charles rolls down the window. Logan explains to him what is going on. Charles looks at the tied up man and concentrates. "Lionel sent him to spy on Clark," he says from what he extracts from reading the man's mind.

"Well with the footage on his computer I'm thinking the old boys in blue might be wanting to have a chat with this guy. You know after we make sure he didn't catch anything we don't want anyone to know about." Meaning in case he somehow caught the kids using their powers.

Charles nods. "Give it to Hank to look over and then I'll alter his memories...and oh next time Logan maybe we could refrain from the theatrics," he tells off his friend knowing how he subdued the guy which means Charles has to alter more memories than he would absolutely like doing.

"Was this what you expected?" Ororo asks of Charles in relation to what Lionel would do.

"I fear this may be only the beginning Storm," he warns as thinks back onto what he learned about Lionel tonight.

_He uses his powers just a little bit and senses... _

"_You're dying," he says in an almost whispered shock._

When Charles had said it out-loud it had caught Lionel completely off guard and his mask completely slipped and as it did so Charles had seen it clearly just how ill Lionel looked but had done so well to hide it until that moment.

It certainly changes things. Charles had already known Lionel was dangerous but now he is also desperate which makes him an even greater threat.

* * *

_Author's Note: What I loved about that last part is that I finally got to write Logan saying 'bub'. I only realised when I was writing it that I hadn't managed to have Logan say his signature word. I also really waned to add that Mystique/Alicia scene because it is important for their relationship to develop for what I have planned later on. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_**"**__**Hey, hey Bayville! This is the Live Wire coming to you on this Thanksgiving weekend. Old Mother Nature may have dumped 100 feet of snow on top of us but rest assured Bayville's number 1 radio show, that is the one belonging to the fantastic and if I do say so myself incredibly sexy and desirable Leslie Willis, is still on the air!"**_

"I kind of wish she wasn't," Clark complains as he sits at the kitchen table this Saturday morning. The only other one here with him is Rogue.

Rogue snorts out a laugh at Clark's views. "Ya really don't lahke her do ya."

"No. I don't get how anyone can. In fact who keeps tuning the radio to this station anyway?" he asks since it always seems to be on and it as sure as hell isn't him that tunes it to this.

Rogue shrugs unable to give him an answer but she does like it when something gets Clark fired up enough to break out of his polite boy scout mode. It allows a glimpse to the passions that seem to stir underneath his laid-back exterior.

"Well it can't be Scott," he says eliminating one possibility. Scott was in Hawaii visiting his brother Alex.

Rogue sips on her drink. "So what are ya doing today?" she asks him.

"With all that snow outside?" he asks like it is a rhetorical question. In fact at the word snow Rogue swears his eyes actually glowed for a second.

"Ya mean all that horrible, cold, wet stuff?" she asks back a whole of a lot less than enthused.

At that Clark's expression looks like someone just kicked his puppy. He gets to his feet. "Oh come on Rogue it's snow!" he says with more passion than Rogue has ever seen from Clark. His arms are outstretched wide. His face is practically beaming and he is almost bouncing on his feet. Well this is a side to Clark Rogue can safely say she has never seen before. The one where he regresses to a 5 year old.

"Are you seriously telling me you don't like snow?" he asks unable to believe that anyone wouldn't love to play out in the snow.

"Ah'm from Mississippi," she points out.

"So? You get snow in Mississippi," Clark says showing off his skill for knowing what some may consider useless trivia.

"Not lahke here ya don't."

"You're weird," he says sounding like that 5 year old again. He then zips off at superspeed past his mother, who is just entering the kitchen, where he then stops, zips back to her and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Morning mom."

"Morning honey." Martha looks at him and can see the child-like enthusiasm gleaming in his eyes. "Let me guess you're off to play in the snow." Clark nods smiling so wide and bright it almost hurts to look at him. Martha waves him off. "Just remember to at least wear a jacket she tells him."

"I will. Thanks mom!" Clark then zips off while Martha just shakes her head at him. She turns to find Rogue still sitting there. "Good morning Rogue."

"Morning Mrs Kent. Can ah ask ya something?"

"Certainly."

"It's about Clark. Is he always..."

"Like an overgrown child every time it snows," Martha fills in.

"Um...well...yeah," Rogue says hoping she is not causing offence.

Martha lets out a deep sigh. "Yes."

Elsewhere in the mansion that morning Kurt is currently in his room trying to reprogram his holowatch. He had this great little idea for a joke he just has to show Kitty. Considering the freaky weather, because it is unusual to have this much snow in November and Storm said it was nothing to do with her, it wasn't like there was much else to do. A few more tweaks and...yes!

* * *

"You are so going down Clark," Bobby promises as he and Clark along with Amara, Ray and Jubilee head outside. Them being the ones Clark had rounded up when he challenged people to a snowball fight. Roberto wouldn't touch the stuff or even go outside. Brazilians it seems are not made of all that hardy stuff and last Clark saw of Sam he was helping his dad with the vegetable garden trying to protect it from the cold. Jonathan knowing how Clark feels about snow had let his son off helping him for the day.

"Ha!" Clark retorts. "You may be the man of ice Drake but where snowballs are involved I am the King."

Amara, Ray and Jubilee look on fairly bemused. This was a side of Clark they had never seen before.

They are just about out the door when the telephone rings. "I'll get it," Bobby volunteers. It turns out to be Lance wanting to talk to Kitty.

Kitty is simply lounging about on her bed perusing a magazine when the phone in her room goes off. She sits up as she answers it. "Hello! Oh. Lance."

"Oh Lance," Bobby repeats in a mock impression of Kitty.

"Hey I got it Bobby! Get off the phone!" she demands of him. Bobby does so while Kitty misses the rolling of his eyes.

"So what's going on?" Kitty asks her sort of boyfriend. His answer makes her laugh a little bit before she falls forward and rolls onto her back. "Oh yeah. Right. I can totally see us walking around the mall together. What makes you think I would want to go..."

The sound of coughing catches Kitty's attention and she turns her head to the door and what she sees makes her gasp in surprise. It is a totally buffed up Kurt.

He flexes off one arm. "Hey Kitty," he says in a deep voice. "How's it going?"

Kitty is caught a little off kilter here. She puts the phone back to her ear. "Err let me think about it. I'll call you back," she tells Lance. She hangs up. "What have you done to yourself?" she asks Kurt trying to figure out what he has done.

Kurt moves towards the bed and plays with his hair. He flexes some more. "I've been working out. Can't you tell?" It is now that the hologram flickers giving it away before it fails completely revealing the normal Kurt. "Oh bummer," he says once he notices. He turns round to leave while Kitty giggles a little.

"You shouldn't be messing with your image inducer Kurt," she gently warns him as he exits her room.

Kurt wanders along the corridor while he continues to fiddle with his watch. He passes Evan just as the watch turns him into an enormously overweight version of himself. Evan watches him for several seconds before saying "Dude. You've really got to lay off those burger bombs."

In the kitchen Jean is sitting at the table watching a weather report on the news about a storm hitting Hawaii as Kurt walks in. "Hawaii? Isn't zhat vhere Scott is zhis veek?" he asks Jean.

"Yeah," she says with concern about Scott. "I'm sure he wasn't dumb enough to go surfing though." Scott was far too sensible. She liked that about him. "But Alex...I wouldn't doubt if he was right out there in it." Jean turns her head and lets out a cry of surprise at what she is seeing. It soon gets worse when she tries to stand and ends up tripping over her chair and falling over.

At Jean's scream Martha rushes in and finds the cause of Jean's panic to be Kurt who now, thanks to his misfiring holowatch, has an oversized head. "What in the world?" Martha can't help but say at the sight.

Kurt just looks from Jean to Mrs Kent. "Vhat?" he asks completely oblivious.

Not long after that Jean heads outside to take Mr McCoy some hot tea Mrs Kent made for him. Hank is currently overseeing the little snowball fight that is transpiring. In fact Rogue is there as well to watch Clark take on the combined force of Bobby, Amara, Ray and Jubilee.

Using his superspeed he dodges repeated attempts by them to hit him. "Ha!" he shouts mockingly. "Is that all you got? I'm barely out of 1st gear here," he taunts them. Then in a blur of motion 4 snowballs are leaving Clark's position and hitting all 4 of his opponents with unerring accuracy. Clark turns on the spot with his hands in the air. "You see. I am the snowball King!" he proclaims triumphantly.

Jean can't help but giggle at him while all Rogue can manage is a shake of her head in disbelief at what she is seeing.

His 4 opponents share a look of conspiracy mischief and raise their hands at his currently turned back.

"Clark! Look out!" Rogue feels she has to warn him.

Clark turns round just as Bobby, Amara, Jubilee and Ray unleash their powers at him. He manages to dodge each and every shot with his superspeed. He looks at them and arches an eyebrow. "Oh I see. That's how you want to play it huh? Well I can play it that way as well." He grins evilly as he unleashes his heat vision on the mound of snow they are standing on forcing them to dive out of the way as the impact causes half melted snow to fly everywhere. Amara throws one of her fireballs at Clark who catches it and juggles it from one hand to the other, its heat unable to damage his invulnerable skin. "You'll have to do better than that princess," he mocks.

Ok now Amara is mad. She hates when her title gets used like that to mock her. Like Bobby said earlier Clark is so going down.

Hank looks on extremely amused at all this. It is nice to see them all unwind like this. Even the Professor saw the wisdom of it and gave them the day off from training. That didn't exactly please Logan but last Hank saw of him he was locking himself in the Danger Room for about 3 hours of his own personal programs. However from snowballs it has descended into an exchange of powers and as the exchanges increase in intensity Hank decides that maybe he should step in.

"People! People!" Hank says getting their attention as he stands up. "That's not how you have a snowball fight!" He hands his cup over to Jean as he steps forward and scoops up a ball of snow with his hand-like foot. He ducks under one of Bobby's wayward ice beams. "This is how you have a snowball fight!" He then throws a snowball at Bobby, a huge ball scooped up with his feet at Clark and another at Ray in quick succession. The one aimed at Clark inevitably misses.

"Don't think I'll take it easy on you Mr McCoy because you're my teacher," Clark promises him.

"I don't expect anything Clark except you goin' down," Hank says using the slang.

Jean just has to giggle again. "I had no idea he could be like this," she says to Rogue in reference to Clark. He is like an overgrown hyperactive child.

"Tell meh about it."

"Yo! Jean!" Evan shouts for her as he opens the french doors. "You better come in and see this."

Jean follows Evan inside wondering what this is about. What she finds it is about is that Scott and Alex are missing at sea. Her heart sinks into her boots with dread. The thought that Scott might be...

No she tries not to think about it and when the Professor and Storm decide to take the x-jet and go search for them Jean goes with them.

Back outside the snowball/powers fight continues with Clark still winning in spite of Beast's joining in. He suddenly appears in front of Rogue. "Come on Rogue. Join the fun," he pleads of her. "You can be on my side...the WINNING side."

Rogue opens her mouth to reply but Clark cuts her off with a raise of his finger. "One second." Clark spins round and unleashes his heat vision on a series of snowballs that had been thrown at him. They promptly vaporise long before they reach him. "You guys are going to have to do waaaayyy better than that!"

He turns back round to face Rogue who is wondering how he did that. How he knew that those snowballs were coming at him when his back was turned. "So what do you say Rogue? Ready to dip your toe into the water and discover that snow is fun."

"That has ta be tha worst mixed metaphor ah ever did hear," she tells him.

Clark smiles. "That wasn't a no." He then grabs her gloved hands and pulls her to her feet before she can say no. He is going to make sure she learns just how much fun snow can be.

* * *

Across town Lionel Luthor is inspecting the new facilities that Dr Essex demanded were built to his specifications for the move to Bayville. Lionel wanted this particular train of research as close to him as possible especially since the other train of research involving the unknown blood sample was not progressing well. The drug they had created from the platelets succeeded in reversing the necrosis of tissue. However not permanently. Without regular injections the tissue soon reverted back to its diseased and dead state. Considering the limited supply of the platelets and without knowing its source that was not an option to solve Lionel's problem.

He needed a cure. Somehow he had to find one. He would not die. Not yet. Essex's research had to get results sooner or later. Sooner or later he had to either find or create a mutation within a person that created a...healing factor if you will. Something that could be copied or replicated that would cure Lionel's liver disease.

Well at least the building of this facility was on schedule. That was good news. Bad news was that the private investigator he sent to spy on Clark Kent had been caught by the police with extremely incriminating evidence of images of the children at Charles' school. Worse it had tipped Charles off meaning Lionel would have to hold off sending any other investigators for awhile until Charles let his guard down.

Incompetent oaf. That is what his investigator is. Lionel had made sure that there was nothing to tie him to the fool. He could rot in jail for all Lionel cared now.

Inspection complete Lionel decides to head back up to his office which was where it belonged. On the top floor where Lionel can look down on the town below. This lab was down in the basement of his new building which had been easy enough for Lionel to procure. The Mayor had almost fallen over backwards to push the paperwork through which meant that it wasn't scrutinised as closely as it should have been which was how he able to sneak this lab into the plans. The Mayor was more concerned with having a prestigious company like Luthorcorp come to Bayville especially since it created jobs and there were always those pesky elections around the corner so the Mayor was needing something to show the electorate what he had done for them.

As Lionel leaves his attention is caught by a radio of that one the construction crew must have brought playing.

_**"**__**Hey hey Bayville. Yeah. That's right. It's the Live Wire again! Since the regular host couldn't fight his way in through the snow you lucky lucky people get 2 whole more hours of yours truly! I thought I'd start this hour with that emblem...that symbol...that pin-up boy of corrupt corporate America...Lionel Luthor. I saw the other day that he is 'expanding' his business into Bayville or more accurately he is sucking the life and soul out of this town as he forces our own local businesses to the wall.**_

_**You know it is always the same with these corporations. They make it look like they are all sweetness and light and about making the ordinary man's life better when in reality we all know what it is about. It is about taking more and more control of our lives while squeezing us for every dime and nickel we got. Well I say no more!**_

_**It is time for the restoration of the rights our forefathers fought and died for. It is time we tore down the whole stinking edifice that is corporate America and Lionel Luthor if you are listening to this then know that there is one person in this country whose ass you can't buy. In fact frankly Lionel you can...Kiss my ass!"**_

This Live Wire picked the wrong person in the wrong mood. Lionel can see he is going to have to deal with her and she is swiftly going to regret tangling with Lionel Luthor.

* * *

Back at the mansion the snowball fight continues and Rogue has to say she is having fun. It also appeals to her competitive nature. She trains hard to make herself a great shot and the fact she gets to hit Bobby...repeatedly is more than fair payback for all those damn pranks he plays. In fact getting back at Amara, Jubilee and Ray is fair payback too because she knows at times they all conspire together.

In fact under the barrage of her and Clark combined it doesn't take all that long until they lay the New Mutants out and they decide to surrender. They lie about on the stairs up to the mansion and Clark makes his way to the bottom of them. Clark addresses them unable to not sound a little smug while doing so. "Now I hope this has taught you all a very valuable lesson and that as far as snowball fights go I am the King."

**Paf! **

It is then he feels a very soft hit to the back of his head. He reaches back there and finds snow in his hair. He turns round and finds Rogue smirking at him. She hit him with a snowball!

"Ah guess that make meh tha Queen huh?"

"Did you just hit me with a snowball Rogue?" Clark asks her trying to make his voice sound dangerous.

Rogue actually takes a step backwards at Clark's expression. He bursts out into an evil grin. "You are soooo dead!"

"Run Rogue!" Jubilee offers as advice.

Rogue makes a dash for it but Clark chases after her and even not using his superspeed soon catches up with her and hoists her over his shoulder. "You going to apologise now?" he asks her.

"Nevah!" Rogue yells defiantly while trying to squirm out of his grip.

Clark marches over to one of the few remaining mounds of snow. "How about now?" he asks her.

"Do ya know meh at all?" she retorts showing no fear.

"Suit yourself." Clark then throws her down into the mound of snow and Rogue almost disappears from sight as the snow almost buries her. Clark bends down next to her as Rogue wipes the snow from her face. "How about now? You ready to apologise now?"

Rogue remains defiant. "Do your worst," she dares him.

Clark acts casual. "Ok. You asked for it." He then grabs her sides and through her clothes proceeds to mercilessly tickle her. "Say it. Say you're sorry!"

"Clark!...stop it!...please!" Rogue squeals laughing so hard tears are coming to her eyes.

"Not until you say sorry!"

Rogue can't take it anymore and has to give. "Ok sorry!"

Clark doesn't stop until he gets her to concede one more thing. "And I'm the King!"

"You-You're the King!" Rogue struggles to get out.

Clark grins in triumph as he releases Rogue from her torture. Rogue is breathing hard, her cheeks all red as she tries to regain her breath. "Clark," she says.

Clark leans a bit closer to her. "Yes Rogue."

It is Rogue's turn to grin evilly as she grabs Clark by his jacket and using something Logan taught her catches Clark off guard and manages to flip him over so he lands on his back next to her with a puff of snow flying up into the air.

Clark can't believe she managed to do that to him. He turns his head to look at her only to find she has done the same and that they are really close together. He can feel her breath on his face. God she looks beautiful with her cheeks all rosy like that Clark thinks to himself as he starts to lose himself in her glorious green eyes.

Rogue had not figured that when she used that move it would end up with them being so close together and being close to Clark makes her feel...lately a lot of things she has been trying very hard not to think about. In fact since he got here she has found herself letting him see more of herself than she usually ever allows. She just felt he could understand somehow even before the whole alien thing. He even knows her name and she let him live and on top of that he is just downright gorgeous. Even more so as she looks into his bottomless cerulean blue eyes.

Without even thinking about it their faces seem to inch closer together until...there is a loud cough and both teens look up to see Mr McCoy standing over them. "Am I interrupting something?" he asks with an amusement he doesn't even try to mask in his voice at the sight of the two of them.

"No!" Clark and Rogue say together as they hop to their feet and put a deliberate distance between themselves, both their cheeks a little red with embarrassment.

Clark's brain is still trying to work out what almost happened there. Sure he likes hanging out with Rogue and well when he took her with him to see Dr Swann she is probably the first person he has ever allowed in that deep into his life and since then she has been the one he has talked most to about his life. He...just thought that somehow she could understand the most what it feels like to be so isolated from others but that doesn't mean he feels more than friendship for her...does it?

God Rogue cannot believe what she just almost allowed to happen. If they had touched...she won't do that to him despite how much a part of her is aching to know what it would feel like.

Hank decides not to press the issue with Clark and Rogue and turns his attention to the half melted winter wonderland. "I can see teaching mutants will require entirely different skills," he remarks.

* * *

Later that day when Scott returns and they all learn what nearly happened to him and Alex being shipwrecked and lost out at sea Rogue decides she just has to drop in and see him. When she gets down to the infirmary she finds Jean there feeding him from a bowl with something Mrs Kent no doubt made. Rogue stands there and looks at the two of them acting like a couple and how in the hell they cannot see it Rogue has no idea.

Another thing strikes Rogue as she watches them. A few weeks ago she is certain she would be green with envy at this sight but she isn't. Her feelings for Scott are only friendship now. He has been replaced in her affections by a certain blue-eyed farm boy. Rogue can't deny it to herself anymore. She has a crush on Clark.

Off to the side leaning up against the wall Kurt is here too. The Professor rolls out after himself checking up on Scott. "Is Scott up for visitors?" Kurt asks the Professor.

"Yes Kurt," the Professor tells him. Kurt starts to walk in until the Professor stops him. "Oh and Kurt I've repaired your image inducer," Charles tells him as he pulls it from his pocket and holds it out to Kurt. Kurt's fiddling with it had caused it to fail completely.

"Great!" Kurt says enthusiastically as he takes the watch back. "I'm...um...sorry about messing vith it Professor," he says apologetically. "I von't do it again. I promise."

"Yes I know you won't," Charles says as he turns around and as he turns around Rogue notices a curious expression on the Professor's face like he is trying to suppress a smirk. Now what is that about she wonders.

As Kurt activates his watch Rogue finds out what it is about but she manages to keep a straight face as Kurt walks in to where Scott and Jean are because this she has to see.

"Hey velcome back sailor," Kurt greets Scott happy that his friend is back and alright.

Scott and Jean both look at Kurt in some disbelief at what they are seeing. "Um thanks...ma'am," Scott says struggling to hold in the fit of giggles that are threatening to consume him.

"Ma'am?" Kurt asks in confusion. "Vhat is zhat suppose to mean?" He then walks over to the mirror and staring back at him is himself as a girl! "Ah! Professor!" he screams.

By now Charles has rolled back in with Rogue trying hard not to kill herself laughing. Oh she is going to be holding this over Kurt for weeks.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist," Charles tells Kurt. Plus he thought it was a good way to make sure Kurt learned his lesson.

* * *

Later that same day Clark is currently in the kitchen trying out one of Kurt's sandwich concoctions that he promised he would try. It is in fact not so bad. Better than he thought to be honest. "How's Scott?" Clark asks since he knew Kurt had been to see him and Clark was planning to after this.

Kurt sitting across from him looks up and says "He should be fine. Mr McCoy just wants him to stay overnight." Clark nods in understanding. Kurt smirks a little. "And I don't zhink Scott is complaining zhat Jean is looking after him."

Clark just has to chuckle slightly at that. "What is up with those two anyway?" Clark asks because he had guessed that Scott liked Jean and lately Jean seems to be taking an 'interest' in Scott even though she is still dating Duncan.

"Who knows?" Kurt takes a bite of his own sandwich and thinks for a few seconds about Scott and Jean and more generally relationships or lack of. "It is kind of pathetic you know."

"What is?"

"Two good looking guys like us completely and utterly single," Kurt laments.

"What about that Amanda Sefton?" Clark asks Kurt.

Kurt suddenly looks nervous. "Vhat about her?"

"Kurt you are talking to guy with x-ray vision," Clark says as to say to Kurt not to play dumb. He had seen Kurt giving her a few glances here and there at school and in return he is certain he has seen Amanda give Kurt a few glances as well.

"Zhere is no vay she vould like me in zhat vay," Kurt says trying to convince Clark or Clark thinks Kurt is trying to convince himself to avoid heartache. Clark knows that feeling all too well which is why he is not going to act on whatever happened between him and Rogue today. He is so not going down that road again after everything that transpired with Lana so he'll just keep right on ignoring that voice in his head that is telling him he has a crush on Rogue even though deep down he knows the voice is right. He does have a crush on Rogue.

"Vhat about you?" Kurt asks Clark. "Is there anyvone you are interested in?"

"No," Clark replies almost too forcefully not willing to share the true thoughts going around in his head.

Kurt doesn't seem to notice. "Vhat about back in your old home town? Vas zhere somebody special zhere?" Kurt asks realising that he has never asked that before of Clark.

"There was." Clark sighs. "It didn't end well."

"Any particular reason?" Kurt asks knowing he is being slightly nosy but can't help but be curious.

"I just couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth about myself. Girls seem to find that their boyfriends lying to them is a less than admirable trait for some strange reason," Clark says trying to be funny. After a moment he adds "When I was telling her I was leaving Smallville that conversation ended with her slamming the door in my face."

"Ouch!" Kurt winces.

"Yeah," Clark says in sad agreement. "After that I kind of swore off relationships."

Kurt can understand why. "Can I ask vhat her name vas?"

"Lana. Lana Lang."

"Vait a minute! Is she zhat cheerleader you said vas your friend?"

Clark nods.

"Dude you actually dated a cheerleader?"

"Um yeah."

Ok Kurt has just gotta know what Clark's secret is because a cheerleader...wow!

* * *

That night Kitty finds Rogue is one of her lost in thoughts while looking out the window routines as she prepares to go to bed. From Jubilee Kitty had gotten the story of the snowball fight where Rogue joined in and had actual fun. Rogue of all people was laughing and smiling and having fun. Kitty almost didn't believe it because it was so un-Rogue like. She almost expected Rogue to follow Logan into some kind of workout on a supposed day off. It had made Kitty curious as to why.

Kitty goes over to where Rogue is sitting and waves her hand in front of Rogue's face. "Earth to Rogue. Come in Rogue!"

Rogue blinks and turns her gaze to her friend. "What?"

"What were you thinking about there?"

The main thing that has been plaguing her all day really. That almost kiss with Clark. Normally she wouldn't even consider this but she really needs some advice so she tells Kitty. The smile that adorns Kitty's face quickly makes Rogue regret her decision.

"I knew it!" Kitty proclaims triumphantly. "I like knew there was something going on between you and Clark."

"Kitty there is nothin' goin' on."

"But you like totally want there to be don't you."

"Um...well...maybe," Rogue will admit. "But ah'm not sure he feels tha same way and even if he did how would it work?" Rogue lets out a sad sigh. "Ah'm just deluding mahself aren't ah."

"Of course you're not," Kitty says not wanting Rogue to think that. "Sure it would be a little tricky."

"Lahke tha part where he can nevah touch meh."

"Well not right now but who knows what the future will bring. I still think you can control it one day. Besides there is more to a relationship than that Rogue."

Rogue was willing to concede that that may be true but what if they try and it doesn't work and they ruin their friendship. She likes her friendship with Clark. She feels...comfortable around him. He just has this presence that makes you feel that way.

No.

She is not risking it. Especially not when her powers make any relationship difficult to impossible. When she mentions this to Kitty the Illinois native lets out an audible sigh but actually says nothing seeing that Rogue isn't budging. However that doesn't mean Kitty is dropping the matter. She did last time this came up because Rogue wouldn't admit she felt something for Clark but now Rogue has maybe the time has come for Kitty to shift her focus onto the other half of this reluctant couple. In fact an idea forms in her mind how to get Clark alone so she can confront him about it.

Ooh yeah. She may come across as all sweetness and innocence but that doesn't mean Kitty can't be conniving when she puts her mind to it. Clark better watch out. The Shadowcat is on the prowl.

* * *

_Author's Note: So basically this is the episode Adrift minus Scott and Alex's little adventure which since I was never going to change really didn't need me to write about it in detail. While I was re-watching it I noticed some things that made no sense. Like where were Rogue, Logan, Sam and Roberto? Now if I missed the part where it was explained where there were feel free to point it out to me. Anyway my version at least allowed me to bring Rogue into the story and show the goofball that is Clark Kent at his very best. Also I wasn't sure when exactly this episode was set but I decided just to make it Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks to everyone that wrote reviews. Up next; Clark loses his sight and gains a new power._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The following Saturday and Clark really has to wonder how he finds himself in situations like this. He is too nice. That is his problem. If he was just a little meaner he would have refused. He would have firmly but politely said no. Instead what position does he find himself in?

Chaperoning Kitty around the mall that's what. She had come up to him and used that damn puppy dogs eye look on him when she asked him to accompany her. Something along the lines of Jubilee was busy and she really needed someone to go with her so like the chump he is Clark agreed.

Never again.

How can women do this all the time and why is the better question. Why do they do all that shuffling from one store to the next. When Clark shops he knows exactly what he wants and where to get it and limits his time to the absolute bare minimum. Women seem to do the exact opposite and drag this out to a completely unnecessary time and effort.

Right now, thankfully, they have decided to get some lunch and are simply sitting in a café. Clark wishes he was back at the mansion right now. Hell he would almost prefer one of Logan's extra DR sessions that he has been getting lately. Clark wonders what Rogue is up to. For a couple of days after the almost kiss thing he and Rogue were rather awkward around each other but it passed and they were back to normal now which he was glad about. He would have hated to mess up their friendship.

Kitty watches Clark eating away. This was all going perfectly. She had gotten him exactly where she wanted him. Away from the mansion and in a public place where he couldn't run away from her with that superspeed of his. Time to pounce. "Clark. Can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Of course Kitty," Clark says being polite although there was this little warning bell in the back of his head telling him something was off about this.

"If two people like each other but aren't sure how the other feels what should they do about it?"

Clark looks at Kitty rather blankly. No-one asked him for relationship advice ever because he sucked at it. He knew it. His parents knew it. His friends back in Smallville knew it. Kitty obviously hasn't gotten the memo yet. "Kitty I am really not the person to ask about this."

Oookkkaaay. Subtle approach not working Kitty can plainly see. Time for the more direct one. "So what is going on with you and Rogue?"

At that Clark nearly chokes on his food and needs to take a drink. "Nothing. Nothing. Why?"

Kitty smiles at him knowingly. "I know what happened during the snowball fight."

"Nothing happened," Clark says but Kitty notices that he is looking everywhere but at her.

"Did you want it to because I like know Rogue did," Kitty tells him.

"Sh-she did?" Clark asks with a stutter and why is he stuttering he has to ask himself. He doesn't want anything to happen with Rogue. At that a little voice inside his head mutters 'You keep telling yourself that Kent but it won't make it any truer.'

"She did," Kitty confirms. "Did you?" she asks him again.

"Honestly?" Kitty nods. "Yes." For a moment there lying in the snow the only thought in his head had been to kiss Rogue and to know what it felt like when his lips touched hers Clark will admit.

"So you like Rogue?" Kitty guesses.

"Maybe...I don't know."

"How can you like not know?" she asks a little incredulously.

Clark decides to be brutally honest about himself here. "Kitty if you knew me better you would know one thing and that is I stink at relationships. My last one...when it ended...well lets just say two trains in a head-on crash cause less collateral damage and the one before that wasn't much better."

Ah so that was Clark's issue. He was afraid of being hurt. Now Kitty had a better handle on the situation. "So what caused your relationships not to work?" she asks him.

Clark thinks on his answer for a second. "Basically because of my secret. You know the A-L-I-E-N one."

"That's not a problem where Rogue is concerned," Kitty points out to him.

No it wasn't. God how does Clark get himself into these situations anyway. He swore off relationships with girls but Rogue isn't like any of the ones he knew back home. Hell you couldn't get much different from Lana to Rogue but is that a bad thing?

Clark had already determined that he had been forcing himself to change to suit Lana instead of being himself. Rogue has seen more of his true self than he has ever let anyone see and she hasn't ran away...yet. Still there are these lingering feelings he has over Lana like...like the way he ended it never put proper closure on them or maybe he is trying to think of excuses to avoid being hurt. Either way he guesses he has to make a choice about what to do now.

"So are you going to ask Rogue out?" Kitty inquires of him.

Clark frowns a little bit. Guess Kitty expects him to choose now. So does he really want to chance this again? "No," he decides.

"What?" Kitty says totally shocked by his answer. "Like why not?"

"I'm not doing this again Kitty. Rogue may know who and what I am but in the end everyone who gets that close to me has one thing in common."

"What?"

"They always end up being hurt and I won't do that to Rogue. She deserves better than that. Better than me and all the baggage that comes along with me," he says twisting his natural protective instinct.

"But..." Kitty starts to say before Clark cuts her off.

"No Kitty," Clark says with utter finality.

Kitty isn't one to give up easily but she can tell she isn't going to get him to budge. "Alright but as long as we're like here do you want to do some Christmas shopping?"

Clark's brow furrows in confusion. "But Christmas isn't for 3 weeks yet."

Kitty rolls her eyes. That is such a typical male response. For an alien Clark was awfully like every other guy she knows. "Let me guess you leave it to the last second."

"Well no not the last second but I don't do it 3 weeks in advance either."

Kitty shakes her head. "Like alright. I'm nearly done. I just want to look in this new jewellery store and then we can go home."

As they stand up a thought occurs to Clark. "Kitty did you ask me to come here with you just so you could ask me about Rogue?"

"Guilty as charged," she says too sweetly. "Look before you get mad at me I just want her to be happy. She deserves that."

"Yes she does," Clark says in agreement with Kitty but it just is that he is not the one to do that. Now if only he could figure out why that thought is paining him so.

* * *

In the jewellery store Clark stands around looking completely out of place as Kitty oohs and ahhs at varying pieces of jewellery. One of the assistants, a young-ish woman, comes up to him. "You not helping your girlfriend?" she asks her.

Clark frowns. "Girlfriend?" he asks before he realises she means Kitty. "No. No. We're just friends."

"Is there anyone special in your life that you might want to buy them something special?" she asks him basically just doing her job.

'Yeah. Rogue,' the voice in his head says. Clark ignores that damn voice again and says "Not really no."

The assistant thinks by his tone that perhaps there is someone and that he is just unsure of his feelings. "You sure I can't interest you in something?" she asks him as she moves to the cabinet behind her on the wall. She then pulls out a tray with varying pieces of jewellery upon it. "My uncle who has a jewellery store in Smallville sent me over some made out of genuine meteor rock."

The instant the woman brings them near Clark the small green rocks they are made of glow and Clark nearly keels over on the spot as the burning pain, weakness and nausea assail him.

"You alright," the assistant asks him seeing how ill he suddenly looks.

Clark takes a few steps back to put some distance between himself and the kryptonite not noticing the boy who has just walked in. The boy places his fingers on his throat adjusting his Adam's apple slightly. It then bobs up and down at incredible speed generating a high pitch sonic shriek. Everyone in the store ends up having to cover their ears at the excruciating sound. The glass display cases start to rattle just as an older man with a mask over his face and plugs in his ears walks in. He has a gun and raises it just in case anyone tries to be a hero as he orders all of the people in the store to the ground.

Clark, with his hands over his ears and fighting through the pain, sees what is going on and deciding he has to do something to stop what is obviously a robbery prepares to fire his heat vision at the gun.

The display cases shatter and a green meteor earring is sent spiralling through the air between Clark and the armed man.

Clark lets off his heat vision in small bursts so to minimise their heat and visibility. He only wants to disarm the guy. Not kill him.

One of his bursts of heat vision heats up the gun and the man is forced to drop it with a yelp of pain. Another burst strikes the earring which glows for a moment before sending back an intense green light into Clark's eyes and that is that last thing Clark sees before his world goes black and he lets out a scream of pain.

The man and the boy unsure of what has just happened decide to make a run for it. They go off in separate directions. The boy not paying attention bumps into a girl with brown hair which has a white stripe running through it.

"Hey watch it!" she tells him off but he ignores her and continues running. Rogue places her hands on her hips. "Jerk," she mutters insultingly.

Her mutterings are overheard by her companion. "Tell me about it luv," Risty says in agreement. "People today are so rude."

Rogue manages a small smile. Risty was one of the few people who could make her smile. Clark was another. She had wanted to try and see if Clark would come with her today but he had already left earlier with Kitty she found out. At hearing that news an emotion flooded her that she tried hard not to name. It felt too much like jealousy.

That was when she phoned Risty instead and well here they are being bumped into by jerks. That guy was just lucky he didn't touch her skin. Not wanting to dwell on it any further Rogue shakes her head and continues on her way. She was at the mall because well it is Christmas coming up and she wants to get an early start on present shopping. They exchange gifts at the institute early before the others head off home to their parents for those that have homes to go to unlike her.

Right now she and Risty are just nearing that new jewellery store...

Inside the store Clark is on his knees desperately blinking his eyes in a vain attempt to get his vision to clear up. Kitty is blinking trying to clear her pounding headache. 'That was like totally painful' she thinks to herself. She turns to find Clark on his knees looking like he is almost groping blindly. She rushes over to him. "Clark?"

"Kitty?" he asks with near panic in his voice.

By now Rogue is outside the store and now sees Clark in there on his knees. Fear fills her as she rushes in as well. "Clark!"

"Rogue?"

"Clark are ya alright? What happened?" Rogue asks deeply worried for him.

"Rogue." Clark's voice is almost trembling with fear. "It's my eyes. I can't see."

* * *

Back at the institute the alarm the Professor uses when Cerebro detects a mutant goes off. He quickly gets the readout. _Name:_ _Nathan Dean. Mutant Power: Ability to generate a hypersonic shriek. Location: Bayville Mall._

A worried expression touches Charles' brow. Someone using their powers in such a public place only made the risk of their exposure extremely high. He then remembers that Kitty, Clark and Rogue are at the mall today. He needs to contact them and see if they spotted anything.

The Professor contacts Kitty and Rogue telepathically at that moment asking if there is anything going on at the mall. What they think back in blind panic is a completely different story.

"_You must remain calm," _Charles tells them telepathically. "_Now what I need you to do is help Clark out of the mall before the police arrive and without anyone noticing what has happened. The van will meet you out front,"_ he instructs them. If it is found out what has transpired then Clark would of course be taken to a hospital to see a doctor who would no doubt quickly realise Clark's alien status.

Rogue and Kitty share a look before they explain to Clark what they have to do. He is still in a state of shock so all he can do is nod as Kitty and Rogue lead him.

When they get him to his feet Rogue notices that Risty is gone. If her main concern wasn't Clark she would surely have spent more time wondering where.

Rogue and Kitty manage to successfully get Clark out of the mall where they find the van waiting for them. Logan must have driven like a maniac to get here so quickly. He helps get Clark inside and buckled up before they all head back to the institute.

Watching them leave is Mystique in another one of her forms. When she had reached the store with Rogue she overheard some mutterings about two robbers, a strange high pitched whine and the seemingly invulnerable Mr Kent is now blind. Oh yes she had overheard that part as well when he said it. She decided that she needed to watch them without drawing attention so she found a quiet spot and shifted into her current form. She can make up some excuse for Risty's disappearance to Rogue later. Right now she has a phone call to make. She strolls off to find somewhere a bit quieter to make the call because Magneto is going to want to know about this.

* * *

"You are certain?" Magneto asks Mystique to confirm what she has just told him.

"Of course I am," Mystique says sounding insulted that he doubts her.

Magneto contemplates this carefully. After Mystique had informed him about Clark Kent being alive and well and attending Bayville High he had realised that he had seriously underestimated the toughness of the boy. Not wishing to make the same mistake twice he had been patience, allowing Mystique to spy on Clark and keeping him informed. Waiting for a moment like this. However this makes no sense. How can a high pitched sound cause Clark to go blind. He is obviously missing something...a piece of the jigsaw so to speak.

"What do you want me to do?" Mystique asks him

"For now nothing," Magneto informs her. He requires more information first. "I'll call you if I need you." He then ends the phone call abruptly.

"A 'thank you Mystique' wouldn't kill you you know," she mutters at her phone sarcastically. That's gratitude for you. Not even a thank you. Heck not even a goodbye. Just him hanging up the phone.

In his base, one of many he has hidden across the globe, Magneto searches for two of his recruits and he finds them...flirting with each other...again. "Gambit. Haze," he commands.

Gambit and Haze get up from the couch they were sitting on. Gambit silently curses Magneto at his timing. He was having such a good time as well.

Magneto passes on his instructions to them. "I want you to go to Bayville and perform a task perfectly suited to your skills."

Gambit gets the feeling that last part was aimed at him. "What task?"

"I want you to rob a jewellery store."

* * *

Down in the infirmary at the Institute Beast is examining Clark's eyes. The skin around them is slightly red. During all this time Rogue has been with him holding his hand. It is an act that at a different time would get some comment but right now everyone's focus was on what had happened to Clark.

"What is the last thing you saw Clark?" Hank asks him as he tries to make sense of what he is seeing in Clark's eyes.

Clark pushes his fear and worry aside for a moment and recalls what happened. He fired his heat vision. It hit this kryptonite earring and then there was a green flash like a laser or something had been fired into his eyes. He tells Mr McCoy this.

Hank re-examines Clark's eyes particularly his retinas. Jonathan and Martha are there and deeply worried for their son. It is always a parent's worst nightmare to see their child hurt and in pain.

"Clark was there a sensation of any kind you can describe to me when the green flash hit you?" Hank asks him.

"Um there was pain. I think it was what you would call a burning sensation." Although Clark isn't sure exactly what a burning sensation feels like since he has never really been burned.

Hank places down the biomicroscope he was using.

"Well?" Jonathan and Martha ask as they take this as a sign Hank has finished his examination.

"Clark's retinas are badly scarred like they have been burned," he informs them.

"But shouldn't they have just healed?" Martha asks knowing how Clark always just seems to heal instantly on those rare occasions he has been hurt.

"They haven't...yet," is all Hank can say in reply.

"Will they heal?" Clark asks almost afraid of the answer.

Hank takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes before answering. He hates this part. "To be honest Clark I don't know. I still do not know how kryptonite affects you exactly. Your exposure today may have delayed or slowed your healing processes."

"Or stopped it altogether," Clark adds grimly meaning that his eyes will never heal. He will be blind for the rest of his life. He then feels Rogue give his hand a squeeze. He's glad she is here. She is giving him something to hang onto when otherwise he would just be all alone in the dark.

Hank fears that Clark may be correct. He could find no visible sign that Clark's eyes are healing at all and considering the limited knowledge he has on Clark's biology there may not be a whole lot he can do to help Clark.

* * *

Upstairs in the Professor's office Kitty is giving the Professor her version of what happened in the jewellery store but she had her back turned for most of it. "I'm so sorry Professor. If I had been paying more attention..."

Charles can sense the guilt coming off Kitty in waves. "It is not your fault Kitty. No-one could have foreseen this."

Kitty nods but the words have done little to make her feel better. After she is gone Charles turns to Logan, who was here too listening to the story from Kitty, to address the other problem they face right now. "We need to find this mutant," he tells Logan. A mutant openly using their powers like this to commit crimes is risking all their exposure.

Logan nods in agreement. "Yeah. What I'm going to do is talk to a friend I have in the police and get this kid's rap sheet. Kids like this usually start off a bit smaller; shoplifting...that kind of thing. It would allow us to see if he has any friends in the area he might be staying with."

Charles agrees with Logan's suggestion. He wouldn't be able to find the boy using Cerebro until he used his powers again and with the police on his trail they don't have that kind of time to wait.

* * *

A little later the group consisting of Clark, Rogue, Martha and Jonathan are heading back up to the mansion in the elevator after Beast had finished his examination. There was little more Hank could do at the moment for Clark so Hank let him go and be with his friends.

"I can never be free of it can I?" Clark says suddenly and the other 3 give him strange looks wondering what he is on about. Clark even though he can't see their expressions elaborates. "Kryptonite. I can never be free of it."

Rogue found it a little odd to be frank when Clark told her about it. How he for all his power can be stopped, possibly literally dead, by tiny rocks but now she had seen what they were capable of doing to him. It had certainly changed her view on them.

Martha and Jonathan in a way can't believe this has happened for the very reason that they are suppose to be a thousand miles away from all the the things that can hurt Clark. On a positive note though they can't help but think if they had been back in Smallville and this had happened they would have been stuck on their own with almost no way to help Clark. Here there is Mr McCoy at least to try and help Clark.

When the elevator door opens Jean is just happening to be walking by. "Clark. How are you?"

Rogue gives Jean the dirtiest look ever for what is in Rogue's opinion the stupidest question ever. She thinks that thought real loud in the hope Jean picks it up.

Jean realises how she sounds. "God Clark I'm sorry. That was a really dumb thing to say."

"Yes it was," Clark manages to joke. "But I appreciate the sentiment Jean. As for how I am...I'm sure I'll be alright in time. It is just taking time to heal," he says in desperate hope more than anything. "And even if it doesn't there are lots of people who learn to live with disabilities every day. I mean what's the worst that could happen, that I walk through a wall?"

Jonathan and Martha share a worried look. Worry that Clark might not heal and worry that he is not really coming to terms with what has happened to him yet.

* * *

For Clark Sunday is going to be spent trying to adjust to a world where he can't see. Getting about his room is not so hard because he knows where everything is in his room. Outside of his room...well that is a little trickier but within his capabilities he believes. Not that he is in a tremendous rush to leave his room right now because the rest of yesterday had been full of awkward silences where people didn't know what to say around him and he really isn't looking forward to another day of that.

In one way he is learning a lot about what other people must go through when they suffer something similar. Clark feels along his bed until he reaches the bedside table. On top of which he picks up a pair of sunglasses and puts them on to hide his eyes.

There is a knock on his door. "Come in!" he tells whoever it is.

The door opens. "Clark?"

Clark smiles at that voice. "Hey Rogue," he says softly "You been assigned to me have you," he says meaning it to be a joke.

Rogue walks into the room and takes Clark's arm and loops it around her own. "Clark ah'm doing this because ah want to," she tells him.

"I know Rogue. I was joking. Sorry. I forgot that you don't have a sense of humour."

Rogue scowls and looks at him and sees a tiny little smirk on his face. She can't help but hit him lightly on the arm. "Ya ain't that funny Wonder Boy."

"Hey. That's Superboy," Clark protests.

Both share a small laugh before Rogue says more seriously. "Clark. How are ya doin' really?"

"You really want to know?" he asks her back.

"Yes," she says with the utmost sincerity. She wants to know what he is really feeling and not showing with this stoic façade he has going.

He takes a shuddering breath. "I'm scared," he says barely above a whisper. "It's dark and I...I feel like a little kid whose afraid of the dark."

Rogue shifts herself round and wraps her arms around Clark in a hug taking care not to touch his skin. "It'll be alright Clark."

"No it won't," he says sounding close to tears.

"It's ok ta be scared Clark. Ah am all tha tahme." She never admits this to anyone but the Professor but she is terrified of what she could do to someone if she held on too long or some scenario comes up where she can't separate herself from them. Would she really just drain them until they are dead. Then there are the voices in her head. Leftover bits of the people she has absorbed she fears one day might truly drive her insane.

"Thank you," he mutters his voice thick with emotion.

"For what?"

"Being here," he tells her simply. He then takes a few moment to simply process the feel of Rogue's body next to his and inhale her sweet, warm scent.

Rogue tightens her hold on Clark. She swears if she ever gets her hands on those two wannabe robbers...well they are going to wish they were never born.

Eventually when he is ready Rogue leads Clark downstairs where they hear the surprising news that the jewellery store where Clark had been injured had been robbed during the night. It kind of begs the question as to who robs a store that someone else failed to rob only hours before.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

"What do you think?" Alicia asks as she holds this elaborate and expensive necklace to herself.

"Remy d'ink d'at you deserve to be dressed in de finest d'ings my lady."

Alicia blushes at the compliment. "Why thank you fine sir," she says back in an over-the-top performance.

Gambit must admit that once she allowed herself to relax and open up Alicia was a lot of fun. Gambit guessed her initial shyness made sense when he found out her parents had imprisoned her because she was a mutant. She hadn't interacted with other people for at least a couple of years if not longer.

Her powers also made it so much easier to break into that jewellery store. Well Gambit only had her teleport them to outside the mall. He wanted the fun of breaking in himself. Of course even as they sit here surrounded by their haul the point of that was simply to make it look like a robbery. What Magneto was after was footage of the security tapes from the store. The police would have obviously taken a copy but with Haze's powers allowing them to teleport right into the station it was easy enough to get hold of that too. Magneto did not want evidence of mutant powers being used remaining with the authorities. Right now Magneto was looking over that footage.

Magneto was looking over the tape frame by frame. So far he had gotten a decent image of the mutant who caused the display cases to shatter. Magneto would have to find him or more accurately Mystique would do it for Magneto.

Right now he was more interested in what fate befell Clark Kent. The tape shows some sort of haze leaving Clark's eyes striking the gun of the other man and making it glow red. That was an interesting ability Magneto had not previously known about. However what is more catching is how the haze strikes a piece of jewellery flying through the air and a green flash strikes Clark in the eyes. That is when he falls to the ground so that is when he was blinded.

Magneto reverses the tape slowly and follows the path of the mysterious object until before it starts its flight. There. The assistant brings out a tray...and Clark almost staggers backwards. Magneto rewinds and plays it again just to make sure. Yes. Something affected him. Something about those pieces of jewellery has some sort of effect on him. What exactly Magneto couldn't be sure but his reaction suggests that perhaps they cause him pain and he was reeling back while at the same time trying not to show it.

Magneto rises to his feet and quickly makes his way to where Gambit and Haze are. He eyes the pile of jewellery they brought back lying on the table. With a gesture he raises it all into the air and sets the pieces spinning. When he spots the ones with green stones he pulls them forward toward him and lets the rest drop back down.

Haze looks on and spots something familiar about those green stones. She gets to her feet and picks one out of the air and looks it over closely. Magneto allows her for the moment. He spots her frown slightly. "What is it Haze?"

Haze holds the piece up. "The green stone. This is meteor rock from Smallville." And she would know. They literally made her what she is today.

The piece shoots out of her hand and into Magneto's. 'Now that is strange,' he thinks to himself as he examines it closely. Why would these affect Clark Kent?

Magneto can see he still requires much more information and a test to see if these rocks affect Clark in the way they seem to. If it turns out they do then that gives Magneto a powerful advantage. It also gives him a way to control Clark Kent but first things first he has to see about finding and capturing that mutant who tried to rob the store. He turns and leaves Gambit and Haze so he can phone Mystique.

* * *

Magneto is not the only person interested in the jewellery store robbery. Another individual with an interest in a certain Lionel Luthor.

His interest was simple. From what he had been able to find out some kind of sound weapon was used to try and rob this store only there is not a sign of any equipment anywhere which leaves a very intriguing other possibility. A human weapon if you can call them human.

He has to find those two robbers before the police do. Well this is why he established that branch of his own security forces to deal with these...mutants for lack of a better term. That is why within Luthorcorp this force was referred to as the Mutant Response Division(MRD for short). He'll have the elite squad here from Smallville by this evening and they can start the hunt.

In the background the radio Lionel likes listening to starts broadcasting the one thing he hates listening to.

"_**Hey Bayville! It's that time again! Time for the Live Wire and if you are wondering and worrying about how can she possibly be on so often worry not faithful listener. I'm just full of energy powered by your eternal devotion. Now to start today's show I thought I would return to that...ugh...love of our lives Lionel Luthor..."**_

And maybe while the MRD are at it Lionel can have them hunt down that Leslie Willis. The woman seems to run her mouth on him every day and he is so very tired of it. Well maybe he won't hunt her down because he won't have to. He has been working on removing her thorn from his side. In a few more days she will be history and frankly it cannot come soon enough.

* * *

**At the same time back at the mansion...**

"I'm destroying that radio," Clark vows as he is forced to listen to Leslie Willis...again and he still hasn't found out who keeps tuning it to this station. He is currently sitting in the kitchen because it is where he feels safest at the moment considering his current condition.

"Ja. Zhat Live Vire is a little over zhe top," Kurt says in agreement. At the moment Kurt along with Rogue were keeping Clark company.

Clark snorts. "A little?" he queries sceptically. "She is a little over the top in the same way I am a little strong."

"Ah thought ya would be happy with her ragging on Lionel Luthor all tha tahme," Rogue says knowing how much Clark dislikes Lionel Luthor or how much he has told her he does.

Clark purses his lips. "Well ok so I don't mind so much that there is at least one other person in the world who doesn't like the Prince of Darkness."

"Prince of Darkness?" both Kurt and Rogue query.

Clark shrugs. "That is what Chloe calls him." And hey if the shoe fits why bother changing it.

Ororo enters the kitchen at this point. "Rogue," she address the Goth girl.

"Yeah?"

"Your friend Risty is at the gate wishing to speak to you," Ororo informs Rogue.

Rogue stands up. "Oh she is probably wondering what happened yesterday." Rogue hadn't spoken to her since they brought Clark back. Ororo looks at Rogue with some concern. Rogue waves that off. "Look don't worry ah'll tell her everything is fahne but that ah can't hang out with her today."

"Rogue if you want to spend time with her it's fine. I'll be ok," Clark tells her not wanting Rogue to waste time with him.

"Ah'll see her tomorrow at school," Rogue points out. She then leaves the kitchen and makes the not insubstantial walk to out of the mansion and up to the front gates. "Hey Risty!" Rogue greets her. "What brings ya all tha way out here?"

Risty smiles and gives Rogue a small wave. "Hey Rogue luv. I just wanted to apologise for vanishing yesterday. It was those bloody mall security guards. They carted me off. You know you add some colour to your hair and they think that makes you a career criminal or something," she says while running her hand through the purple dyed parts of her hair.

Rogue can't remember seeing any mall security but then she was extremely focussed on Clark by that point.

"How's your friend?" Risty asks.

"Sorry what?"

"Your friend. I saw him on his knees in the shop."

"Oh Clark! Um he's fine. It was nothing really. Just a few small scratches from when tha display cases shattered," she lies, thinking on her feet, because they are trying to keep it secret for now in the hope Clark will heal and if he doesn't...no he will. Rogue wants to believe that he will.

Risty shoots Rogue a sly look. "If I didn't know better I think you were going soft on him. Been playing nurse have we?" Risty teases Rogue. Rogue can't stop the soft blush that adorns her cheeks. Risty spots it. "Well he is...oh lets face facts luv he is gorgeous. If I were you I would go for it."

Except with Clark's new disability this couldn't be the worst possible time. Her life sucks. God obviously hates her. That is the only explanation Rogue can come up with.

Back in the kitchen Kurt is taking a plate to the sink to wash up when it slips out of his hands and tumbles to the floor shattering on impact. Clark suddenly has to cover his ears as to him the sound of the plate falling sounded like a bomb going off right next to him. A cacophony of sounds suddenly hits him. The radio sounds like it is next to his ear at full volume. That is followed by the same thing with the tv in the lounge. He hears his parents talking somewhere in the mansion. Then he can hear the New Mutants down below in the Danger Room. Every sound is magnified to an insanely loud volume. Every use of their powers, every bang and pop, every time one of the Danger Room's turrets or traps activates he can hear the machinery grind and move. It gets worse and louder until he can no longer separate the sounds from each other. It is just an overwhelming din. He feels like he is going insane and calls out in pain.

"Clark?" Ororo asks having gone to help Kurt clean up and not noticing anything was wrong until right now.

"Make it stop," he pleads.

She goes over to him and sees him clutching his head in pain, trying to cover his ears. "Clark. What is it?"

To Clark her voice sounds impossibly loud. The pain has almost reduced him to tears. "It's too loud. Please make it stop. I can't..."

Ororo turns to Kurt. "Kurt get Beast," she tells him. Kurt nods his head and teleports which only causes Clark to call out again in pain at the sound of Kurt's **bamf!**

Ororo does her best to comfort Clark. "It's alright Clark. Help will be here soon."

Clark tries desperately to push the noises away. God he wishes Rogue was here and as he thinks it all the other noises fade away until as clear as if he was standing next to her he hears her talking.

"Well ah'll see you at school tomorrow," Rogue says saying her farewell to Risty.

"Yeah as always can't wait for the daily grind," Risty says back jokily. "Well it'll be the holidays soon enough," she says trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah. Well ah gotta go. See ya." Rogue heads back towards the mansion.

"See ya Rogue," Risty says as she turns to leaves. It is then her mobile phone goes off. "Hello!"

"Mystique," a dark voice on the other end says. A voice Clark knows. Magneto.

Risty's voice changes to an entirely different one. "I told you never to call me on this number!" the adult sounding voice hisses angrily.

"I require an update," Magneto says sounding extremely impatient.

Clark thinks 'Risty' walks a little distance away before speaking again. "I was just talking to Rogue. She says that Clark Kent is fine."

"Of course she does," Magneto says not sounding at all surprised. "Charles would never wish to bring undue attention to any of his students. What about the other matter?"

"I haven't located the mutant yet but I have eliminated any form of rented accommodation for his whereabouts. My guess is that he is living it rough somewhere lying low."

"Keep searching," Magneto commands. "And inform me the second you find him." Clark then hears the click of the phone conversation ending. There is then a sound he can't recognise followed by the flapping of bird wings.

"Clark?...Clark?...Clark?"

Clark blinks his useless eyes as the sound of someone calling his name brings him back to the kitchen.

"Clark? Honey?" his mother's voice full of worry and concern reaches him.

"Mom?"

He then feels her hugging him tightly.

"Martha if you please," Hank requests of her so he can examine Clark.

Martha steps back while Hank sits down next to Clark. "Now Clark. Tell me what happened?"

While Clark tells Mr McCoy what happened Rogue re-enters the mansion to find Kurt pacing back and forth. "Kurt? What is it?"

"It's Clark. I zhink he's sick."

Rogue's eyes widened. "What!" That can't be right. She only left him a few minutes ago and he was fine.

Kurt continues to explain. "He just suddenly grabbed his head in pain saying it vas too loud."

Rogue hastily makes her way back to the kitchen where a little crowd has gathered outside the door. She pushes her way to the front.

"So these sounds, they just hit you all at once?" Hank asks Clark to clarify.

"It's like someone turned on a giant stereo full blast. Suddenly all the sounds were magnified," Clark tries to explain. "Then they just went away. It was completely random."

"Well with your x-ray vision and heat vision, I'm not really sure how your senses are suppose to develop," Jonathan adds to the mix. He had gotten here as soon as heard that Clark was in pain.

That was the problem. No-one knew. Not even Clark had any idea how his senses were suppose to develop.

"Maybe it was a one-time thing," Martha suggests. "Or maybe your body is trying to compensate for its lack of sight.

"I just hope it goes away. All the sounds, they were so loud. I didn't even know where they were coming from or what they were." There is a little tremor of fear in Clark's voice. He felt like he almost lost his mind. Next time he just might. Then there is the issue with Risty. "Is the Professor still in his office?" Clark asks unsure whether he was with the mob at the door.

Ororo answers. "I believe so Clark. Why?"

"I need to talk to him...alone."

* * *

Charles sits behind his desk having been brought up to speed on events. It seems Clark may be developing another ability. Some form of...superhearing. If it wasn't for the terrible situation involving Clark's blindness Charles would be making the comment about how truly remarkable it is for Clark to be developing such an ability, another one to add to the sheer array he already possesses. Of course as with all new abilities gaining control over it is always the trick but he senses that that is not why Clark asked to see him alone. "Now Clark. What is it you wish to tell me?"

"It's about Rogue's friend; Risty. When...whatever it was happened I overheard her speaking on the phone. She was speaking to Magneto."

Charles visibly stiffens in his chair. "You are certain?"

Clark shakes his head. "I can't be 100% certain considering but I'm as certain as I can be about what I heard and I know Magneto's voice."

Charles reserves judgement for just now. "Go on," he prompts Clark.

"He...Magneto called her Mystique."

Charles closes his eyes for a second. Mystique. This was trouble.

"She's the shape-shifter isn't she?" Clark asks having heard stories about Mystique.

"Yes," Charles confirms. "What were they talking about?" he asks Clark and Clark relays what he heard. The bit about asking about him and that they are looking for a mutant in the area.

The Professor is concerned about Magneto asking about Clark. It makes him worry about just what Magneto knows about what happened in the store. On the other matter Charles can only conclude that this is now a race. Probability says that Magneto must be after the same mutant they are looking for.

"What will you do about Risty?" Clark asks, his primary concern being how this will affect Rogue and Kurt.

"Understand that I am not doubting your word Clark but first we must make absolutely sure before we make an accusation like that. We will do some background checks into her and see what they bring up," Charles tells him.

Clark nods in understanding.

"And it may be best not to tell either Rogue or Kurt until we are certain."

Clark's face makes it clear what he thinks about that. "I don't like lying to them Professor."

"Neither do I Clark but it is only until we are certain."

Clark nods very reluctantly in agreement.

"_Come in Rogue,"_ Charles telepathically summons her and the door opens and she pokes her head in from where she has been waiting outside the door. "Clark and I are finished," he tells her indicating she can assist Clark.

Rogue goes over to him and takes his arm and leads him through to the lounge. Back in his office Charles decides he better bring Logan up to speed with these latest revelations and sends a telepathic summons to his friend.

* * *

"It can't be her!" Logan protests quite vociferously after Chrles brings him up to speed on what Clark heard. "I would know if it was her." Logan means that if Risty was Mystique he would recognise the scent.

"Perhaps not," Charles says carefully. "Recall when last we saw her," he asks of Logan.

The last they saw of her was on Asteroid M falling into Magneto's enhancer.

"It is possible that that her powers were enhanced to the point where she can alter her own scent along with her shape," Charles speculates. It could also be why he has not be able to sense her mind. Mystique's mind was always well shielded but Charles could always sense it. It seems he can't even do that now.

"Great," Logan grumbles. "That means we have no way of detecting her."

"I have Hank looking into Risty's background and we did gleam one piece of useful information at least and that is the mutant we seek is most likely living rough. Therefore we should limit our search to where the homeless tend to gather."

While Logan and the Professor have their talk Clark is now in the lounge explaining to those who are there what happened to him today. For Jean it sounds painfully like when her powers first manifested or when she suffered that power surge and she couldn't shut the voices out. Of course around Clark it is one problem she doesn't face. She can still not make head nor tail of his thought patterns.

"So you like heard everything?" Kitty asks sounding oddly nervous.

Clark catches it and wonders what that is about. He doesn't remember hearing Kitty. Of course by that point it was such a cacophony of noise he couldn't separate one sound from another.

Clark is not the only one who caught Kitty's nervousness. Rogue narrows her eyes at her friend. "Kitty what were ya up ta this tahme?"

Kitty nervously looks around. "Um nothing. I wasn't up to anything." She stands up. "I like gotta go. You know I have stuff to do." She then takes the quicker way out and phases through the wall.

"If whatever she did involves me ah'm killin' her," Rogue swears.

"So what kind of stuff did you hear?" Evan asks deciding to contribute to this conversation.

"Oh this and that," Clark answers trying to keep it vague. "Um I heard the others down in the Danger Room, the tv playing in here...then it became a kind of jumble of overpowering noise."

At that Rogue feels it necessary to give his hand a reassuring squeeze just to let him know that she is there for him if he needs her.

* * *

Later that day Scott is in the garage cleaning his car. It is perhaps one of his obsessions but he loves to keep it in pristine condition. It is then he hears a voice from behind him.

"Hey Scott."

Scott turns to find Clark standing at the garage entrance. "Hey Clark," he says back then asks "How did you know it was me?"

Clark taps on his nose indicating he picked up Scott's scent. "Well when you can't see you have to rely on your other senses."

"Yeah. I know all about that," Scott reminisces sadly. When his powers first manifested when he was in the orphanage the staff were so scared of him that they tied a blindfold over his eyes and locked him in a room on his own. All he had then were his other senses to rely on. It wasn't until the Professor came and gave him his glasses that he could see again. On the down side of course all he sees are shades of red but it is something at least. He decides to mention this to Clark.

"Oh. I didn't know."

"There was no reason you would," Scott reassures Clark in case he thinks he said something offensive. "So what brings you out here?"

"I needed to get out. I couldn't stand the noise," Clark explains.

"Your hearing problem back?"

"I've turned into the ultimate eavesdropper," he jokes as he slides his hands into his jacket pockets. "It is not as bad as the first time but still Kitty, Jubilee, Rahne and Amara are indulging in...I think you call it girl talk and there is only so much even I can take."

Scott shudders as he thinks on what Clark must have overheard. "How did you get here?"

"I have a perfect memory," Clark explains. "So as long as there is nothing new or unexpected in my way I can get about alright using only my memory." Clark takes a careful step or two forward into the garage. "Scott. Can I ask your advice on something?"

This sounds serious. Scott puts down the cloth he was using to clean his car and takes a few steps closer to Clark. "Sure."

"It is...the Professor said I wasn't to tell Rogue but I hate lying to her and I think that maybe she should know."

"Know what?"

Clark hesitates for a second and then tells Scott what he overheard. Scott's jaw sets firm. Mystique that close to them all this time. "Look Clark I can understand you don't like lying but the Professor is probably correct for now. Until we know for sure we should keep it secret."

The breeze changes direction and a sweet warm fragrance hits Clark's nose. Oh no! He spins on the spot. "Rogue."

If Clark could see her face she would see it filled with anger and rage barely kept in check. She had come out here to find Clark and instead overhears his little conversation with Scott.

Clark takes a step towards her or what he thinks is towards her based on where her scent is coming from. "Rogue. I'm sorry but please I could be wrong. My hearing...I can't control what I hear. I could have gotten two separate conversations mixed up."

When Rogue speaks her voice is low and dangerous. "Ah know a way ta know for sure. Ah meet up with her and ask her."

"Rogue you can't," Scott tells her wading into this conversation.

"Oh ah sure as hell can!" she yells back at him. "And ah'm goin' to. Try and stop meh," she dares him.

Scott pinches the bridge of his nose. "Rogue it could be dangerous."

She folds her arms across her chest defiantly. "Ah'm still goin'."

Scott sighs in resigned defeat. He can tell she isn't going to be dissuaded. "Ok fine but at least let me get Jean and let us go with you."

Rogue concedes to that which quickly leads to them 3 driving off and Clark being left after Rogue had made him promise not to tell anyone what they were doing knowing that Clark never breaks a promise.

* * *

Risty enters the park after having received a phone call from Rogue saying she needed to see her and that it was urgent. She spots Rogue sitting on a bench apparently all alone in a fairly remote corner of the park. Now for Mystique this usually would ring warning bells in her head but since it is Rogue it doesn't to the same degree. "Hey luv. You said it was urgent."

Rogue puts on her best smile when she sees Risty. "Yes. It is. Ah needed ta ask ya something in person."

"Sure. Is something wrong?"

"Ya tell meh," Rogue says evenly.

"What do you mean?" Risty asks not understanding what Rogue is on about.

"Tell meh who ya really are," Rogue demands.

Risty takes a step or two back only to bump into the figures of Scott and Jean who have appeared behind her.

"Fahne," Rogue growls out. "Ya won't tell meh. Ah'll find out mahself." Rogue takes off one of her gloves and reaches for Risty's face.

Risty flinches instantly at Rogue's bare hand. "Rogue no!" she calls out which only confirms it for Rogue that Risty is who she suspects. She manages to touch Risty before the the other girl can move.

It only lasts a few seconds but it is all Rogue needs as the memories and powers flow into her. Risty falls to her knees and reverts back to her natural form of blue skin and red hair of Mystique.

"He was right! It is ya!" Rogue screams in fury as she grabs Mystique by the collar of her clothes using Mystique's own strength against her. "Why? Why did ya do it? Why did ya pretend ta be mah friend? So ya could use meh...again? Tell meh!"

"Rogue I..." Mystique begins to say weakly since she has still not recovered from Rogue's touch. Rogue's screams have gotten the attention of a group of people nearby. When all 3 turn to look at the voices they hear Mystique takes the opportunity to break out of Rogue's grasp and dash into the nearby undergrowth. By the time Jean, Scott and Rogue get to where Mystique went there is no sign of her.

"Damn ya," Rogue whispers under her breath while she tries to hold back the tears at being used and lied to again by that woman.

Back at the mansion Clark sits outside on the steps feeling terrible and guilt ridden. He had heard ever single bit of it without meaning to. Somehow his hearing locked onto Rogue and now once again because of his powers he has brought pain to someone he cares about. It seems no matter where he is or even if he was trying to do the right thing he always ends up hurting those closest to him.

* * *

_Author's Note: I was re-watching the episode Whisper and there was something that bothered me. After Clark loses his sight his parents take their son, their ALIEN son, to the hospital where the doctor amazingly does not notice that his patient is not human and this is after Jonathan handcuffs the doctor. Yes I'm not making it up. Jonathan really did handcuff the doctor and no-one found that suspicious or anything or called the police on Jonathan. I decided just to take the character Nathan Dean from that episode, transplant him to Bayville and make him an x-gene mutant for reasons that will become clear later down the line but his power remains as it was on Smallville. I also borrowed the MRD idea from the latest cartoon series 'Wolverine and the X-Men'. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

How?

That was the question that plagued Mystique as she packed up her belongings. It wouldn't be long until Xavier got Risty's address and sent that bloodhound of his after her so she had to pack up and leave as soon as possible.

How?

How did Rogue know because somehow she knew before that meeting. Why didn't Mystique listen to her instincts that said something was wrong?

"_He was right!"_

He?

Rogue said he. Someone else had told Rogue. Now that left who?

Who was this person that told Rogue?

Mystique intends to find out as soon as possible and then she will make them pay. Months of planning and work utterly ruined. Worse still months of pretending to be a...teenager.

That is when her phone rings and she knows who this will be. She answers. "Hello."

"Mystique," the all too familiar dark voice says her name.

"I'm kind of busy right now," she says quite rudely.

"Oh and why is that?"

Mystique takes a breath. She better tell him. He'll find out anyway. There is a significant pause after she informs him that she has been discovered.

"That is unfortunate," he says because it ruins an idea Magneto has for something he is planning. However it does not significantly ruin his plans. Adjustments can be made. "How did they discover you?" he asks.

"I don't know," she tells him then mentally adds 'yet' because she is going to find out.

Magneto moves onto other matters. "The mutant."

"I haven't found him yet but I'm narrowing it down," she tries to assuage him.

"Once you have packed up make that your number one priority. I want him found before Charles does. Inform me the minute you find him." Magneto then ends the call.

'Oh sure I'll just put my whole life on hold for you,' Mystique thinks sarcastically. It isn't like she has things to do like find a new place to live. Maybe she should just go back to the Brotherhood house. She has this urge to try and whip them into some sort of shape or kill them in the attempt. In either case she'll be happy.

* * *

Back at the mansion it is late into the evening and Clark is sitting outside once more brooding on what he has done today. He is outside because once again his damn hearing is making it impossible to stay inside the mansion. He has had enough of all the sounds particularly the really gross ones related to body functions.

**Bamf!**

Clark winces slightly at how loud that is to him before he says "Hey Kurt."

Kurt had been sent to bring Clark back in.

Clark sighs. "If I have to," he says sounding terribly unenthused at the prospect.

"Is it really zhat bad?" Kurt asks him because Kurt has good hearing too.

"It is almost unbearable," Clark admits honestly. "Not to mention I have to hear the fact I made Rogue cry."

"She is really crying?" Kurt says in some surprise. Rogue on the outside seemed as tough as nails.

"She was last time my hearing picked it up." That was when he came outside. It was that in particular that did it.

"You know maybe you should go and talk to her," Kurt advises.

"Oh yeah. She is so going to want to see the guy who made her feel like hell because he exposed her best friend to be Mystique," Clark says with his never deft sarcasm. On that subject he asks "How about you? How are you doing?" since Mystique is Kurt's mother.

Kurt sits down next to Clark. "I just can't believe it you know. All zhat time and I vas sometimes literally sitting down right next to her and I never knew it vas her."

Clark can hear some hurt in Kurt's voice.

"She certainly doesn't vin mozher of zhe year does she," Kurt says with a little bitterness.

"Well I guess a few of us have parental issues. My biological father either wants me to actually conquer the earth or it is some sort of bizarre test on the path to adulthood." Clark still didn't know which yet despite all he has been able find out from Dr Swann's research.

"Ve sound like ve should be on vone of zhose daytime talk shows or somezhing," Kurt tries to joke.

That makes Clark smile a bit and he decides to play along. "Yeah. I can see that. _**Today on Jerry Springer. Mutants, Aliens and their dysfunctional families!**_"

Both Clark and Kurt chuckle.

"How are you doing?" Kurt asks Clark in reference to...well everything. The blindness primarily.

"I'm coping," Clark answers blandly. "It is all I can do although I really wish people would stop looking at me funny." Kurt opens his mouth to ask how Clark can possibly know that when Clark cuts him off by saying "I just know they are. Call it intuition."

"I still zhink you should go see Rogue," Kurt tells him.

Clark isn't sure but he should probably at least apologise to her. "Alright but could you take me there?" he asks of Kurt and Clark realises he has never asked Kurt to teleport him anywhere before. Because he can zip about at a couple of hundred miles an hour it has never been necessary.

Kurt places his hand on Clark's shoulder and in an overpowering smell of sulphur they vanish and reappear outside Kitty and Rogue's room. That was weird Clark thinks to himself. He can briefly remember feeling like they were floating through space before they reappeared. "Thank you Kurt," he says to his friend before Kurt vanishes in another puff of blue smoke.

Clark knocks on the door.

"Who is it?" comes Rogue's muffled voice or it would be muffled to anyone but him.

"Rogue. It's Clark. Can I come in?" he asks. He waits a few seconds before he can hear her slide off her bed most likely and make her way to the door before she opens it.

"How did ya get here?" she asks him.

"Kurt brought me. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Rogue takes his arm and leads him into her room before closing the door behind them. She leads him to her bed and allows him to sit down on it before she sits down next to him. If Clark could see her he would see that her eyes are red from crying and all her make-up has been wiped off.

"Rogue I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asks him slightly confused at what he has to apologise for.

"For all this. It is always the same. My powers always lead to others getting hurt. I should learn to keep my mouth shut."

"Then she would still be around and able ta hurt us. No Clark as usual this is Mystique's fault. This is what she does. She uses people. She uses meh!" Her fists clench in anger. "Ah must be tha world's biggest idiot ta be fooled by her twice."

"No you're not Rogue. I never suspected anything either. If it wasn't for my hearing deciding today was the day to go...super none of us would be any the wiser. Take some advice from the blind guy who is an expert on the subject. Don't beat yourself up." After all Clark's been where Rogue is. Tina Greer duped him silly and nearly killed him so he for once knows what he is talking about.

Rogue drops her head onto Clark's shoulder and he wraps an arm around her waist. She was just so tried emotionally and drained and being held here by Clark feels good and allows her to just let her worries melt away for a moment.

Clark holds Rogue enjoying the feel of her next to him. More than that is that all the other sounds have faded away to leave only the constant beating rhythm of her heart.

* * *

Monday morning comes with still no improvement in Clark's vision and the news on other fronts is not great either. Logan had gone to the address they had gotten for Risty Whilde but the house had been cleared out and in a hurry from what Logan had discovered. The hunt for Nathan Dean, their erstwhile mutant, had not born fruition yet either although they were narrowing down the places he could be. One thing they had discovered from his police record about him was that he was actually from Smallville originally. Of course the fact he was detected by Cerebro meant that he was an x-gene mutant. Hank had speculated about the possibility of the meteor rocks having activated the x-gene in the boy. His research so far on the rocks had shown the the proper amount of the rock's unique radiation under the correct conditions could affect DNA, both mutant and human, and therefore made it possible for the rocks to have had the simple effect of turning the x-gene on.

The Professor hadn't had much luck in tracking him though. Nathan Dean had cleverly and frustratingly not used his powers since the day of the robbery so he was not showing up on Cerebro. No doubt he was laying low some place as the cops were after him. The sad part was that Charles simply wanted to find the boy to help him. Of course he was concerned about the possibility of mutants being revealed but he had the means to help Mr Dean who had obviously been forced somewhere along his life to turn to crime.

As the others head off to school it leaves Clark behind with the couple of others who didn't attend. Amara for one because her education was still being caught up. She did come from a pre-industrial society.

Clark's education wasn't going to be neglected. The Professor and Mr McCoy were going to teach him. He couldn't go to school obviously because they would have to explain his sudden blindness. They had already phoned the school this morning and said he was just sick but sooner or later if his eyes would not heal they would have to concoct some story about what happened to his eyes.

His hearing was still unpredictable to say the least. Sometimes it was almost normal, other times he could easily hear everything in the mansion. This morning he is sure he heard what sounded like a traffic accident somewhere in Bayville but he wasn't sure where or how far that meant he could actually hear but it looked likely they would be measuring it in miles.

Clark gets lead into the library by his mother where his school day will begin. He guesses this is his new reality now; one where he is locked in perpetual darkness and it doesn't look like his eyes are ever going to recover so he better start getting use to it.

* * *

After school that same day Rogue had decided to walk home. Understandably it had not been her best day ever. She was still hurting over 'Risty'. Everyone of course was trying to help her feel better which she really appreciated. It is just going to take a little time.

As she goes through over everything that has happened these last few days she is not quite paying attention to where she is going and as she nears a corner she ends up bumping into someone coming the other way. "Ah'm sorry..." she starts to say until she sees who it is she has bumped into. It is the guy who bumped into her in the mall. The one she had worked out was the mutant who tried to rob the store. The one who is to at least partly to blame for Clark's blindness. "You!" she says accusingly.

Nathan Dean had been trying to lay low for days until he could scrape enough money to skip town. What he hadn't expected was to bump into someone who somehow knew him. It takes him a few seconds to work out who she is until he gets a flash of the same girl with brown hair with a white stripe from the mall. He kind of panics at this point and in a moment he has adjusted his vocal chords and lets out his hypersonic shriek.

Rogue is forced to cover her ears as the extremely painful shriek seems to penetrate right through her. She ends up dropping to her knees as the pitch increases.

Nathan forces his shriek as high up as it can go and Rogue's vision greys at the edges as she cries out in pain. Then suddenly the noise stops. When she looks up she finds Nathan standing over her. "I'm sorry," he says before he kicks her hard in the head and that is the last thing Rogue knows.

Back at the mansion Nathan's use of his powers was what Charles had been waiting for and he finally has a location which he swiftly passes onto Logan. At the same moment Clark once more grabs his head in pain as the high pitched shriek is caught by his hearing. Then underneath that he hears another cry in a familiar voice. Rogue!

By the time Logan gets there Nathan is gone. He sniffs the area and picks up another scent. Rogue. He follows it until he reaches a spot where the two were obviously together. Logan spots a dark red spot on the ground. Blood and from the scent Rogue's blood. He clenches his fists hard and lets out a deep growl. This kid has Rogue and she is hurt and now Logan is mad.

A drop of rain hits Logan on the head. He looks up into the dark sky. What he fears next happens. The heavens open up and the rain washes away the scent trail. He has lost them. With nothing else he can do he informs Charles and heads back to the institute. It is up to Charles now to find them.

At the scrap yard that has been his home for the last few days Nathan dumps his tied up victim into the trunk of an old car after carrying her here. He doesn't realise it but the gloves he is wearing have been saving him while he tied her up. He slams the trunk lid closed. He doesn't want to do this but he doesn't want to go to jail even more.

What he doesn't pay attention to is the raven perched not too far away who has finally found what she was looking for but she had not expected Rogue to be here as well and to be in danger. Knowing she has to tell him Mystique flies to the nearest payphone and calls Magneto.

"I found the mutant. He is staying at the scrap yard outside of town," she tells him.

"Excellent," Magneto says in praise of Mystique's work.

"He has Rogue."

"Unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Mystique almost screams down the phone. "Is that all you have to say on the matter?"

"Your personal feelings for Rogue are irrelevant Mystique and as usual are blinding you to the bigger picture," Magneto says sounding a little bit like a parent talking down to a child.

"What bigger picture?"

"That this will only hasten Charles finding the mutant."

"You have a teleporter," Mystique reminds him. "Use her!" And get this over with so Rogue can be helped.

"I am not coming to capture this mutant," he informs her.

"What? Then why were you so keen for me to find him?" she asks him totally lost at Magneto's logic but then again she never could figure out how his mind worked.

"This Mystique is a test to see if those who have proven unreliable in the past deserve another chance."

It takes several seconds before Mystique works out who he means. "You are putting Rogue's life in their hands!" she screams unable to believe what she is hearing.

"This is not about Rogue Mystique and I warn you interfere and there will be...unpleasant consequences."

Magneto ends the phone call which is his way of saying that this is not up for discussion. Mystique stands there for several minutes trying to decide what to do. Disobeying Magneto was never good and he had this annoying habit of always being able to find her. On the other hand it is Rogue. Great. She is the position of actually wanting the x-men to succeed for once. She is not happy to say the least and she swears she is going to take it out on someone.

Back at his base Magneto contemplates the situation. Rogue complicates matters. Charles will find her quickly unless...

Magneto moves to the part of his base which he turned into a workshop. Once long ago he had helped Charles build the original Cerebro. It was how he knew how to shield himself from it. He picks up the prototype of a device he planned to build a larger version of. In theory it should be able to hide a town sized area from Charles' telepathy. The smaller one in his hand a much smaller area but this is a perfect chance to test if it works and slow Charles down. He just needed to have it placed at this scrapyard. "Haze!" he summons her.

* * *

The x-men all suited up wait outside of Cerebro for the Professor to locate Rogue. There is a definite tension and worry emanating from all of them at their missing friend. As team leader it is Scott who feels it most but does most not to show it.

Inside Cerebro Charles concentrates hard on Rogue's mind which since he is familiar with its patterns will make it possible to find her without having to wait for her to use her powers. He starts to pick up what feels like semi-conscious thoughts as if Rogue is coming around from being unconscious when all of a sudden he loses her signal completely. He alters the settings on Cerebro increasing the sensitivity and gets nothing. That was odd to say the least. In fact it was suspicious. It made him suspicious but he didn't have time to speculate. He better inform the others.

Up above in the mansion Clark overhears the Professor saying that he has lost Rogue's signal. Ever since he heard her cry out Clark has been going frantic with worry. It has also made him acutely aware of just what feelings he has for Rogue but he has to put that aside for now. Maybe the Professor can't find her but if Clark heard her cry out before surely he can again. He just has to work out how to focus his hearing to pick out one sound amongst the cacophony.

An idea strike him and he turns to the only other person with him in the lounge at the moment. "Jamie," he asks the young teenager. "Do you know where the others are?"

"No."

"Jamie I need you to find them for me. I have an idea on how to find Rogue and I need their help."

Jamie looks at Clark for a few seconds. They were all worried about Rogue but Jamie wasn't sure what Clark was on about but doing something..anything was better than sitting about here doing nothing. He stands up and stamps his foot on the ground several times until there are a small army of Jamies. "I'm on it," they say in stereo.

"And my parents," Clark adds. "Could you fetch them too?"

The Jamies nod before the small army spreads outward across the mansion to round up the New Mutants.

* * *

At the Bayville Boarding House the Brotherhood sit around the kitchen table playing poker. It was one of the things they did to pass the time but to their cost so far they had discovered that Tabitha was a bit of a card shark. It is then the phone rings.

"It's not my turn to answer it," Lance says looking at his cards. He had a good hand for once and wasn't getting up for anything. Last time he did that he came back to find someone had swapped his cards around and it could only have been Pietro considering the shortness of time he was away.

The phone continues ringing until it gets on Pietro's nerves for the last time. "Fine," he says petulantly. "I'll get it." He then zips off and picks it up. "Bayville Boarding House. You name it, we wreck it!"

"Pietro," his name is spoken in that all too familiar cold and dark voice.

"F-Father?" Pietro says in a voice like he can't quite believe what he is hearing because he hasn't seen or heard from his father in months. It has always been the formal way he has to address his father. It was always 'Father' or 'Sir' or just 'Magneto'. It was never 'dad' or 'daddy'.

"Pietro I have an opportunity for you and the Brotherhood. An opportunity to redeem yourselves and have a vital place in my plans," Magneto informs his son.

Pietro was half-tempted to tell his father to get lost but flashing a quick look at the others in the kitchen and what their lives have degenerated to he can say he is certainly sick of living like this. Also maybe if they do this...if he does this he can finally prove to his father that he is worthy of being his son. It is the one thing no matter how hard he tries he can never seem to do. "What is it you need to us to do?"

* * *

"Clark do you mind telling us what this is about?" Jonathan asks his son. He, Martha and the New Mutants had all been gathered up and were now down in the Danger Room.

"I need to learn to focus my hearing so I can find Rogue," he explains.

"Clark..." Martha starts to say.

"Mom. I overheard the Professor. He can't find her but I can. I heard her earlier today when she vanished which means if I just figure out how to focus my hearing I can find her. Help me."

Jonathan and Martha share a look. They were worried about Rogue too.

"Alright son. So what do we do?" Jonathan asks his son.

Clark turns in the general direction of the others. "I need you to make a lot of noise."

Bobby grins. "Is that all?" he asks surprised it would be that simple.

"Yeah," Jubilee says in agreement. "Noise we can do. Right guys?"

They all nod in agreement and in an explosion of coloured lights as they let their powers off and yelling they produce said noise.

Jonathan cottons on to what Clark wants and walks across the room some distance away from Clark. Martha yells to Clark above the din. "Listen for your father's voice!"

Clark nods while Jonathan starts to whisper "Concentrate Clark. Concentrate on my voice." Clark, however doesn't hear him at first. He focusses on the sounds of the others and tries to eliminate them one by one...to force himself to stop hearing them. Slowly they fade away one by one until breaking through he hears "Clark, concentrate. Concentrate on my voice, son."

"Dad!" Clark yells indicating that he heard him.

Jonathan puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly to get the others to stop. The whistling makes Clark yell out in pain and cover his ears.

"Clark!" Martha says with great concerned.

Clark holds his hand up. "It's ok. It's ok," he assures her.

Jonathan comes up to him. "Son?"

"I did it. For a second I heard you."

Both Martha and Jonathan smile. "That's great son. I was barely whispering," he tells Clark. "Okay. Lets keep working." Jonathan walks off even further away from before.

"Alright guys. Again," Clark asks of the others as they start up again.

Jonathan starts whispering again. "Focus, Clark. Focus on my voice. Can you hear me?" Clark nods. "Good."

* * *

In what ended up being dubbed the War Room the x-men along trying to come up with a plan. On the table in front of them a holographic map(another of Forge's creations) of a part of Bayville is displayed.

"I only got a partial trace on Rogue to this part of Bayville," Charles informs them.

"That's a lot of ground to cover Chuck," Logan says pessimistically.

Charles sighs in sad agreement. "I know but it is all we have."

"No it's not."

All heads turn to find Clark being guided by his dad standing at the door. Jonathan leads his son into the room. "I can find Rogue," Clark announces. Jonathan brings Clark to the table where he explains how he heard her earlier in the day and therefore he should be able to hear her now if he tries hard enough.

Charles speaks. "Clark no-one doubts your intentions but you would be subjecting yourself to possibly every sound within Bayville. Picking out one unique sound will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

"I can do this Professor," Clark says with pleading earnest. "You have to let me try."

Charles looks to Scott who as leader must approve the decision. "If he can do what he says Professor I am willing to bring him with us."

* * *

Nathan Dean packs his few possessions. He had waited a few hours until it was really dark before deciding to get out of town. His attentions are soon caught by a banging sound. He makes his way over to the car it is coming from and opens the trunk. "I know you won't believe this but I'm sorry," he tells the girl.

Rogue snorts. "Right. If ya were sorry ya would let meh go."

"I'm sorry but I'm not going back to jail."

Rogue softens her voice. "Look. Ah have friends who can help ya."

"Who says I want anyone's help," he says with a snippy attitude.

"Listen to meh please. My friends...mahself...we're mutants just lahke ya are. We attend this institute where we learn ta use our powers and ta fit in."

"I don't want to fit in and I have perfect control of my powers and use them the way I want."

Great. Not only is he rejecting her help he actually likes the way he is living his life. This isn't helping all that much as she tries to wriggle free of the ropes around her wrists and ankles.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Rogue does not like the way he said that. "What do ya mean?"

"I can't risk you telling the police," he says with dark foreboding of what happens next. He then slams the trunk shut.

"What do ya mean?" Rogue shouts at him. She bangs on the trunk lid again. "Answer meh! What do ya mean?"

Nathan ignores her screams as he pushes the button to start the conveyor belt that will take the car into the crusher. He won't go to jail again and therefore the only way he can be sure of that is to get rid of his witness here.

The x-men's helicopter, the Velocity, hovers over part of the city. Inside Clark listens intently, his face twitching as he tries to push down all the noise genertaed by the tens of thousands of people below and pick out the voice he is seeking. For awhile it seems like he can't do it then suddenly as clear as day he hears her.

"**What do ya mean? Answer meh! What do ya mean?"**

Clark points in a certain direction. "There! She's that way!"

Logan hits the accelerator and the Velocity shifts forward rapidly. He sure as hell hopes this works.

Now that Clark has her he keeps his focus on Rogue, on her voice, as her calls to be let out of somewhere become louder. "I think she is trapped somewhere," he tells them. "She's demanding to be let out."

Logan growls. This Dean kid is so going to know pain when he gets his hands on him.

"We're getting closer," Clark tells them. Logan descends a bit as a result. "She's below us...now."

"The scrapyard?" Kitty complains as it comes into view. "Ew!" she says as she thinks about all the dirt and grease and stuff.

Logan finds a space to land the Velocity and the x-men quickly make their way out. Logan pats Clark on the shoulder. "Stay here," he orders. "We'll take it from here."

"You sure. I mean I can still hear her and tell you which direction to go," Clark says wanting to help.

"Appreciate the sentiment but I'm sure we'll manage."

Clark nods a little reluctantly.

Logan makes his way out and sniffs the air full of oil and petrol fumes and rust but through it all he picks up the scent he picked up on the street of the Dean kid. "This way!" he says as he runs off and the x-men follow.

Nathan has actually picked up the bag with his belongings and is about to depart. He sees no point in staying any longer. He takes a few steps forward when a group of people in coloured costumes appear.

"We're not here to hurt you," Scott says stepping forward.

"Speak for yourself," Logan mutters in his normal ill-tempered way.

"We're just looking for our friend."

Nathan backs up seeing how cornered he is. These must be the friends the girl mentioned. He drops his bag and adjusts his vocal chords as he has to to activate his power. All the x-men have to cover their ears as Nathan lets out his shriek. For Kurt and Logan who have the most sensitive ears it is the worse and almost unbearably painful. Clark back in the Velocity has to cover his ears too.

Scott fights through it and manages to reach up to control on his visor and releases a blast at Nathan hitting him in the chest and knocking him down.

Ok. Scott tried to be nice and this guy just attacked them. Guess they are doing this the hard way. He turns to the red-head to his right. "Jean," is all he says but it is all he needs to say.

Jean nods. She may not like having to do this but if he won't tell them where Rogue is she'll look in his head and find out. She has just closed her eyes and is about to attempt it when the ground shakes violently. The piles of cars around them wobble and start to rain down upon them.

Scott blasts one. Jean telekinetically pushes one away. Kitty phases through one that was falling on top of her. Kurt teleports out of the way taking Spyke with him. Logan just carves a car falling at him in half.

A sudden earthquake seems unlikely so that leaves one other possibility and as the x-men regroup standing there beside Nathan have appeared Quicksilver, Blob, Toad and Avalanche.

"Hey x-geeks!" Lance yells insultingly. "Did you miss us?"

Now Lance may not like Pietro all that much. In truth his ego was a total pain but when Pietro told them that Magneto was giving them a chance at being part of his plans again Lance had to make a choice. Continue the tediousness that had become his life, join the x-geeks which was so not happening Kitty or no Kitty or agree to do this. He agreed to do this. Tabitha had not so she didn't come. It was no skin off Lance's nose really.

Nathan tries to run for it but Blob grabs him. "Ut uh. Sorry pal but you ain't going anywhere."

"Yeah," Toad says in agreement. "The Big Boss Man wants to have words with you and we're here to collect you yo."

"Stay out of this Lance," Scott orders. "You don't know what is going on. He has..."

Before Scott can finish Lance cuts him off. "And I don't care what is going on but we're taking this guy. Now either get out of our way or lets do this."

Scott stands up straighter. "Fine," he says. If Lance isn't going to listen that leaves one option. "Lets do this!"

Fred throws Nathan in a nearby car and bends the door so he can't get out. "You stay there. We'll be back for you after we beat up the x-geeks."

Lance eyes roll into the back of his head as he sets the ground in motion again pushing the x-men off balance while Pietro runs in and Blob picks up a car and throws it at them. Toad hops from one of the fallen cars to another pushing himself into a good position to try and spit slime into one the x-men's faces and blind them.

As the two groups battle the car Rogue is in finishes its slow crawl along the belt and into the crusher. Inside she is still trying to get herself free of her ropes. She hears what sounds like machinery of some kind fire up around her. "That can't be good," she can't help but mutter.

While all this is going on Clark had heard everything and certainly enough to know they weren't going to be getting Rogue any time soon so against Logan's orders he has left the Velocity and been making his way towards where he can still hear Rogue. She may not be shouting anymore but his hearing has sharpened to the point he can hear her muttering, her heart beating, even her breathing.

Clark feels along the piles of scrap and cars as he tries not to stumble through everything as he nears the battle.

Toad and Nightcrawler end up battling over the piles of cars and junk seeing whose agility is better. Blob has manages to catch Wolverine's arm as he attacked him and is now spinning him around while Lance uses his powers to keep Cyclops off balance to prevent him firing off an accurate shot. Blob lets Logan fly and he crashes into a pile of scrap some distance across the yard. He shouts triumphantly "Ha!" Only for something to tickle him as Scott finally manages to hit him. "I'm the Blob! You can't stop me!" he yells as he runs right at Scott as Jean grabs Blob with her telekinesis and manages to stop him for now.

Kitty has made her way behind Lance. "Lance. Like why are you doing this?"

Lance turns round to face her. "Because I'm tired of being a nothing."

Kitty is both surprised and saddened that he thinks that about himself. "Lance. You are not nothing. Not to me."

Lance looks at her beautiful blue eyes before he shakes his head at his weakening resolve. "I'm sorry Kitty. I don't want to fight you but I will unless you stay out of this."

Kitty can't stay out of this. Not with Rogue missing. "Then I'm sorry too Lance," she says with great regret.

Lance hesitates for a second before he reaches out and makes the ground shake creating a wave that rolls along the ground at Kitty who manages to catch it and ride it back before having to phase through more of the scrap that is all around them.

Pietro dodges some of Evan's spikes. "You are still so slow Daniels," he taunts his long time rival. "You couldn't hit me standing still."

Evan produces spikes along the entire length of his arm. "Try dodging this!" he yells as he fires them at Pietro who not only dodges them but catches them.

He smirks. "My turn!" He then throws them back but at speeds much faster then Evan can manage and they end up pinning Evan to a car by his uniform. Pietro is just admiring his handy work when he spots Kent in sunglasses groping along. Now what is this about?

Pietro zips to him in a second and pulls the sunglasses off Clark's face. "What's with the shades Kent?"

Clark reacts by instinctively and perhaps foolishly trying to grab them back only to miss badly. It doesn't escape Pietro's notice. "You can't see can you?" Pietro deduces as he waves his hand in front of Clark's eyes.

Clark doesn't even try to turn his gaze in Pietro's direction. "Pietro..." he starts to try and explain about Rogue but Pietro as always doesn't spend the time willing to listen.

"Oh this...this is classic! All those so-called powers of yours. Well they aren't much good to you now are they?" Pietro flings Clark's shades at him which bounce off his head.

"Pietro," Clark tries again.

"What Kent? Huh what do you want to say? Want to admit how great I am?"

Clark feels something else hit his head which he guesses Pietro threw at him.

Pietro gathers up pieces of scrap and throws them at Clark from every direction. "Time to show you just how fast am I Kent? Are you ready? Try and stop me!" Pietro runs some distance away before turning round and running right at Clark.

Clark does not have time for this. He concentrates hard and can hear the sound of Pietro's feet hitting the ground as he runs. He has to time this just right. Clark spins round and puts his arm out at the last second and Pietro runs right into it which is bad when you remember Clark is invulnerable and superstrong. It knocks the arrogant Quicksilver out like a light. Clark half wishes Rogue was here with a funny one-liner to sum up this moment.

Now back to finding Rogue. Clark refocusses his hearing but picks up something else. It sounds like metal being crushed. Clark suddenly realises where Rogue is. Oh god no!

Logan is running back to the fight from where Blob threw him and by the way he is pretty pissed at himself for allowing that when he spots Clark. "I though I told you to stay put kid!"

Clark reaches out and grabs Logan by his arms. "Logan...Rogue...She is in the crusher."

Logan's eyes widen at Clark's words. His head whips round in that direction. With the fight against the Brotherhood no-one had noticed that it was even working. With a snarl he runs off right at it. Toad jumps down in his path to stop him but Logan is finished playing and as Toads tongue lashes out Logan grabs it and yanks Toad hard before tossing the gangly teen out of the way. Blob is still fighting Scott and Jean so it is Lance next that spots Logan. He holds his hand out and the ground shakes. A few more cars fall down from their piles. Logan dodges and jumps onto the roof of one that falls in front of him and from there through the air and as he lands he takes Lance out harder than he would normally on the kid but he is in a rush.

Logan extends his claws and with a swipe slices through the hydraulic jacks on the crusher.

Kurt spots Clark and jumps down next to him. "Clark?"

"Kurt. Take me to where Logan is," he asks his friend. Kurt touches Clark's arm and teleports him. Meanwhile Jean has finally got some leverage on Blob to lift him up and with a powerful blast from Scott combined with a shove from Jean they send the mountainous teen sailing off crashing into another one of the many piles of scrap.

Clark and Kurt appears next to Logan. "Kurt guide me to a edge of the jaw," Clark asks of his friend. Kurt does so and Clark grabs one of the jaws of the crusher. He then pulls it apart opening it back up to reveal a partially crushed car. Clark manages to make his way to the trunk and pulls it open, the metal protesting as he does so.

When the trunk is opened Rogue cannot describe the relief that fills her. She really thought there for a second when the car around her started to be pushed in...well to be frank she thought for a second that was it.

Logan soon slices through her binds and helps her out of the car. Rogue dusts herself off. "What took ya guys so long!" she complains trying to sound pissed at them.

All of them smile because that is so typically Rogue. "Sorry about that Rogue," Scott apologises. "We ran into a few problems," he tells her and then tells her how for some reason Cerebro couldn't find her.

"Then how did ya find me?" she asks them.

"The Boy Wonder there," Logan says pointing at Clark.

Rogue has to blink at that. "Can someone explain that ta meh?" Kitty who is back by now opens her mouth to answer but Rogue cuts her off. "In terms ah can understand."

"I heard you," Clark says and Rogue looks at him. "I used my hearing to pick up your voice," he explains.

"Ya can do that?" she inquires unsure whether that is even possible.

Clark shrugs. "I can now."

"Um guys," Kurt says to get everyone's attention. "He's gone!"

Everyone looks in the direction Kurt is pointing at to see that Nathan Dean is gone from where Blob stashed him. They do a quick search but find no trace so leaving them with no choice for the moment but to head home. At least they got Rogue. On the way back they pass Pietro where Rogue asks what happened to him and Clark explains what he did. Rogue's comment is that it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

As they walk back with Rogue taking Clark's arm as had become the habit Clark can't begin to describe how terrible the thought is that Rogue almost died. It has made him realise a few things. It has made him change his mind on a few issues. He resolves when they get back to the mansion and they have a minute alone there a few things that he needs to tell to her. Things about what he feels for her.

Unnoticed by everyone, Clark included, a blond observer in her carefully concealed position decides she better go back and report on everything she has seen and heard and in a haze of green mist she vanishes.

* * *

Several minutes earlier Nathan Dean is getting the hell out of this town as fast as he can. God this place is worse than Smallville for freaks. While those two groups were fighting he made good his getaway. The large boy who threw him in the car only jammed one door while seemingly forgetting that a car has more than once. Not very bright it seems but it is all good for him.

He can hear the sounds of their conflict behind him in the distance as he alternates between jogging and walking fast. This part of the town is pretty much deserted so he doubts anyone will notice all that which is another good thing for him. Lets him depart without trying to dodge the authorities.

Then, suddenly, there is a sharp pain in his neck. Nathan reaches up and finds something in his neck. He pulls it out to see it is a dart. He starts feeling kind of dizzy before he his world goes black and he slumps to the ground.

Around him a small group of paramilitary dressed men stand in black uniforms. On a patch on their arms are the letters MRD. The leader of the elite squad talks to the man next to him. "Contact Mr Luthor and tell him we have the target." The man nods in obedience and goes to call it in.

The leader turns his head to the sounds in the distance of the fight in the scrap yard. They had seen the whole thing from a distance after having traced their target to this location. It seems this town has a freak problem too just like Smallville but their orders from Mr Luthor were just to capture the one from the jewellery store robbery so they waited until the boy escaped and then made their move. Besides they weren't enough of them and they weren't armed well enough to take on what they saw. The leader knows Mr Luthor is going to want to know about these other two groups too. That conversation is something that is better done in person though.

A unmarked black van screeches to a stop and the target is bundled in and restrained. The squad of men all pile in and the van takes off into the night. Mission complete but considering what they just saw its is obvious that more missions are inevitable. It seems the work of the Mutant Response Division has only just begun.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Back at the mansion Hank gives Rogue a check over. Apart from a small cut where Nathan kicked her and a bit of a headache she is alright but Hank excuses her from any DR sessions for a couple of days much to Rogue's delight. No-one ever turns down an excuse to avoid a Logan DR session.

Afterwards Rogue makes her way through the mansion and spots Kitty being consoled by Jean, Jubilee and Amara. Kitty was taking what transpired with Lance at the scrapyard hard and was wondering what it meant for her relationship with Lance now.

Rogue is actually looking for Clark. She needs to talk to him. In that car when she was about to be crushed a few thoughts came to her in relation to her feelings for him that she really needs to tell him about. She eventually finds out from Mrs Kent he is outside so she grabs her coat and finds him sitting on the edge of the fountain.

"Hey Rogue," Clark says long before she says anything. He would have stayed with her down in the infirmary but Mr McCoy wanted privacy.

"Hi Clark," she says back and doesn't even bother asking him how he knew it was her. She sits down next to him. "Your hearing still causing you problems?" she queries in reference as to why he is out here again.

"It is not as bad as it was but still...guess I need more practice."

"Ah want to say thank ya for finding meh."

"You don't need to do that Rogue. I just did what any blind alien with super-hearing would do," he jests.

Rogue just has to smile. She does that a lot more since Clark arrived. Smile that is.

"I'm just glad we found you in time," Clark says with a soft genuine tone.

"Yeah about that. That is kind of tha reason ah'm out here ta talk ta ya. Clark when ah thought... maybe for a second that ah was done for ah did have one regret over something ah hadn't done."

"What?" he asks her and if Clark was actually any good at reading people he would have an inkling about what comes next.

Rogue takes a deep breath while she plays with her bangs which is her habit when she is nervous about something. Alright she can do this. "Clark ah need to tell ya...ah need to say...ah lahke ya as more than a friend." There she did it.

Clark can feel his heart speed up a bit at those words and he can hear it too. He can hear Rogue's heart hammering away quite fast showing how nervous she is. He takes his own deep breath. "Rogue. I do like you."

"Ya do?" she asks hopefully.

"I do," he confirms for her.

Rogue tentatively takes Clark's hand into her own and she feels him squeeze it gently.

Clark shakes his head. "You know before all this I had talked myself into not telling you that."

"Why?"

"Because I had convinced myself that you would end up hurt like everyone else that gets close to me so therefore the best thing I could do was to make sure we only stayed friends."

"Ya are an idiot," she tells him bluntly.

"I know," he is willing to concede.

"What changed?" Rogue asks him.

"You vanished. You almost died." Clark's voice chokes up a bit. "I have never been good at knowing what my heart is saying but in that scrapyard it was all too clear and loud that you could have died and never known how I felt so here I am telling you that I do like you as more than a friend. In fact..." he laughs a little here, "I was going to tell you this at what I thought a good moment would be."

Rogue smiles at that. "Guess ah beat ya ta it."

"Ah guess ya did," Clark says back in a poor imitation of a southern accent.

"Clark. Take mah advice. Don't do that."

"Sorry," he apologises.

"So what happens now?" Rogue asks having no clue. Clark is essentially her first boyfriend if that is what she calls him now.

"You really want to do this?" he asks her.

"Well yeah. As long as ya don't mind dating tha girl ya can nevah touch."

"Well as long as you don't mind dating the blind guy...who also happens to be an alien...who also comes along with like a ton of baggage...who..." Rogue places a gloved finger to Clark's lips to shut him up.

"Are ya trying ta talk meh out of this?"

"No. Well I don't think so anyway." Clark's face screws up in the most adorable puzzled expression.

"Clark. Sometahmes silence is golden," Rogue tells him before he puts his foot in it and ruins this moment.

"That's it!" he says loudly all of a sudden with a snap of his fingers.

"What's it?"

"That is what I should have said when I put Pietro down. I was thinking that if you were there you would have said something funny but I was in a rush to find you and couldn't think of what to say."

Rogue thinks on that. "Not sure that would have been mah best put down," she points out.

"No but it would have been appropriate. Does he ever shut up?"

"Ah haven't found a way yet."

Clark shifts over right next to Rogue and wraps an arm around her waist and she leans into him...very carefully he notes. "Rogue. We'll find a way around your powers," he promises her. A fleeting thought enters his head whether her powers would actually work on him at all, him being an alien, but the thought leaves him as quickly as it arrived.

Rogue wants to believe him. She really does. It is why she is willing to give this a go. "So we are giving this a go?"

"I want to. Do you?"

Rogue smiles and nods her head. "Ah do."

"Ok then but I should probably warn you beforehand that I am a really cheap date," he jokes.

"Well ya are a silver tongued devil aren't ya. Ya certainly know what ta say ta a girl," she jokes back.

Oh how Clark wishes that was true. However for the moment he just enjoys a few minutes sitting here with her when he so so nearly lost her today. The only thing he regrets is that he'll never be able to see her face again or look into her stunning green eyes. His hearing picks up the flapping of some bird wings as he guesses one lands nearby the two of them. "Rogue."

"Hmm?"

"How are you doing with the whole, um, Mystique thing?" Clark feels he needs to ask her.

Rogue sighs. "Ah'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Ah nearly died. Ah got mahself a boyfriend. Compared ta that she is a little down tha list at tha moment."

"Ok. If you ever need to talk I'm a really really good listener especially now."

"Ya did enough Clark by discovering it was her. Who knows what she was planning this tahme."

Clark tightens his hold on her a little bit just to let her know he is there for her.

Looking down on the new couple from on top of the fountain is a raven. A raven that is much more than it appears. A raven that now knows who is to blame for her misfortunes of late and she is going to get payback.

* * *

Lionel scrutinises the report in front of him. Nathan Dean was the name of the mutant that had been captured. Wasn't hard to get that information once they had him and could get his fingerprints.

That is only part of his though because what he has learned from the leader of his MRD elite squad is that there seem to be many people in possession of abilities in Bayville in what seems to be opposing groups.

In many ways this confirms what Lionel had suspected due to the number of strange occurrences that occurred around Bayville. Next question was what to do about it. Capturing a single mutant on his own is an easy task...relatively speaking. Capturing a well organised and possibly trained group of mutants was much more difficult.

Lionel has some ideas about what to do about that. What it needs though is experienced leadership. More experienced than what he currently has at his disposal. He can remember...must have been 15 years ago or so rumours of a project involving people with abilities. The project...one of the test subjects escaped and virtually destroyed the project as he did so but some of those involved must still be around. Lionel will need to use all his influence with the friends he has in the government to see what he can find out. In the meantime he is going to check in on the their guest.

"So what do you think of him Dr Essex?" Lionel asks his head scientist as they both look at the first guest of the new containment area. Nathan Dean.

"His power is interesting," Essex replies blandly.

"Does the collar work?" Lionel asks in reference to the mechanical collar placed around Nathan's neck.

Essex tries not to sound insulted that one of his creations is being doubted. "The collar prevents him from vibrating his vocal chords at the speeds required to generate his 'shriek'. Personally I think it's a work of genius considering the time scale in which I created it." On top of that he included a psychic shield hidden in the collar so Xavier won't be finding the boy.

Yes Lionel did find it odd how quickly Essex created it. It was like he had done something similar before but as far as Lionel can remember none of the others he has had Essex work on before had a power like Mr Dean's. "Can he still talk?" Lionel asks.

"Not very loudly but yes."

Lionel steps forward to the two-way mirror to Mr Dean's room and activates the intercom. "Good evening Mr Dean."

Nathan who had been sitting in the corner of his cell gets to his feet and looks around for the source of the voice. "Who are you? Why am I am here?" he asks in what proves Dr Essex correct in saying is a quiet voice.

"Who I am is irrelevant for the moment Mr Dean. What I can offer you is a fresh start."

Nathan is suspicious to say the least. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is look at yourself. Where is your life going. You are still a boy yet I can see your future clearly. It is going to be spent in and out of jail hiding your...gift."

Nathan's brow furrows and he pulls at the collar on his neck a bit. It is immensely uncomfortable. "What is it you are proposing?"

"You work for me. I am creating a special...team and I would like you to be part of it. In exchange I give you a new identity, a new name, a fresh start, a new life unburdened by the mistakes of your old one. Now you don't have to give an answer right now. Think on it and we'll talk again later." Lionel switches off the intercom and turns back to Essex. "How long until your genetic stabiliser is ready?" he asks in reference to the machine Essex promised to build capable of stabilising the meteor mutants.

Essex had inspected the building of his new lab which was on schedule. Taking that into account he gives the answer of "The prototype should be ready for testing in the new year."

"Good," Lionel says pleased by that. "Beyond that do you think it would be possible to produce specific chosen abilities in test subjects?"

Essex can guess that this is related to Lionel's illness. He must be desperate to even consider the possibility of subjecting himself to the mutation process. In answer Essex says. "Well that will take more time and testing to find out the specific circumstances in which abilities in the current batch of subjects were created and then to replicate them in a controlled environment. That would form the basis of learning how to manipulate the meteor's rocks radiation to produce a desired outcome."

"How long would that take?"

"Months certainly. Years probably."

Lionel's' face darkens. The treatments he is already taking are only going to give him 18 months tops, most likely less than that. He needs results faster than that. "Whatever it takes Dr Essex. However much money, whatever resources you need in personnel and equipment but I want results soon."

Essex is not going to turn down an offer like that. "Of course Mr Luthor. I can begin construction of the Genetic Stabiliser tomorrow and as I said have it up and running by the new year."

"See that you do," Lionel orders with a veiled threat of what will happen if his expectations are not met.

* * *

Back at the mansion Clark remains sitting outside. Rogue had already gone in since it was nearing time for bed but Clark wanted to stay outside for a few more minutes before having to endure the noises of the mansion. He hears footsteps near him. "Hello?" he queries since he oddly can't pick up a scent.

"Clark," a familiar southern laced voice says his name.

"Rogue? I thought you went inside," Clark says with some confusion. He hears her sit down next to him.

"Well ah was goin' ta but ah changed mah mind," she explains.

"Ok," he says. "Why..." he is about to ask why she is back when he notices something wrong. The other night when he was in Rogue's room to apologise to her he spent some time listening and getting to know the rhythm of her heartbeat. Over the course of the day as his hearing fluctuated in intensity Clark had begun to notice that he could hear everyone's heartbeat and that each person had their own rhythm utterly unique to that person like a fingerprint. Now he doesn't know everyone's off by heart but he does know Rogue's and the rhythm coming from this person is all wrong for Rogue which leads to only one conclusion. "You're not Rogue."

'Rogue's' mouth actually drops open a little bit. It was impossible. There was no way he could know she wasn't Rogue. Despite his blindness she had gone through the effort of changing her form just in case someone in the mansion looked out a window. How could he possibly know?

"Who are you?" Clark demands to know while vainly trying to grab the fraud.

Mystique easily avoids the clumsy grasp. "Someone who doesn't take kindly to having their plans ruined," she says coldly in her true voice.

"You're Mystique," Clark concludes from recognising the voice he had heard 'Risty's' change into.

"And you ruined everything," she hisses in anger.

"I was not the one using Rogue," Clark replies calmly. He then adds "Or causing pain to their own son."

That one stings Mystique a little bit she shakes it off. "Everything I do is for his benefit. I do what I need to to protect him," she insists as the justification for any actions she takes.

"All he needs is his mother to be there for him."

"You don't know what you are talking about."

"Yes I do because I lost my mother when I was a baby. I'll have to always wonder what she was like. Kurt doesn't have to but you make it that he does."

"I don't have to justify myself to you!" she snaps angrily in response to the fact that Clark's words are cutting home.

"No you don't. Only to yourself."

"Enough!" Mystique yells as she reaches forward and grabs Clark by his jacket and actually throws him with all her strength,

Clark lands on his back and slides across the gravel of the drive losing yet another pair of shades to join the pair Pietro took. He can be thrown when he isn't prepared because he needs to put thought into resisting the momentum. He gets back to his feet and listens carefully around himself.

"You do not get to judge me!" Mystique grinds out from between her teeth and Clark heads in that direction he hears her. "You have no idea what it is like to be so different that you spend your life being hated and despised."

"Actually I have a better idea than you think," Clark says trying to end this with reason because there is not a lot else he can do. Her movements are incredibly silent. He feels what he thinks is a kick hit him in the chest and he takes a step back out of his instinctual reaction. "If this is about getting back at me you have to realise that you can't hurt me."

"Your eyes say different Mr Kent."

Clark does not bother responding but just keeps following her voice. Mystique smiles darkly. Perfect. Her original plan may have been to pretend to be Rogue and lead him to where she wants him but this can work too as long as he keeps trying to get her.

Clark's hands come across a wall. He tries to figure out where exactly he is as he finds a large opening. It has to be the garage he realises. It is then he hears something being lit and a fizzing sound. A firecracker or something like it would be his guess.

"You may be tough Mr Kent but..." Clark hears a squeaking sound. Mystique has opened the fuel lid to the van. "can you survive this?"

To Mystique's immense surprise Clark zips forward in a blur and grabs her wrist and squeezes tightly until she drop the firecracker or whatever it is. "Yes I can but I won't let you hurt anyone else." If the van exploded Scott's car would follow not to mention everything else that is combustible in here. Who knows how big the explosion might be, how much damage it would do, how many people it would hurt.

"But how...you can't see," Mystique says incredulously.

"No but I can hear very well. Next time choose something that doesn't fizzle."

Mystique struggles against the iron grip. No. She isn't beaten yet. She has to make him pay. She changes form into a mouse and with much smaller legs she slips out of Clark's hand. She lands on the floor and scurries away a distance before shifting back to her natural form. Her eyes fall upon something leaning in the corner. An oxyacetylene welding torch. A malicious smile touches her lips.

"You want to stop me Mr Kent. Come and get me!" she says deliberately loud so he hears her. As Clark nears her Mystique waits until the last possible moment before she grabs the torch, lights it and thrusts it deliberately into the one part of Clark she knows can be hurt, his eyes.

Clark screams out in pain as he covers his eyes and stumbles back a step or two. With her prey incapacitated Mystique knows this is her chance. She quickly moves back over towards the van. She reaches down to pick up what is a firecracker. It has gone out but she can relight it. As her hand grabs it a boot suddenly presses down on top of her hand...hard.

**Snikt!**

Mystique's eyes turn up to see 3 metal claws. Logan had been patrolling the grounds as he always does just before the kids turn in when he had heard Clark's cry of pain.

"Lady you've only got one chance to get out of here," Logan says in gruff anger. "No chance!"

By now Clark has fallen to his knees with his hands still over his eyes still crying out in pain.

"Your choice Wolverine. Get me or help the boy. You can't do both," Mystique gloats as she points out his choices.

Logan growls. "This ain't over Mystique. I promise ya that." Logan moves over to Clark and bends down next to him. When he glances back Mystique is gone. Oh yeah this ain't over. Not by a long shot. No-one hurts one of his kids. He turns his attentions back to Clark whose cries of pain have started to lessen. He tries to pry Clark's hand away from his face which is not an easy task when the kid ain't letting him.

When Logan finally does manage to get Clark's hands apart he sees that the blow torch has somehow managed to completely destroy Clark's eyes. That is a surprise considering the kid is supposedly invulnerable. What is even more surprising is that before Logan's eyes he can see Clark's eyes literally regrowing and repairing themselves. It is as fascinating as it is nauseating.

It takes several minutes for Clark's eyes to regenerate. The blue of Clark's irises has just about returned when a voice breaks into the scene. "What is goin' on...oh mah God. Clark!" Rogue screams. When he hadn't come and said goodnight to her like he promised she figured something was wrong so she had grabbed her coat and come to look for him and finds him on the floor of the garage. She rushes over and kneels in front of him pushing Logan out of the way. "What happened?" she demands to know of Logan.

"Mystique happened," he grunts out.

Rogue's anger threatens to boil over. First using her and now attacking Clark and worse still hurting him somehow. She places her gloved hands on the side of his face. "Clark. Speak ta meh."

Clark blinks several times. The pain has gone and he starts to realise that the darkness of his vision is receding. At first it is only shades but as time passes the shades start to turn into objects. Blurred, dull, out of focus but he can definitely see them. Then in front of him a kind of cream colour topped by brown and white. He blinks a couple of times more and even though she is still blurry he can see what may be the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. "Rogue," he says in a soft voice full of wonder. "I can see you."

"What?"

Clark takes her hands off his face and into his own and smiles. Tears of happiness sting his newly restored eyes. "I can **see** you," he says again.

For Rogue, as she looks into his expressive blue eyes she can see they are actually focussed directly on her face, it finally sinks in what he is on about and it makes her smile too before she throws her arms around him and hugs him.

* * *

When all the hugging is over with Logan marches Clark back into the mansion where the whole story gets told to everyone and then inevitably Clark ends up down in the infirmary...again. For a supposedly invulnerable guy he does seem to be spending a lot of time down here lately. His parents are of course overjoyed at the news as they look on.

Clark blinks as Mr McCoy shines the light of the biomicroscope into Clark's eyes. Hank is very pleased to see Clark's pupils contract in reaction as they should.

"How are you feeling Clark?" Hank asks him.

"Ok but everything is still blurry," he tells Mr McCoy.

"I believe your eyes will need some time to relearn how to focus properly," Hank tells Clark.

"Uh, what about your other abilities?" Martha asks him.

Clark concentrates for a second on the wall in front of him and tries to activate his x-ray vision. Nothing. Same for his heat vision. "They're still gone," he informs them all.

"Maybe your eyes just need more time to heal," Jonathan suggests while glancing over at Hank seeing if the blue, furry mutant agreed with that diagnosis or not.

"I think it is more than that," Hank has to correct. "Logan mentioned what he saw happened. Essentially your eyes were destroyed Clark and these are brand new eyes that grew in their place."

Ok now that is a visual Clark could do without. He means..ugh. That is a horrible image.

Hank continues his explanation. "It is like...when you are a baby. Their eyes can't focus at first because they are new and they don't know how to focus. Your new eyes will have to learn to do the same and in time they will learn how to utilise your x-ray and heat vision abilities again."

"But how could his eyes have been destroyed like that?" Martha asks since Clark is meant to be invulnerable.

Hank removes his glasses from his face. "Now I would have to guess. My guess would be that the kryptonite that burned his eyes left them vulnerable, essentially not much harder to damage than your or mine own eyes. Once the torch destroyed the scar tissue it seems that whatever was inhibiting your ability to heal was destroyed to. There must have been trace elements of kryptonite in the scar tissue," Hank speculates.

However it happened. Clark is just glad it did. Considering how late it now is Hank decides to pick this up in the morning and see how Clark's eyes are after a good night's sleep.

* * *

The next morning and Clark blinks a few times after Mr McCoy has finished examining his eyes again. His vision is still blurry and his x-ray and heat vision are still not working.

Hank frankly was shooting in the dark as to what would happen now. He had no idea how Clark's eyes were suppose to heal or how quickly or slowly his vision would rectify itself. "Clark. Would you say your vision was any better compared to last night?" Hank asks him.

"No. It's about the same."

Since Hank has no idea how long this will last he is going to need to get some equipment to help Clark. In the meantime Clark will have to stay off school for another day. Blurry vision is not much of an aid to learning when it makes it impossible to read.

A little later Clark finds himself in the Professor's office retelling the whole story of last night to him from Clark's perspective.

"I have to know Clark. How did you know it wasn't Rogue you were talking to?" Charles asks him since almost every other way he knew of detecting Mystique was now no longer valid.

"She can copy their appearance, their voice, even their scent but not the rhythm of their heart. It is as unique as a fingerprint," Clark explains.

Charles leans back in his chair. He had never thought of that one but then again he had never taught anyone whose hearing was so sensitive as to be able to pick that up. Still Charles was saddened by how angry, bitter and vengeful Mystique seemed to be now. Hopefully though she won't try this again especially if she wants to avoid a run in with Logan who had spent many an hour since last night muttering loudly about what he was going to do to Mystique once he got his hands on her. Even though Charles loathes the violence Logan was semi-promising to inflict upon Mystique it always makes Charles smile slightly when Logan, despite his gruff exterior, shows how much he really cares about the students.

For the rest school is pretty much same as same as. The Brotherhood mostly avoided them obviously still licking their wounds from yet another defeat. Lance's standoffishness hurt Kitty who had in response ended up being much more sullen than she is usually.

Rogue spends a lot of her day trying to wrap her mind around the fact she had a boyfriend. She of all people has an actual boyfriend. It had certainly helped alleviate some of the hurt caused by Mystique. When she gets home that day after school her first thought is to go find Clark. She finds him in his room standing in front of his mirror. "Clark?"

He turns round and Rogue has to blink at the sight. Clark is wearing glasses and from his expression she can guess he isn't too happy about it. "Where did ya get those?" she asks him.

"Mr McCoy made them," Clark tells her. The equipment hank had wanted this morning was so he could accurately test Clark's vision problems and make him up a pair of glasses to correct it allowing Clark to at least see in focus until his eyes healed fully. Clark wasn't all that fond of them. They made him look...dorky. "They're awful aren't they?"

Rogue shakes her head. "They're fahne," she tells them and she isn't lying really. He looks...to use a Kitty-esque word, cute. She takes a few steps towards him. "Besides glasses or no ah ain't lettin' ya off takin' meh out on a date Space Boy. Even a cheap one," she says using back his joke from last night.

Clark smiles and takes her hands into his own while looking into her green eyes that he feared he might not ever see again. He is looking forward to taking her out. This will be the first time in his life he has been on a date with someone who knows what he is and with whom he can be himself. That alone will make this a great experience.

Clark and Rogue's moment is broken by coughing coming from the doorway. The two of them look to see Clark's parents standing there.

"Something you want to tell us Clark?" Martha queries at the sight of Clark and Rogue being so tender with each other.

Clark had not actually got around to telling his parents about him and Rogue. There hadn't be an opportunity last night and he had not mentioned it during the day. Not that he has anything to hide or feel shame about because he doesn't. The opposite really. He just somehow never found a good moment to tell them. He opens his mouth to tell them now when Kitty appears behind his parents to remind Rogue about the x-men's DR session.

Clark gives her a look that tells her it is ok for her to go and he'll tell his parents.

Rogue leaves with Kitty who just has to ask her Goth friend "What was going on there with Clark and his parents?"

Rogue decides to just bite the bullet and tell Kitty the truth knowing how Kitty will react. "Clark and meh are...dating."

Kitty stops dead. "Really?" Rogue nods and Kitty lets out this little squeal which makes Rogue wince at the pitch. "Oh my God! That is so great! I knew you two would like get it together sooner or later. I mean Clark has already been good for you."

"What does that mean?" Rogue asks at that last bit.

"It means that ever since Clark got here you let your guard down around him like you don't around anyone else. You smile more. You laugh more. You let yourself have fun...occasionally."

Well Rogue will admit that she had been feeling a bit happier with her life lately and as for the rest...there is just something about Clark that makes her feel comfortable and able to open up.

Kitty shakes her head not quite able to believe this situation. "Wow I never thought I would live to see the day," she jokes.

"What day?"

"The day that you have a boyfriend."

At that word Rogue can't stop the little smile that comes to her face. She has a boyfriend.

* * *

Meanwhile Clark had persuaded his parents that perhaps they should have this talk outside away from any chance of interruption or being overheard which is a near certainty if you have any sort of conversation inside the mansion.

"So son?" Jonathan asks Clark. "What was that about back there?"

"Short version. Rogue and I are dating."

Martha smiles at that. Clark's pain after his break-up with Lana was starting to make her wonder if he would ever find anyone else although Rogue was certainly very different from the other girls he had ever shown interest in. "When did this happen?" she asks her son.

Clark explains how these feelings had been building up within him for awhile but that it was only after Rogue was almost killed that he decided to tell her how he felt. "I had to be blinded to make me see clearly," he says with a small laugh at the irony.

"Are you sure this is what you want Clark?" Jonathan asks striking a note of caution. "As much as I love Rogue a relationship with her has obvious difficulties."

Like her inability to touch Clark knows his father is hinting at. "I'm sure," he insists. "With Rogue I can be myself and that is what I should be able to be right?"

"Yes," Martha says. That is exactly what he should be able to be.

"As for everything else...we'll find a way round it. There has to be a way," he believes being the eternal optimist. At this point Clark takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes.

"You alright?" Jonathan asks him.

He holds his glasses up to indicate that they are the problem. "I just need to get use to them I think."

"I'm sure your eyes will adjust soon Clark," Jonathan says with nothing to base that on but hope.

"I hope so. It is going to be bad enough when I have to go into school wearing these tomorrow." Now that he had glasses to correct his vision he was no longer excused from school and it is going to be so much fun when people like Duncan Matthews see him in these. Clark puts his glasses back on his face, pushes them up his nose and lets out a sigh. "I suppose it could all have turned out worse," he says expressing a thought he is lucky to have his sight back at all.

Jonathan moves to Clark's side and puts his arm around his son. "That's the spirit Clark."

"Yeah. After all imagine what would have happened if that earring had been made of red kryptonite instead of green," Clark jokes.

"Now that's a scary thought," Martha says in a light jest.

"Yeah. I would have probably been off joining Magneto or the Brotherhood by now," Clark says continuing to joke.

"Well with any luck there will be no red kryptonite about here," Martha says hopefully. The last 2 times had been plenty of trouble as it was.

"Come on," Jonathan says. "Lets go back inside."

The Kents start to head in when Clark stops suddenly and his head whips round to look at one of the nearby trees. "Clark?" his mother queries.

"I thought I heard something." His head then cocks to the side slightly as he listens but doesn't hear anything. He shakes his head. "I guess it was nothing."

The Kents resume their walk back into the mansion while Clark mentally notes to work harder on controlling his new hearing abilities. He must have just picked up a stray sound from somewhere else.

Once the Kents are inside a green mist forms next to the tree and Alicia appears. That was a close one. She was hiding behind the large tree's trunk when she stepped on a twig. Luckily she has this cool teleporting power to save her neck. As to why she is here well that is simple. When she was spying on the fight in the scrapyard she had spotted him. Clark Kent. The Clark Kent. The one she had crushed on before her powers manifested and her parents imprisoned her.

Magneto had told her all about Professor Xavier, his institute and his naïve beliefs but Clark being here meant that he must be a mutant like her. It was too good to be true and what is more if she overheard right there is a substance that can somehow change him so he would come over to Magneto's side. The side she is on.

She is not familiar with the term kryptonite but along with seeing Clark at the scrapyard she had sneaked a look at the security tape footage when Magneto was off doing...whatever it is he goes off and does. She saw the footage and the earring made of green meteor rock so she figures they meant that. So if she could get some red meteor rock...

A smile comes to Alicia's lips as the start of a plan forms in her mind. She needs to get Magneto's approval though so she vanishes in her usual haze of green mist to get it.

* * *

At the Bayville Boarding House Lance is sitting watching tv and trying to ignore that feeling of guilt about what transpired with Kitty in the scrapyard. He hadn't meant to be so harsh and he did try not to hurt her but like he said to her he was fed-up of the way his life is going lately. On top of that he is trying to forget the sting of yet another defeat at the hands of the x-geeks. God is he sick of losing to those guys.

The others seemed to feel the same. Fred was in the kitchen eating comfort food. Toad was sitting upside down on the chair watching tv with him. Pietro was out somewhere. Lance didn't know where and frankly didn't care all that much. Tabitha was upstairs doing...whatever it is girls do in their rooms.

It is then the front door is kicked open...hard. Lance and Toad walk to the front door while Fred joins them eating one of his 30 layer sandwiches. What they find at the door is an extremely ticked off looking Mystique.

"Hello boys. Guess who's back."

"Hey is that really you yo?" Toad queries and in response Mystique grabs Toad and throws him across the room into the wall where he slides down head first until he hits the floor. "Yeah. It's you."

She's back because Mystique sadly has nowhere else to go. That and Magneto thought the Brotherhood had done enough to earn another chance despite the fact the mutant they were sent to get escaped and has vanished again. Apparently what they did do was enough for Magneto but not for her. "Vacation's over boys. From here on in things are going to be **very **different around here," she warns them with a less than veiled threat present in her tone of voice.

Lance, Toad and Fred and simultaneous gulp at the way Mystique said that. She looks around the disaster zone that is the house. "And I see you have let this place go to hell," she says, her voice icy cold.

"Uh well you see the thing there is uh..." Lance stammers trying to get over the shock of seeing Mystique again. They hadn't seen her since Asteroid M. Hell he hadn't even been sure she had survived.

"We'll talk later," she promises them with another not so veiled threat. "After I settle back into my room." She then brushes past the 3 teenage mutants and heads upstairs.

"Oh man. This is not good," Lance says realising what Mystique will find in her room. Tabby had blown the door off and claimed it as her own. "Wait for it," he tells his two friends.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DOOR? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?" they can all hear Mystique shout.

"Man is she going to get it yo," Toad says.

"Guess things are back to normal," Lance mutters.

* * *

_Author's Note: And so we have the famous glasses which I will be keeping around for a bit longer then they did on the show. I might even keep them permanently but I haven't decided on that yet. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Live Wire arrives in all her glory._


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"_**Well folks as much as I would love to spend the day with you all I'm afraid my time is up for another day but rest assured the Live Wire will be back tomorrow. Same time. Same station so don't you dare retune your radios. Ciao!"**_

"And we're off the air," the producer tells her.

Leslie Willis stands up and stretches out a few of her muscles from sitting for so long. She loves her life. She loves her job and people seem to love her and all those people who use to bully her at school and call her a loud-mouth...Ha! If only they could see her now. The number 1 show in the Bayville area at a mere 21 years of age and one day she is sure she'll be a nation wide success. She takes her glasses off for a second and puts them down so she can fix her shoulder length black hair that has started to come out of the pony tail she had put it in today.

She is just putting her glasses back on when her producer sticks his head through the door and informs her that her boss wants to see her. She briefly wonders what about but simply shrugs, grabs her bag and makes her way to his office. She barges in as is her habit. "You wanted to see me Trev."

Trevor Wright shakes his head. He hated that nickname Leslie used and worse she knew it which is why she uses it. Leslie was not an easy person to like. It was only because she brought in great ratings that she was still around. He gestures at the chair across the table from him. "Sit down Leslie," he tells her. "And it's Trevor. You know it is."

Leslie smirks. Yeah she knows he likes to be called using his whole name. "So what's up boss?"

Well boss is slightly better Trevor thinks to himself. "We need to discuss some of your show's content Leslie."

She raises her hands up. "Whoa. Right there. You better not be talking about censoring me. I have my rights under the Constitution to say what I want."

"Within reason," Trevor amends her.

"What do you want from me? I don't swear on air. I don't encourage drinking or smoking or taking drugs or anything like that. I just air what the people really think on a few subjects."

"Yes well one of those subjects have had the owners on my back and now I'm coming down on your back."

"The owners!" Leslie nearly shouts incredulously at what she is hearing. "I have given the owners the best ratings they have had in the last decade," Leslie reminds Trevor.

"Which is why you still have your job but if you don't modify some of your content you won't have that for much longer," Trevor warns her.

Leslie stares at Trevor intently. "Level with me Trevor. What is going on?"

Trevor stands up and goes to the window while rubbing his eyes. "Your words have ticked off someone powerful who has been putting pressure on to have you fired."

Leslie thinks on it for a few seconds before she reaches a conclusion. "It's Luthor. Isn't it."

Trevor turns round to face her before answering. "Yes."

Leslie stands up and starts to pace about extremely agitated. The light above her head flickers weirdly like in response to her mood. "Oh come on Trev! You are letting that corrupt zealous little b..."

"Leslie," Trevor cuts her off. She knows how he feels about swearing. He doesn't like it. Not on his shows. Not in his workplace.

Leslie reigns herself in slightly. "You're letting him curtail us! You have to be joking me!"

Trevor sighs. "Leslie. He is an powerful, wealthy man. He leaned on the owners to have you fired. I have done everything I can to defend you but the owners minimum demand for you keeping your job is that you lay off Lionel Luthor."

"I won't do it. I can't. You know I can't."

Trevor lets out another sigh, a sad one. "I know." He sits back down and slumps like all his strength has left him. "I'm sorry Leslie. I tried but if you aren't willing to compromise then I have no choice."

"Don't bother Trevor because I'll save you the trouble. I quit." She will not be gagged under any circumstances. Leslie then marches around his desk, grabs Trevor by his shirt and proceeds to lay a full blown kiss on his lips. Trevor just looks at her in total shock. "That's a thanks for standing up for me," she explains.

Leslie then leaves, her head held high. At the door she stops for a second. "And don't you worry about me Trevor. It takes more than this to keep the Live Wire down."

With that Leslie makes her exit. As she heads down the stairs to leave her anger keeps building and building. Lionel Luthor. What a bastard!

The light she happens to be walking by at that moment then explodes. "Ah man. Not again!" Leslie mutters while walking away as fast as she can before someone notices she caused that. It is her gift or her curse. She can manipulate electricity so when she is ticked off she tends to cause small power surges around her and blow stuff up. She can also generate small amounts. Not all that much. About enough to power a light-bulb. She is a literal Live Wire. Hence why she chose her nickname. She chose it because...well it wasn't like she could tell anyone she was a freak was it? Not even her parents know about her freakishness.

Leslie makes it outside to the dull, overcast and cold winter's sky. 'What the hell is Lionel Luthor's problem?' she asks herself. Can he not even take a few slight criticisms. She means a guy like him probably has a lot of darker skeletons in the closest than the few she laid at his feet.

At that thought a small subtle smile comes to Leslie's face. Yes a guy like him no doubt does have a lot of skeletons in his closet and all it takes is something clever and brave enough to open the door and look. Someone like her. Lionel Luthor wants to try and have her gagged then she'll expose the slime ball so that all the world can see his true colours.

* * *

At Bayville High that very same day it is lunchtime and as usual a lot of the students from the Institute tend to sit together. Even Jean has joined them today much to Scott's happiness. There had been absolutely no sign of Nathan Dean since their encounter at the scrapyard so the best guess was that he had fled town. If he shows up on Cerebro again misusing his powers they'll stop him but hopefully he'll just keep a low profile from now on.

Scott's happiness at having Jean near doesn't last very long when Pietro decides to pay them a visit. He leans forward and places his hands on the table and speaks in a low voice. "So I was meaning to ask you guys. What happened to the Super-Dork that left him doing a poor man's Neo impression?"

All of them shoot Pietro the same dirty look.

"Go take a hike Maximoff," Evan tells his long term rival. "It is none of your business." All of the students knew about Clark's weakness to the meteor rock dubbed kryptonite and all had promised not to breathe a word of it to anyone.

Pietro smirks a little amused at Evan's boldness considering how he beat Daniels at the scrapyard. Pietro straightens up. "Fine. Keep your little secrets but I know the truth. In a way I guess it is a shame really for anyone to be denied the sight of seeing my face," he boats with his usual unbridled cockiness while he actually preens himself.

"Unfortunately I can see you just fine," a voice from directly behind Pietro dead-pans.

Pietro spins on the spot to be forced to look up, since he was so tall, at the aforementioned Super-Dork in glasses. Pietro frowns in confusion. "But...how? I saw you at the scrapyard."

"Scrapyard?" Clark queries in confusion. "Don't know what you mean Pietro. I was off sick with the flu," he says in what was the excuse given for him being off school. "Right guys?" Clark asks the assembled mutants.

"Oh Ja," Kurt says backing up Clark.

"Yeah. I mean he was like looking really awful. All red-eyed and runny nose and everything," Kitty joins in.

The others nod and mutter their agreement.

"Besides," Clark continues. "If I had been at the scrapyard you would have to admit how you were cold-cocked by a blind guy." Clark says it because he knows how much it would hurt Pietro's ego to admit it. "And that would be downright humiliating."

"Ya got that right," Rogue joins in not missing this opportunity to rub it in to Pietro because seriously the guy's an ass. When she was with the Brotherhood he hit on her all the time.

Pietro's eyes narrow. "This isn't over Kent," he warns his voice low with anger.

"Have a nice day Pietro," Clark says not responding to Pietro's threat. They lock glares for a few moments before Pietro stalks off, silently fuming, back to where the rest of the Brotherhood are.

With that sorted Clark sits himself down next to Rogue who, now that he can see, he plans to take on their first date tonight. Frankly he can't wait and not even Pietro's aggravating personality is going to be able to ruin his good mood.

* * *

**Several days later...**

"So did you like have a nice date last night?" Kitty asks her room-mate.

It is morning and Rogue is just finishing putting her gloves on as the final touch to getting dressed. "What?" she asks back.

"Did you have a nice date?" Kitty repeats herself.

That all too rare thing, at least in Kitty's opinion, appears on Rogue's face. A genuine broad happy smile. "Yes we did."

It had been a week since she and Clark started dating and they had managed to go out on a couple of dates and Rogue has to say she was loving it. Clark was always so thoughtful about every aspect of it so that he ensures she is happy. Rogue can't say she has really ever met that many people who were willing to do that for her and she certainly never dated one.

"Well that's great...if you can call going to the cinema and watching a horror movie a good time," Kitty remarks at what Rogue and Clark did because Kitty certainly wouldn't call that a good time.

"It's a good tahme for meh," Rogue insists. She loves horror movies.

"I am kind of surprised that you managed to persuade Clark to sneak in under-age." After all Clark has this whole boyscout routine going.

Rogue shrugs her shoulders unsure what to say back exactly. She was kind of surprised herself that Clark agreed. Just goes to show that there are more layers to Clark than would first appear and she is determined to discover all of them.

When they get down to the kitchen for breakfast Rogue finds Clark has made her favourite which gets a collective 'aw' from everyone there. She knows there is going to be some ribbing to come but hell it is worth it.

The radio in the background is tuned to the breakfast show with its new host since Ms Leslie 'Live Wire' Willis had departed. Clark was certainly not missing her. He was not wasting all that much time thinking about her, not when he has a girlfriend who needs his focus much more. Clark could honestly say he was having a really great time with Rogue and for once he could actually be his real self around someone. No more secrets or lies.

He pushes the glasses on his nose up as he sits down at the table to eat his breakfast. His eyes were still not fully recovered. His x-ray and heat vision had still not returned and he still needed the glasses. He had thought a few days ago that he could get rid of them when he woke up and everything was back in focus but it didn't even last until he left for school before his vision blurred up again. He has found that he can make his eyes stay in focus for a couple of hours at most which lets him get through DR sessions but apart from that he is basically wearing his glasses all the rest of the time.

"It's not fair you know," Bobby says out of the blue.

"Vhat isn't fair?" Kurt asks him.

"I miss Live Wire," he sadly laments.

Clark blinks and turns his gaze to Bobby upon hearing that. Something finally makes sense. "It was you that kept tuning it onto her show."

Bobby smiles. "Well yeah. She had a sexy voice."

Clark has to say that it is a really good thing his heat vision isn't working because otherwise Bobby would be in big trouble.

"I wonder what happened to her," Bobby muses.

* * *

That night Leslie stands on the rooftop opposite the new Luthorcorp building. She had not rushed into this. She had taken every day since she quit her job to case the place out to understand the routine of the guards. Not to mention she had managed to pilfer one of their uniforms to use as a disguise. Now all she has to do is get up to Lionel's office and have a look through his personal files. When she has all his secrets she plans to sell them to a newspaper she decided was best. She hadn't decided which one yet. She was caught between the Daily Bugle and the Daily Planet. Oh well she can decide later. Now it is show time.

Leslie makes her way back down to the ground and crosses the street and walks into the Luthorcorp building. Her timing was perfect. The guard at the desk had gone for a coffee. He was a creature of routine Leslie had noted these last few days. Always going at the exact same time. The cleaners she passes, mostly immigrants, barely give her a glance as she reaches the elevator using her power to turn off the security cameras as she passes near them.

Leslie reaches Lionel's office no problem and can see it has an electronic lock. She smirks as she raises her hand to it. Sparks of electricity flow from the end of her fingers into the lock shorting it out and opening the door. "Should have stuck with the traditional kind of lock Lionel," she says under her breath. Of course she was prepared for that too. She can pick a lock with the best of them.

Leslie makes her way over to the desk and sits herself down in his chair as she fires up his computer. Now for the password entry. Leslie locks her fingers together and gives them a crack. She places her hands over the keyboard, closes her eyes and concentrates. Using her power she can input letters far faster than she could ever type and allows her to run through all possible combinations at a phenomenal speed. Still it takes several minutes until she cracks it.

Leslie leans forward. "Now Lionel lets see what secrets you are hiding." Leslie's eye is drawn to a icon tagged 'Salvation'. She opens that up. What she finds are a lot of schematics that she doesn't understand but a plan of the building showing that whatever Lionel is up to is down in the basement.

Now she has him.

Leslie gets up and makes her way back to the elevator. She can see the button for the basement needs a key to activate it. She peers in the hole and can see it is an electronic key. She places her finger over the hole and activates her power and the elevator descends.

When it stops and the door opens Leslie peers out the doors carefully. Seems no-one is around so she walks out into the corridor and starts looking around. She eventually comes across what she guesses is a lab of some sort. In the middle of which is a half built tube or cylinder with these odd green crystals embedded in the lining the unfinished interior. There are a lot of wires and circuit boards and stuff still exposed.

Leslie bets Lionel never got permission for all this to be down here because this is the kind of stuff they don't allow in town centres for obvious reasons. Facilities like this are suppose to be built outside of towns in case they blow up or something. Oh she is so going to bust Lionel now.

"What are you doing here?"

Leslie spins round to be confronted by a man with very pale skin. She takes a step back being caught off guard and trips over some cables and falls into the cylindrical device. She reaches out to try and grab something and her hand hits some exposed wires. In her panic her powers activate sending a electric current into the wires. The whole machine suddenly lights up and the green crystals glow intensely.

The man with the pale skin rushes over to the controls. He has no idea how this woman has activated his unfinished device but she has before he had finished installing all the safety protocols. The machine draws an enormous amount of power, so much the lights in the lab start to flicker. In fact if he was outside he would see lights in the entire block flicker and spread outward until most of Bayville finds its lights flickering as the power is drained.

The man watches on as the woman gets to her feet just as the machine reaches peak power. Green bolts of electricity shoot from the green crystals and strike at her and for a moment she seems to be transformed into pure energy as her screams echo through the lab. This continues for at least a couple of minutes until the breakers finally kick in and cut the power.

The whole lab goes dark until the back-up lights kick in. Dr Essex moves, not to check on his intruder, but to check on the shielding he had installed in this lab. With Xavier so close nearby it was a necessity if his work was to go undetected. He had added the shielding to the plans he himself drew up for this facility although Lionel had no idea that he had done so.

He looks at the readouts. Good. The shielding is holding. Now he goes to check on his unwanted guest. He was working late...or at least he lets everyone think that. Technically he doesn't need rest or sleep at all. He only leaves here to keep up the pretence. Anyway back to his guest. She is slumped, presumably unconscious on the floor. Essex turns her over and finds that her appearance has been completely transformed. She now has chalk white skin and blue hair. His machine has obviously transformed her in some manner. He can only say one thing. "Fascinating."

* * *

Lionel enters the holding cell area of the basement levels after being called in. Someone had broken in and managed to get into the lab and he was not pleased to say the least. He finds Dr Essex just exiting the cell with a few tissue and blood samples he had just taken.

"Well?" Lionel demands.

"Take a look for yourself," Essex suggests.

Lionel enters the cell and finds the chalk skinned woman lying restrained to a bed with straps. "What happened?" he asks.

Dr Essex informs him of what transpired in the lab.

"That machine was suppose to stabilise the mutations of the meteor infected," Lionel points out. "Not to do anything like this."

"An...unexpected outcome. The device is only partially built. Half the programming and means to control, focus and direct the meteor rock radiation had not been installed yet."

"So she is what? Yet another random meteor mutation?"

"As a scientist I would hold off making such judgements until I have run a few tests."

"Then run your tests Dr Essex. I want to know who she is and what abilities she might have."

It is then the woman stirs and her eyes flutter open to find herself staring at some dull grey concrete ceiling. She tries to move only to find her arms and legs restrained. It is when she looks down at her hands she finds her skin is chalk white. Her eyes shoot up to find herself looking at Lionel Luthor. "What you done to me?" she demands to know angrily.

Lionel frowns slightly. He knows that voice. "Miss Willis?"

Leslie glares at him. "Luthor I swear I'm going to make you pay for this. When I get out of here everyone is going to know what you are up to."

Lionel looks at her quite amused. "And people are going to take the word of someone who is what now...a freak of nature?" He shakes his head at her stupidity. "No Miss Willis. You are not going to tell anyone because you are not going anywhere but if it is any consolation the study of your new condition will contribute greatly to the advancement of science."

Fear and panic strikes Leslie as images of her being dissected flood her mind while she screams out in agony. No. She won't let that happen. She has to get out of here. She has to and as she says it over and over in her mind she feels something strange happen to her body.

For Lionel and Dr Essex what they see is Leslie's body suddenly transform into what looks like a bolt of lightning which then bounces around the small cell while Lionel and Dr Essex desperately try to dodge it. It then hits the light in the room which explodes. When Lionel clears the spots from his eyes he finds Miss Willis is gone.

"What just happened? Where is she?" Lionel asks.

"Interesting," Dr Essex remarks with a cool scientific tone as he tries to come to a supposition about what just happened. "It seems she managed to transform her whole body into electricity. In that state it would be theoretically possible for her to travel along power lines."

Lionel's eyes widen as he realises what that means. "She could be anywhere."

"Anywhere that is connected to the power grid," Dr Essex confirms.

"I want you to come up with some way to contain her," Lionel orders Essex.

"You have to find her first," Essex not so helpfully points out.

* * *

As she travels through the power lines of Bayville Leslie is only just beginning to fathom what has happened to her. She feels so...electrified which is kind of a terrible pun. She feels...powerful and what's more she likes it. She may be a freak but she somehow knows that from now on no-one will be stepping on her or having her fired again.

Well as soon as she figures out how the hell she gets out of here and transforms back she will be making sure of that. Leslie has no idea where she is but she 'sees' or senses more accurately what looks like a socket and heads for it. All this of course is happening in fractions of a second.

The socket sparks and electricity arcs from it as Leslie makes her exit. She looks at herself to see her body is back but her skin is still white and somehow she is still dressed as she was. Her new powers must allow her to transform the clothes she is wearing along with her body. Cool!

Now where is she?

Leslie peers into the darkness of the room she is in. It looks like a bedroom is some place pretty fancy. She sees a figure stir slightly in the bed. She holds a finger up and forms a ball of electricity at its point which creates a low level light in the room as she steps towards the bed. Lying in it is a young man she would say with curly dark hair. The covers have been kicked down and Leslie can see he is dressed in a t-shirt. He has one hand laying behind his head which shows off a muscular arm and from what she can see the rest of him isn't bad either. In a word; 'JACKPOT!'

Somebody up there must like her. She leans forward and gently places her hand under his shirt and feels the solid flat plains of his stomach, her hand rising and falling as it travels over the incredibly defined abs. She grins wickedly. Oh yeah somebody definitely likes her.

The unknown recipient of her attentions stirs slightly and mumbles "Hmm...Rogue."

It is at this moment that the mansion security finally picks up the unexpected intruder and alarms blare loudly causing Clark to shoot up in bed and for him to find a woman with chalk white skin and blue hair in his room. "Who are you?" he demands to know.

"I'm just your friendly neighbourhood radio DJ," she says jokily.

Clark recognises the voice instantly. "Live Wire?"

Leslie grins widely at being recognised. "A fan I take it."

Clark could say 'Hell No!' but he stows it because there a like a million other questions running through his head. The most pre-eminent being what the hell is she doing in his room which is ahead of the explanation of her physical appearance.

The door flies open as Logan rushes in. "Kid. Chuck said that the intruder..." he trails off as Leslie gives him a little wave.

"Hey there," she greets him.

Logan blinks. He had gotten a telepathic message from Charles that the intruder who set the alarms off was in Clark's room and now he can that Chuck was dead on.

"So anyone want to fill a gal in as to where I am and why alarms are going off everywhere," she asks of the two men.

* * *

Some time later Leslie finds herself in an office talking to a bald guy in a wheelchair as he fill her in on mutants as to explaining what she is.

"So let me get this straight?" Leslie asks him. "You teach what exactly here?"

Charles still in his nightclothes and dressing gown puts his hands together and rests them on his desk. "I teach mutants how to control their powers to be used for the benefit of mankind so we may live in a peaceful coexistence."

"Riiiggght," Leslie says not very convinced by that idea. Sounds all Pollyanna and Disney to her.

"Perhaps Miss Willis you would be willing to share with me how you come to be here tonight," Charles suggests not wishing to intrude into her mind and lose her trust. At least not unless he absolutely felt he had to. Also there is something a little odd about her thought patterns that he needs to work out first using Cerebro so he'll leave it to asking her and seeing what she says in reply. All he really knew so far beyond who she was was that she mysteriously appeared in Clark's room.

Well Leslie is not one to turn down the offer of allowing her to talk. She leans back in her chair, crosses her legs and begins. "Well I guess it started when I was 14. I had been feeling unwell for about a week. Then one day it went away as suddenly as it appeared. Later that same day I was changing the light-bulb in my room. I was taking the new one out of its box when as soon as I touched it it lit up. At first I thought it was a trick of some sort. Eventually I came to understand that I could generate small amounts of electricity. Later I even found I could control and manipulate electricity as well."

Charles listens carefully. Sounds like a classic manifestation of mutant powers. "And how did you come to be here tonight?" he asks her once more.

"Oh lets just say something happened that gave me a power boost," she answers vaguely. After all why should she tell these people much more. They could work for Lionel for all she knows. The only reason she has told as much as she has is the chance they'll let her stay near that hunk whose room she found herself in. Leslie goes onto explain that somehow, and she honestly doesn't know how, she transformed herself into electricity, travelled uncontrollably through the power lines and ended up here.

Charles looks at the time. "Well it's...early," he remarks. It is about 3 in the morning. "How about we find you a room and we can discuss more in the morning about what we do here," he proposes.

Leslie puts her hand to a mouth as soon as Charles mentions the time as she yawns. She is tired. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea Prof." Leslie gets to her feet. "By the way who was it whose room I invaded? I feel like I should...apologise."

"That would be Clark," Charles tells her thinking it is a perfectly innocent question. By now he has summoned Ororo who opens the door. "Storm. Please show Ms Willis..."

"Leslie," she corrects him.

"Leslie," Charles corrects himself. "Please show her one of the spare rooms in the girl's dorm."

As Leslie leaves with Storm Logan walks in.

"I'm guessing you heard that," Charles assumes. Logan had ears like a wolf and he was standing directly outside the door.

"Yeah. Kind of convenient the way she decided not to tell us how she ended up looking like a chalk statue."

"We'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now," Charles decides. "But feel free to keep an eye on her," he allows Logan.

"I'll be keeping two on her," Logan tells Charles not trusting the woman at all.

* * *

When morning proper comes and Clark heads out of his room for breakfast he finds Live Wire standing there trying, and failing, to look like she wasn't waiting for him. Clark puts on his best polite front since there seems a fair chance that she will be staying with them.

"Hey there Handsome!" Leslie greets him with a broad smile, dressed in some clothes she had been lent.

"Morning," Clark responds blandly.

"I just want to apologise for waking ya last night," she says to him. "That whole travelling through the wires thing is new and I got a bit lost."

"It's fine," Clark tells her.

Leslie hooks her arms around Clark's arm and takes a minute to feel the solidity of his muscles. "So how about you show me around this place," she suggests.

"Um well...I would love to," he says as a sour taste hits his mouth for even thinking that letting alone saying it. The last thing he wants to do is hang around her. He isn't so obtuse that he can't see her blatant attempt at flirting with him. "But I have to get ready for school."

Leslie blinks. "You're still at school!" she says in total shock because to look at him...well he looks above school leaving age certainly.

"Yes. I am," he confirms.

Leslie absorbs this revelation for a few moments before saying to herself 'What the hey. He is still a stud'.

Clark can't seem to shake her off so he ends up being attached to her as he leads her down to the kitchen which is how Rogue spots them and jealousy hits her like never before. It only gets worse as their new arrival flirts with Clark throughout breakfast until Rogue can't take it anymore and stomps off.

Leslie notices the snippy attitude of the Goth with the brown and white hair. "What's her issue?" she asks.

Clark who hadn't been paying attention, more interested and concerned with Rogue says "What?"

Leslie can tell he wasn't listening but decides to ask something else she noticed. "Why does that girl wear gloves?"

"Rogue's mutant power is that she absorbs someone's life force and powers if they have any if she touches their skin. She can't control it so she can't touch anyone," Clark informs Leslie hoping but doubting she will be sensitive about it.

"Must be hard on her love life," Leslie idly mutters.

"I'm going to find a way to help her somehow," Clark promises.

Leslie looks at him. "You care about her don't you?" she guesses from his tone.

"Of course I do. She's my girlfriend." And he should have gone off after her when she stomped off he realises. God what an idiot he is. "Excuse me," he tells Leslie as he gets up and goes off to find Rogue.

Clark finds her in her room just finishing getting her things for school which she is shoving in her bag hard as she tries to control her temper. He knocks on the open door and Rogue turns her gaze to him. "I'm sorry," he says. "It is just...she ambushed me outside my room and I can't seem to get rid of her."

Rogue sighs. Somehow she knew it was something like that. "Clark sometahmes ya can be too nice a guy," she tells him. If it was her she would have bluntly told Ms Live Wire to go take a hike off a tall building.

Clark slowly walks to beside Rogue. "I know. If it is any consolation part of me is dying to tell her how much I hated her show and dear god don't get me started on how irritating I find her voice."

That makes Rogue smile a bit.

"But my more rational side kept telling me I should probably be nice if we want her to stay which I'm guessing is what the Professor wants."

It most probably is Rogue knows.

Clark takes one of Rogue's hands into his. "I would never intentionally hurt you Rogue."

"Ah know but if she doesn't learn ta keep her paws off of ya ah'm draining her dry," she swears.

Later, on the way out the door for school Leslie manages to sneak in a kiss on Clark's cheek which causes Rogue to fix her a killer glare. Leslie sways her way over next to Rogue and whispers in her ear. "Jealous? You should be because I know what a man wants and trust me it isn't a someone he can't touch. A man, especially one like Clark there, has needs and I know how to satisfy them."

Rogue's eye twitches slightly and her hands curl up into fists. If the woman says one more damn word Rogue swears she is going to punch her lights out and then drain her dry on top of that for good measure.

In a way though Clark beats her to it. He had heard every word naturally and he actually growls in annoyance as even his patience nears its limits.. "Some friendly advice Leslie. Don't try saying stuff like that around a guy with superhearing." Clark then takes Rogue by the hand in a very deliberate show of affection.

Leslie watches them leave holding hands and lets out a snort. She gives it a couple of weeks tops and then Clark will be all hers for the taking. Although she doubts somehow that she will be hanging around this yawn-fest that long. God was she finding this place boring even in the few short hours she had been here.

Watching this little show is Logan who can just tell that Sparky here is going to be a whole world of trouble. Probably even more than Boom Boom had been.

The Professor rolls into the entrance hall where Leslie is still standing. "Well now that the students are away may we continue our talk from earlier this morning," he requests of her.

"Sure," she says not all that enthusiastic about it.

Leslie walks beside the Professor as they travel through the mansion and he explains how he turned his family home into a school for mutants so they could be taught to use their powers responsibly and for the benefit of mankind.

Yeah definitely sounds Disney-like to Leslie. "So you just up here and hide," she summarises it as she sees it.

"For the time being it is best if mutants remain hidden. The moment of our reveal to the rest of the world has to be carefully chosen and planned." Charles knows that day will inevitable come and as he said it has to be planned carefully for when he feels mankind is ready to know.

"Look Prof I'm not sure if I get it. You have all these people together. With their powers...you could do anything, demand anything, make sure no-one tries to step on you like a bug ever again."

The Professor notes the genuine anger in Leslie's voice at that last bit but he has helped others before work through their anger and he can help her as well. "You are correct Leslie. We could do all that you say but everyone here made the choice not to use their powers in that way."

"And for those that want to choose another path?" she asks.

"No-one is held here against their will Leslie and neither are you. If you wish to leave you are free to do so at any time but I would please ask you to consider staying here."

Leslie doesn't really think she agrees with the Prof's goals but she needs time to learn control of her newly enhanced powers. Especially if she is going to get her long overdue payback on Lionel which by the way she is sooner rather than later. "Alright I'll give it a go but don't raise your expectations too high Prof," she warns him.

* * *

_Author's Note: Had a long think about how to bring in Live Wire. In the DC-verse she was born with the ability to manipulate electricity. In the Marvel-verse that would make her a mutant so that is what I made her. All I had to do after that was enhance her up to the Live Wire we are all familiar with. Word of warning; don't expect her stay at Xavier's to be a long one. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**A couple of days later.**

"Hi Clark!" 3 voices say in stereo. It is just at the end of the day as Clark was putting things away in his locker that they ambushed him. Clark lets out a sigh, slams his locker shut, pushes his glasses up his nose in his new habit and turns round to face 3 almost identical looking girls named Tempest, Tyler and Carly. They all had blond hair and all wore the same clothes which was whatever was 'en vogue'. They were the sort of 'It' girls of Bayville High.

Tempest, Tyler and Carly eye up Clark. Ever since he arrived they had had their eyes on him. He was a gorgeous hunk. So far he had resisted their advances but they could be patient. They were certain they were wearing him down.

"You know you really should get contacts," Tempest advises.

"Or that Laser surgery," Tyler suggests.

"'Cause those glasses don't do a thing for you," Carly adds.

Well Clark could agree that the glasses don't help him certainly. Duncan, who still had not figured out that Clark couldn't be hurt, had already used them to add to his bully ritual. As for the Brotherhood...ever since that incident at the scrapyard they had basically been keeping their distance which Clark was thankful for. "I'll keep it in mind," he tells the 3 girls.

"You're not rushing off are you?" Tempest asks him, trying to sound disappointed and look sad at the same time.

"Sorry," he apologises. "But I promised to meet up with my girlfriend after school."

Tempest, Tyler and Carly look surprised. They had not seen Clark that close with any girl...well except Rogue but there was no way it could be her. No guy who looks like Clark would show Rogue any interest. In fact the 3 girls had convinced themselves that Rogue was gay. The only other girls he hanged about with were those others that lived in the Xavier Institute but they had deduced that he was only friends with the others.

Talking of Rogue she has just walked round the corner to find her boyfriend surrounded by the 3 people who make her life the most miserable. They always singled her out most likely because she was a Goth.

At seeing Rogue Clark's face lights up into a enormous smile. He brushes past the 3 blond girls and is swiftly by Rogue's side. "Hey there. Ready?"

Rogue fixes the 3 girls a stare as she says, deliberately loud enough for them to hear, "For mah boyfriend ah'm always ready." Then as she and Clark walk off she places her arm around his waist and imagines the look on those 3's faces which makes her smirk with amusement.

Tempest, Tyler and Carly just stand there with their jaws visibly hanging open wondering if they just entered the Twilight Zone or something.

When Clark enters the mansion it is with a bit of reluctance because it means having to put up with Live Wire's oh so less than subtle attempts at flirting with him that he had been trying to fend off for the last couple of days. In fact he is surprised that she isn't there waiting to ambush him again which seems to be the theme of the day.

His hope that he won't have to put up with her lasts about 5 seconds when he spots a socket sparking and then Leslie appears in a brilliant flash of lightning. "Hey Handsome!" she greets him. While most of the students were at school she spent her time learning how to control to transform her body, control her new powers and learn where to go when travelling through the power lines. She would say she had gotten pretty darn good at it. It was in fact far easier than she thought it would be. It is like along with her changed appearance and powers new instincts were awoken within her that just give her an inbuilt knowledge of how to control her powers. Instincts that make her feel like she can do anything she wants.

Rogue glares daggers at the woman who is flirting with her boyfriend like she isn't here.

"You know you really need to take those ugly things off your face," Leslie advises in relation to Clark's glasses.

"I need them to see," Clark points out to her.

Leslie shrugs. "I'm just saying."

"Well don't," Rogue tells her. "No-one asked for your opinion."

"Several million listeners can't be wrong," Leslie takes great pride in pointing out her audience figures.

"Yet they fired your ass," Rogue takes great pleasure in pointing out.

Leslie's whole face darkens. "Don't talk about things that you don't understand," she warns Rogue.

"Hit a nerve did ah," Rogue observes.

Leslie holds her hands up and electricity arcs between her fingers. "How about I hit every one of your nerves...with 10,000 volts," she threatens darkly.

Clark zips in front of Rogue and stares sternly at Leslie. "Back down," he tells her.

Leslie gazes at him and notes the lack of fear like he knows she can't hurt him. Interesting. She had not been able to find out exactly what Clark did. People kept changing the subject on her for some reason like they had been told not to give anything away. Leslie guesses that there is some sort of secret around Clark that they don't trust her to know about. Oh she had asked the two humans here she had learned were Clark's parents, she had asked that Logan guy, the white haired woman called Storm when everyone was away at school but she couldn't catch them out or trick them into revealing anything so was still in the dark. Leslie lets the electricity fizzle out. "Only for you handsome but next time she gets in my face I won't be so generous."

Leslie then transforms into her electrical form and vanishes into the socket.

Clark lets out a sigh of relief and turns to face Rogue. A Rogue who doesn't look too happy. "Ah don't need ya to protect meh," she tells him. She can take care of herself.

I know that here," Clark says pointing at his head before his finger moves to point at his heart, "but not here," he explains. "And if I think you ever really do need help I won't hesitate to do so even if it makes you mad at me," he adds. "I guess you have to decide if that is something you can live with," he tells her honestly. Clark checks his watch. "I have to go. Logan is putting me through an extra DR session before the x-men have theirs."

Clark then zips off with a gust of wind that blows Rogue's hair about leaving her with some thinking to do.

* * *

"Did you and Clark have a fight or something?" Kitty asks. Ever since Rogue entered their room she has been in full blown brooding mode.

Rogue looks away from staring out the window to her friend. "Ah wouldn't call it a fight exactly."

"So what would you call it?"

Rogue muses on that question for a moment before she relays what transpired down stairs in the entrance hall with Live Wire.

Kitty absorbs all the information for awhile before saying "Well can you live with it?"

Rogue shrugs. "Ah don't know Kitty. Ah've never been in this type of situation before."

Kitty sits down on the bed next to where Rogue is sitting. "Look in all relationships there are going to be like traits in your partner that you are going to find annoying or irritating. It is a question of if the good bits outweigh the bad bits."

Rogue looks intently at Kitty for a few moments. "Ya got that out of one of your magazines didn't ya," she realises since Kitty can't exactly be an expert on relationships.

"Hey. Those magazine are like very educational," Kitty says in defence of her beloved magazines while she actually pouts about it. "And in all honesty Rogue the fact that Clark is willing to throw himself in front of you to protect you is like not the worst trait I can think of. In fact it is kind of sweet if you think about it."

"Kitty ah'm not tha kind of girl who just waits around for some...white knight to swoop in and save her."

"And Clark knows that," Kitty reminds Rogue of what he said. "In fact I'm betting he knows that without you ever actually saying it to him. Am I right?"

Rogue thinks hard. She has never actually said those words to Clark before today yet he did say he knew that about her. It actually confirms something Rogue had wondered about for awhile and that was with those eyes of his just how much did Clark actually see and know about what was going on around him and as Rogue suspected it is probably more than he lets on and now with his hearing who know what it is Clark sees and hears and how much he really knows.

"Look," Kitty starts to say. "I know I am like not exactly an expert myself but I think I know enough to say that as long as Clark knows and understands how you feel and you know and understand how he feels back then there should be no good reason why you both can't just get on with it."

Rogue admits to herself that Kitty is probably right. As long as he does understand how she feels that is enough and knowing Clark as she does she can say she does most likely understand why he would still try and protect her or save her if he saw her in trouble. It just who he is.

* * *

Leslie being extremely bored had found herself in the control room of what was referred to as the Danger Room where she was watching Clark training one on one with Logan. At the moment he seems to be teaching Clark some combat moves. From what she has observed so far she could say that Logan knew how to fight and that Clark seemed to be able to pick it up at incredible speed.

Down below Logan attacks Clark and the kid blocks easily which hadn't been true at first. Despite all the kid's speed and strength the first few times Logan did this he got through Clark's defences easily. In reality if Clark was to use his full speed and strength then this fight would probably last seconds. No matter how good a fighter Logan was there were limits to what could be done against such speed and strength that the kid possessed. However much to Logan's satisfaction Clark had seemed to understand the need to learn the skills to go with his power. Skill, speed and power combined and Logan could safely say that no-one would ever be hurting this kid and therefore he has succeeded in his job. It was why he did this. The world was a horrible place and he was going to make sure the kids never had to suffer the way he had. "Alright Space Boy," Logan says using his newest nickname which reflects Clark's extraterrestrial origin, "attack me."

Clark attacks Logan and Logan blocks but it is all testing Logan's defences. They circle around each other. Logan blocks another punch aimed at his head but Clark shifts his hand and grabs Logan's wrist and using the tinniest portion of his strength to twist it hard. Logan's balance shifts and Clark uses his leg to sweep Logan off his feet at the moment before Logan regains his balance.

Logan hits the metal floor with a grunt. Clark looks down on him. "How was that?" he asks with genuine modesty.

Logan gets back to his feet and rubs the back of his head. "Not bad," he remarks before without warning he swings a kick at Clark who catches Logan's leg in an iron grip. Clark smirks. "And around we go," Clark says before he spins on the spot spinning Logan around and around before letting him go flying across the room into the wall next to the door. He is just sliding down it when the door opens and the x-men walk in for their evening session.

"Whoa!" Kitty remarks at the sight of Logan. She had trained with Logan and he had beaten her every single time.

Logan once more rubs the back of his head while his healing factor repairs the damage. "Stow it half-pint," he grumbles. "Kent. Be back here in an hour for the New Mutants session as usual," he orders Clark.

Clark gives him a little joky salute as he departs. "Aye, aye sir."

Most of the x-men can't help but laugh a little bit. Up above Leslie can't help but chuckle as well. So he not only looks great but has a sense of humour too. Wow has she hit the jackpot.

"I guess he really is a Superboy," Jean remarks at Clark being able to beat Logan.

"I guess we would have to ask Rogue about that," Kitty says being a little bit mischievous.

That earns Kitty the patented Rogue scowl.

Oh yes the girlfriend Leslie suddenly remembers. She'll have to do something about that. She looks down at the controls in front of her and she suddenly realises that an opportunity has presented itself. Leslie transforms into her electrical form and takes over the controls as if she was a computer virus. The doors lock and the Danger Room springs to life taking all those down below by surprise especially Logan since he hadn't started today's programme yet.

"Logan what is going on?" Scott yells at him as he blasts some laser turrets that started firing at him.

Logan extends his claws and grunts as he dodges the spiked maces that just popped up. "I have no idea. I never did it," he tells Scott as he slices the maces to pieces.

As the x-men fight off the varying death traps of the Danger Room Rogue has started to notice how some of the weapons seem to be following her around the room. She dodges one of the saws and slams into the wall after another turret pops up underneath her propelling her through the air. Rogue shakes her head a little to clear it as she gets back to her feet. As she does so she notices an odd electric spark around the turret that sent her flying and then a voice emanates from it. "Time to get rid of the competition but rest assured Rogue I'll take good care of Clark," it says.

"Live Wire," Rogue growls out in recognition of the voice.

"And Bingo was his name-o!" she sings joyfully before the turret she is possessing fires at Rogue slamming her back into the wall and Rogue slides to the floor.

Two more saws come out of the wall and come at Rogue from opposite directions. She can see everyone else is busy just like Live Wire wanted no doubt. Rogue thinks fast as she tries to figure a way out of this. There is one way she can think of so she swallows her pride and shouts "Clark!"

A few seconds later a blur bursts through the door to the Danger Room and Clark appears in front of Rogue still in his uniform. He hadn't bothered getting changed since he would be back in an hour. Clark catches the two saws whose teeth break on impact with his hands before he physically rips them off the wall. "What is going on?" he asks Rogue at seeing the chaos of the Danger Room.

"Your erstwhile stalker is what is going on," Rogue tells him.

"Leslie!" Clark yells angrily. "Enough of this!" he commands.

Leslie emerges from the turret in front of Clark and as she does so the room shuts down. She stands there her arms folded across her chest.

"What do you think you are doing?" Clark demands to know of her.

Leslie shrugs and answers with an arrogant nonchalance. "What I have the power to do. To get what I want."

Logan growls. "Lady you just crossed a line," he says threateningly.

Leslie turns to face the feral mutant and laughs. "And you'll do what about it you walking conductor?" she challenges him having learned that he has metal grafted to his bones. "God are you guys pathetic," she insults them all.

Leslie clasps her hands together and places them next to her cheek. "Oh lets all live in peace and harmony," she says in a mock impression of the Professor. She then sorts rudely. "Give me a break! I only stuck around long enough to figure out how my powers work and now that I have I don't need you losers," she says insultingly.

Leslie turns round to face Clark. "All I want here is you," she says pointing at Clark. She saunters up next to him with a deliberate sway in her hips that she adds to her movement. "You are not like them or me are you. You have more than one power. Hell the way you just barged in here makes me think you are a hell of lot more powerful than any of them. I can just imagine what we could accomplish together," she says with a slightly lecherous grin. "Join me and lets blow this place," she makes the offer. "You and I...we could do anything. Bring this whole stinking town to its knees!"

Clark looks at her very unimpressed by her offer. "You have only been here a couple of days so let me explain something. Don't think you know me. Don't think you ever know how I think or what I want. If I wanted to do what you are suggesting I could have done it at any time I wanted but I don't nor do I ever want to," he says in stern tone. His tone then softens. "Now I understand you are going through a massive change so I'll say this. Let us help you Leslie. Don't become lost to whatever impulses your powers are driving you to."

"I don't need anyone's help," Leslie rejects his offer. "I don't need anyone!" she yells loudly at them all. "And now let me say something Clark. Leslie Willis is dead. I am Live Wire!" She then smirks with a dark hint of what is to come. "And kiddies stay tuned to the airwaves because shortly I'll be making my big comeback and when I say comeback I guarantee it is something no-one will ever forget. Pay close attention because this is going to be SPECTACULAR!" She then transforms into her electrical form and shoots up into the air and vanishes into the wiring and machinery of the Danger Room.

"Oh man," Kurt says. "Does anyvone else have zhis really bad feeling about vhat she means?"

No-one says it but they all do have the same bad feeling.

Meanwhile Live Wire zooms through the power lines out of the mansion and into Bayville. Her target is to find the other group of mutants she had learned about during the course of her stay at the School for Losers. From what she heard about them they do seem more likely to join in in her plans.

* * *

**At the Bayville Boarding House...**

"No. No more!" Toad pleads and begs. "I'm dying here!"

"You wish," Mystique tells him scornfully. She was carrying out what she threatened and that was to whip this bunch into shape even if it kills them. Right now they were doing a few simple push-ups down in the basement which had always intended to be a gym but had been rarely used by anyone except her. Well she says a few push-ups. She means a few hundred. She walks back and forth in front of the 5 teenagers. "There will be no more slacking," she tells them. "There will be no more defeats at the hands of those x-men. You will prove yourselves worthy of being included in Magneto's plans. Is that clear?"

There are a few murmurs of what she thinks was agreement. "I said is that clear?" she repeats louder.

"It's clear!" they all shout back expect Tabitha. She'll do the push-ups simply because otherwise she is getting kicked out on her ear and she has nowhere else to go.

Mystique watches them all sweat. Good. It had taken days to clean up the mess they had made in her absence. How the blazes they managed to break virtually everything in the house Mystique has no idea. What did encourage her is that despite the whining they are all trying. Tabitha was a concern because Mystique knew that she was only here because she didn't want to go back to Xavier's. It was something she would have to work on.

What Mystique still hadn't figured out was how Clark Kent detected her before. She needed to know how because so far all she has was that he somehow sensed she wasn't Rogue. Magneto had this plan for later where she would need to infiltrate the mansion but if Mr Kent could sense her then that was impossible.

Mystique's attention is then caught by the lights of the basement growing strangely brighter. Then suddenly lightning seems to shoot from a power socket and then bounce around the basement until suddenly appearing is a woman with chalk-white skin and blue hair with her arms raised in the air.

"And she nails the dismount!" the woman announces her arrival.

The Brotherhood get to their feet although for some it is harder than others considering how tired they are due to the work-out they are going through. Tabby is the first one to recognise the voice of their guest since it was her favourite show. "Live Wire? No way!"

"Oh yay! A fan!" Live Wire says cheerfully as she moves to Tabby's side and places her arm across Tabby's shoulders. "I'll give you an autograph." Live Wire then points a finger at the wall and lightning shoots from it which she uses to burn her name into the basement wall. She makes the two Is in Live Wire into bolts of lightning. Once done Live Wire blows on the tip of her finger like she is blowing it out.

"You know this...person?" Mystique asks Tabby trying to keep her temper cool at her home being invaded like this.

"Don't you ever listen to the radio. This is Live Wire. She had her own show. She is like the greatest," Tabby explains while praising Live Wire and on top of that she is a mutant too. Who would have figured. Tabby wonders if any other celebrities are mutants.

"Aw shucks. Thanks," Live Wire says with acted modesty.

"Why are you here?" Mystique asks Live Wire being all business and getting straight to the point.

Live Wire smiles. "Well as you can see I've gone through a few changes recently," she says gesturing at herself. "And I'm kind of reassessing my life. Now I've heard old Prof Xavier's pitch. I'm here to hear yours so small piece of advice you better make it good."

Mystique stiffens slightly at the mention of Xavier. The thought that that man had gotten a head start on brainwashing yet another mutant into believing his foolish dream was not a nice one but the fact this woman is here gives her some hope. She puts on a polite front. "Why don't we go upstairs where it is more comfortable," she suggests to Live Wire.

Live Wire agrees and she heads upstairs. Mystique takes a moment to address the Brotherhood. "You 5 are not coming. You still owe me 200 more push-ups and I will know if you haven't done them so get to it," she says in her usual no nonsense don't even bother trying arguing tone of voice. They all groan but do what she orders as she heads upstairs to talk to this...Live Wire.

* * *

Back at the mansion the x-men are having an emergency meeting.

"Personally I'm surprised she lasted this long," Logan makes the comment. He had watched her since she appeared and could just tell that Live Wire did not have the makings of an x-man.

"I had hoped to get her to stay long enough to discover what had happened to her," Charles says. Despite his gentle coaxing Leslie had not opened up about that. Nor could they get her to agree to any kind of medical examination so basically they all still stuck at knowing next to nothing about what happened to her.

"What do you mean Professor?" Scott asks.

"I mean Scott that Cerebro identifies her as an enhanced mutant," Charles informs them from the scans he had done on her. "I had hoped to discover how she was enhanced."

"Couldn't you have just read her mind?" Storm asks.

The Professor shakes his head and informs them while he could read her mind why he hadn't done so. "Not without her noticing. Like the electrical power she wields her thoughts are a little unstable. It would have taken force to read them and as I said she would have detected that and no doubt left sooner than she did."

"So like what do we do?" Kitty asks. "I mean she isn't exactly discreet and she certainly doesn't blend into a crowd," she says expressing a fear that Live Wire will end up exposing all of them.

"At the moment nothing," Charles tells them all his decision. "Right now Cerebro has her at the Brotherhood house and I wish to avoid any unnecessary conflict. With luck she will simply stay there out of sight."

"Somehow Chuck I don't think we're going to be that lucky," Logan expresses his opinion.

Truthfully neither does Charles but they need time to the very least figure out a way to contain someone who can transform into electrical energy at will and he still hopes that Miss Willis can be helped if she is only willing to let them.

* * *

Back at the Boarding House Live Wire sits in the lounge and listens to Mystique as the blue-skinned shape-shifter finishes her pitch so to speak. "So essentially this Magneto guy wants to take over the world," Live Wire summarises it.

"He wishes to make the world safe for mutants."

"By taking it over."

"Can you think of a more efficient way?" Mystique asks rhetorically.

"Yet he has you all hiding here like the Prof has his lot."

Mystique visibly bristles at being compared to Xavier. "Everything has to happen in a set time and in a set way." A time and way set by Magneto.

"Yeah that's essentially what the Prof said. I'm not really seeing the difference here."

"Oh there's a difference," Mystique says darkly.

"Let me guess. If I'm not with you I'm against you. If I'm not your ally I'm the enemy to be destroyed." Live Wire smirks. "I would love to see you try it."

"As you wish," Mystique says. Then in an instant she has flipped up the coffee table and hurled it at Live Wire smacking her right in the face.

Live Wire's hands shoot to cover her face as pain shoots through her. Well it seems in her human form she can still feel pain so she has learned one thing here today. She then finds herself grabbed by her shirt and physically lifted into the air.

Mystique looks coldly at Live Wire. "As I said there is a difference."

"You know you remind me of that Logan guy. Both of you need to get laid more often. It's great at relieving stresses," Live Wire says still managing an annoying smirk.

Mystique's eye twitches at being compared to that...that...at being compared to Wolverine.

"Oh by the way," Live Wire says as she places her hands on Mystique wrists. "Did no-one ever teach you about what happens when you touch a Live Wire."

Before Mystique can figure out what Live Wire means the chalk-skinned mutant sends an electrical blast through Mystique's body causing her to scream out in pain before it overwhelms her and she collapses on the floor, her body twitching comically.

Live Wire straightens out her clothes as she looks down on Mystique. "Bitch," she mutters with venom.

Mystique's screams bring the 5 other mutants rushing up from the basement to be greeted by the sight before them of Mystique prone on the floor and Live Wire standing over her.

"What happened?" Tabby asks.

"Lets just say I turned her down," Live Wire says with a cheerful, yet at the edges quite dark and malicious smile with just a little hint of insanity about it. "Well kiddies looks like I won't be joining up. Shame really I thought you guys would be a lot more fun than that lot at the Prof's but I can see you are just as dull as they are."

At that Pietro's eyes light up in anger. He will not be compared to the x-men nor will he stand for it. He takes a step forward about to go into superspeed when Live Wire forms a ball of lightning in her hand. "Don't even think about it junior unless you think you are faster than a bolt of lightning," she warns him.

Well he is so what has he to worry about. He zips across the room to behind Live Wire. "You'd be surprised at how fast I can move.

"Aw does junior want to play," Live Wire mocks using a childish voice. Her whole face takes on a malevolent darkness and she forms another ball of lightning in her other hand. Pietro braces himself to do battle.

"Lance. Do something," Tabby whispers to him sensing that this is only going to end badly.

Lance didn't need Tabby to say it. He knew that this was very different to fighting the x-geeks. There was just something in this woman's eyes that told him that she would kill Pietro if she got the chance. His eyes roll into the back of his head as Lance sets the floor in motion knocking both Pietro and Live Wire off their feet.

Tabby rushes over to Live Wire now that her concentration has been broken. "Ignore Pietro. He is just a loud mouth," she says trying to placate Live Wire.

Live Wire gets back to her feet. Grumpy is a mild term for her mood right at this moment but she has nothing against the blond girl so she might leave her unharmed. It is then Live Wire notices the time. Oh she is late for a very important meeting she has been planning. "You get lucky today," she tells them. "I have other places to be." Live Wire points at Mystique. "When she wakes up tell her to listen to the airwaves because I'm going to be making a big announcement after which none of us will have to hide who we are from the world anymore." She then transforms into her electrical form and vanishes into the socket next to the tv.

"Why did you do that?" Pietro demands to know of Lance upset that Avalanche interfered.

"Because Pietro she would have fried your ass," Lance says quite bluntly and in that commanding voice he rarely uses and dares Pietro to contradict him. Pietro doesn't.

"What was that about yo? What was she on about?" Toad asks.

Lance isn't sure but he has this funny feeling that whatever that woman was on about none of them are going to like it.

* * *

In his office Lionel sits getting increasingly more frustrated. Over two days had passed and no sign of Miss Willis. He gets up and pours himself a drink before he sits back down while he sips on the expensive liquor. He doesn't even noticing the lamp on his desk flicker slightly. It is when his computer screen suddenly goes black that he notices something odd is afoot.

He presses a few keys, gently bangs the monitor but it is still blank. Great. Now he has to get a new monitor. He bangs it again in frustration.

"Oh easy there Lionel. You'll do yourself a mischief," a voice says coming from his computer's speakers. The monitor flicks on and there looking at him is Miss Willis. She gives him a wave. "Hey there. Have you missed me?" she asks him in a jovial tone.

"I suppose it is pointless asking where you have been," Lionel says to her.

"Oh you can ask and in fact I'll give you an answer just not right now."

He tries a different question "Where are you now?"

Live Wire chuckles. "Lets just say your computer has caught a drop dead gorgeous virus." Live Wire then appears to shrink down to the size of the icons on the desktop. She flies about in and out of the varying folders. "My. Oh my. If only the police could see what's in here. You would be looking at 25 to life."

Lionel comes to the realisation that somehow Miss Willis is inside his computer. Well this was certainly unexpected. "What do you want?" he asks her bluntly.

"Me? I want nothing. I have everything I ever wanted. Enough power so that people like you will never be able to step on me again," she says with a lot of bitterness.

"And what are you planning to do with this power?" Lionel asks her.

Live Wire's smile is truly malevolent. "Oh you'll find out shortly. In fact I'm here to give you prior notice to listen to the airwaves because the Live Wire is making her comeback tonight and she has a BIG announcement to make! Ta. Ta." She then blows him a kiss and lightning shoots from the screen casing Lionel to have to dive out of the way.

When he gets back to to his feet he finds Miss Willis gone and she is not the only thing. Everything on his computer is gone. She must have stolen it. Stolen enough to ruin his business and send him to jail. He slams his fist on his desk in anger before picking up his phone and ordering "I want Dr Essex and the MRD commander in my office...NOW!"

* * *

Trevor Wright was simply sitting at his desk doing the excruciating amount of paperwork that comes with his job. It was why he hadn't gone home yet although he is going to give it 10 more minutes and then he thinks he'll call it quits for the night. He needed the sleep. He had a stressful job made worse by the fact the station's owners were unhappy with the very recent steep decline in listeners. "Well if you fire our number 1 star what did you expect," he mumbles out-loud.

"Aw Trev. I'm touched!" a voice seems to echo about the room.

Trevor looks for the source and sees nothing but there is only one person who calls him Trev. "Leslie?"

The lamp on his desk sparks brightly before what appears to be lightning shoots from it. Then slowly a figure seems to form. A figure of a woman sitting on the edge of his desk. "And your number 1 star is here!"

Trevor shoots to his feet and backs up a few feet as he tries to take in the woman's appearance with the chalk white skin and blue hair. It can't be her can it. "Leslie?" he inquires unsure it is her.

Live Wire lets the using of her old name go but only because it is Trev. "In the flesh...so to speak."

"What...what has happened to you?"

Leslie shoots him a smile. "Oh you know. This. That." She gets to her feet and walks towards him. "I know I look a bit different but it is still me Trev. I've been given an amazing gift is all."

"Gift?"

"Power Trev. Enough power so that no-one can take me off the air ever again. Enough power to crush those that try like insects."

The way she says that has Trevor deeply worried. Sure Leslie had been a loud-mouth who aired her opinions too readily but she never talked about crushing people or comparing them to insects. She has changed. "Why are you here?" he asks her.

"Because I'm making my comeback tonight from here." She points at the radio on the shelf on the wall and it turns on at her command. "Keep listening Trev because I have an announcement to make." She then turns back into lightning and vanishes the same way she arrived.

* * *

**Back at the mansion.**

"Guys!" Jubilee shouts as she runs through the mansion carrying the radio. She had been in the kitchen snacking when it started. "You had better listen to this!"

Everyone in earshot of Jubilee's yelling gathers in the entrance hall where Jubilee comes to a stop as an all too familiar voice speaks through the radio.

"_**Hey Bayville! The Live Wire is back on the air! If you are wondering what happened to me then I can sum it up in two words. Lionel. Luthor. It seems the old grouch was unhappy with what I was saying about him so he used his power, influence and no doubt money to line my bosses' pockets to have me either gagged or fired. I told them that I would never be gagged so I quit.**_

_**Yeah. I know. Big mistake but things have changed recently which means they can no longer keep me off the air. Tonight I'm making an announcement. Tonight I'm bringing my show back during which I am going to tell you all about what Lionel Luthor is really up to in Bayville. I will also be revealing the truth about two certain...groups of people who live here. Two groups who think they can hide the truth of what they are.**_

_**Well very shortly I can guarantee there will be no more hiding. The whole world will know the truth. The whole world will be changed just like I was and nothing will...EVER be the same again!"

* * *

**_

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the race is on to stop Live Wire before she reveals everything and exposes mutants._


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Upon hearing Live Wire's announcement it didn't take much guessing on the part of both the students at the Institute or those at the Boarding House to figure what she planned to do. She planned to out them.

"She has to know we'll try and stop her," Jean says to basically everyone who has gathered in the entrance hall by now.

Logan snorts. "Obviously she thinks we can't stop her."

"Yes," Charles confirms in agreement with Logan. It seems all the power she possesses has gone to Miss Willis' head.

"Can you find her?" Storm asks Charles.

"Yes but we must do it quickly," Charles says as he turns his chair around and heads for the elevator so he can use Cerebro. They don't have much time. At the moment Live Wire is talking some trash about Lionel as she builds up to her announcement.

The X-Men follow and so does Clark. "Let me help," he requests.

"Appreciate the offer kid," Logan tells him. "But you ain't ready for something like this."

"Maybe," Clark is just about willing to concede despite the fact he took down plenty meteor mutants in his time. Although some times he did that by pure luck rather than skill. "But when the Professor finds her you'll need someone to at least distract her before she tells everyone about us and I can get there the fastest," he argues.

"He has a point," Rogue agrees with her boyfriend. Kurt can teleport instantly anywhere but it has its limits in range and also he either must see it or know where it is and be familiar with the layout or he risks teleporting inside a wall.

"Yes he does," the Professor says in agreement. "Time is vital."

"Alright," Logan says in reluctant acceptance. "But you are only to keep her busy until we get there. I don't care how powerful you are. None of us ever works alone."

"Says tha pot ta tha kettle," Rogue mutters considering how often Logan does go off on his own doing who knows what.

"I heard that Stripes."

"Ah meant ya ta!"

They all ride down in the elevator. Clark needs to ask a question. "Professor if you can find her and we can stop her can you help her?"

"I will do everything in my power to do so," Charles replies.

They exit the elevator and the Professor enters Cerebro while everyone quickly gets suited up before they all meet back outside Cerebro. Once they are regrouped Rogue has to ask Clark "Why did ya ask tha Professor about whether he could help her?"

"Because back in Smallville I saw this kind of thing all the time. People changed...consumed by the powers they never asked for and I couldn't do anything to help them. I prevented them hurting others but helping them was something I never had the means to do." It is something he regrets.

"You're assuming that her powers are the cause. That may be flawed logic Clark," Jean feels she needs to point out.

"Perhaps but you can't say she doesn't need some kind of help."

The doors to Cerebro slide open and the Professor exits. "She is at the radio station she use to work at," he tells them.

With that Clark is gone with a whoosh and a gust of wind that blows everyone's hair about while the x-men head for the Velocity. Considering they will be within the confines of Bayville the helicopter is the better choice from the x-jet.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Bayville Boarding House Mystique is now awake and on the phone to Magneto about what has transpired. His voice makes clear his unhappiness at the situation. "She must be stopped," he demands of this Live Wire. He isn't yet ready for mutants to be revealed.

"I am aware," Mystique replies calmly.

"Then also be aware Mystique that I will be holding you responsible if this...Live Wire succeeds."

"Me?" she asks unable to grasp why she is getting the blame.

"You had her in your grasp and you allowed her to escape."

"Allowed?" Mystique grits from between her teeth desperately trying to keep her temper in check. "She almost killed me!"

"If she succeeds you may have wished she had," he warns darkly before he abruptly ends the call. Magneto turns off the computer he was working at after he closes the file on his observations of his latest possible recruit; Warren Worthington III. He picks up his helmet, puts it on and floats himself to another part of his base. "Haze!" he yells loudly and the teenage mutant appears in her haze of green mist.

"Yes?" she inquiries wondering if Magneto has made his final decision on that plan she proposed to him involving Clark Kent. Her hopes are dashed in that regard very quickly.

"Take me to Bayville immediately," he commands of her. "An urgent situation has arisen that I must take care of."

"What about the others?" she queries in relation to Sabretooth, Gambit, Pyro, Colossus and this other new guy Magneto had recently brought here who looked like a troll to her. He was a telepath she thinks Gambit said he was.

"There is no time. Now let us go." He holds out his hand and Haze takes it and teleports them away.

* * *

"Are you listening to this?" Lionel demands of Dr Essex and his soon to be replaced commander of the MRD. Listening to Live Wire in her build up to revealing everything.

"She is on every wavelength sir," the commander informs him.

"Thank you for stating the obvious!" Lionel snaps with the full force of his sarcasm. Does his commander not realise that Lionel already checked through the wavelengths. "Find her! Stop her!" he orders.

The commander salutes and leaves to the MRD base in the building.

"You know they will neither find her nor stop her in time," Essex points out in a calm summarising of the situation.

"Then you and I Doctor will be spending the next couple of decades in jail." What she took off his computer was more than enough to indite both him and Essex.

Lionel maybe. Essex will just change his appearance as he has done before and vanish.

Lionel makes his way to the window. His illness wears heavy on him in moments like this when he is under stress. It's too bad it's not quite Christmas yet because right now he could do with a miracle.

* * *

Clark zips to a halt outside the building which houses the radio station. He wishes his x-ray vision was working right now but it still has not returned. Same with his heat vision. Instead he has to rely on his hearing. He has been practising with it so lets see what he can do. He shuts his eyes and concentrates on the sounds within the building.

"Where is she?...How is she doing this?...There is no sign of her anywhere?"

From that Clark guesses she is inhabiting the equipment like he witnessed her doing down in the Danger Room. What he needs to do is to get the people out so he and the X-Men can fight her without witnesses. Clark carefully makes his way to the door of the building and peers inside looking for...there. The fire alarm. He can trigger that.

Clark shifts into superspeed, zips through the doors, trips the alarm and hides round a corner with all anyone possibly seeing was a black and yellow blur. By the way he still hates this generic uniform he is wearing. Give him something in red and blue any day.

Live Wire 'hears' the alarm going off and has to turn away from her broadcast to see what is going on. She looks through all the security camera but doesn't see any sign of fire. What is going on?

Then she spots him. "Clever. Clark. Very clever."

Clark looks around him for the source of the voice. "Leslie you have to stop this. You have to know what will happen if you tell everyone about mutants," he tries to reason with her.

"People have the right to know the truth Clark. It is engraved into the constitution."

"Let us help you. Let me help you."

"I told you I don't need any help!" she shouts and a light fixture near Clark explodes. "Leave Clark or you'll be the one needing help," she warns darkly.

"I'm not leaving Leslie."

Another light explodes and she appears. "I told you my name is Live Wire!" She then raises her hand and a bolt of lightning shoot from it and strikes Clark square in the chest knocking him off his feet and scorching his uniform. Clark picks himself up while noting to try avoiding getting hit like that again. That smarted.

Live Wire looks on caught between being annoyed and being impressed. That bolt would have turned a lesser man into well done steak. She can see why he has the name Superboy but she won't let him stop her. She tries again but this time Clark dodges at superspeed.

"You may be fast but you can't dodge me forever," she says.

Clark doesn't have to. He just has to keep her busy until the others get here which he hopes is soon.

Aboard the Velocity they have all noted with relief that the broadcast has stopped for now. As the Velocity nears the building they can see a large group of people gathered outside. "What is going on?" Scott asks.

The Professor closes his eyes and listens to some of the people's thoughts to see how much damage has been done. It seems so far no-one knows what Miss Willis has become or how she is doing this. That is good. As for what is going on. "The fire alarm has been set off. I'm guessing Clark did it."

'Smart Kid,' Logan thinks to himself at the kid's thinking. It meant no civilians around to get caught in the crossfire. "I'll land us on the roof," he announces to the others since that is a big enough space.

They land and the x-men fan out across the roof before making their way to the roof access to the stairwell. They quickly make their way down the stairs following the Professor's mental directions as to where Live Wire is.

They reach the lobby of the building to find Live Wire has pinned Clark to the wall off the floor with 4 ribbons of electrical energy wrapped around his wrists and ankles and him visibly gritting against the pain.

"So still think I need help Clark," Live Wire mocks.

Clark tries to break free of the hold she managed to get on him but how to break free of what is essentially only energy. Metal he can tear apart like it is paper but this is totally different. He tries to move his arm with all his strength and is just getting it to inch forward when Live Wire is hit from behind by a crimson red beam. Her hold on Clark is broken and he drops to the floor.

"You are going to pay for that!" Live Wire screams, malice dripping off every tone. From each of her fingers tips she flings electrical energy at the x-men. Most dodge them. Kitty phases. Jean uses a TK shield to block it. Logan acts as Live Wire accused him of being. His metal bones act as a metal conductor drawing the bolt right at him and hitting him hard in the chest. He tumbles over while letting out a pained grunt. Kurt teleports out of the way and right behind Live Wire. He moves to grab her only to find her whole body is electrified giving him a huge shock, enough to knock him out cold.

"Evan," Scott orders since he figures Evan's bone spikes won't conduct and Evan is in a better position. Evan flings a whole row of spikes from his arm only to find Live Wire shoot them all out of the air with electrical blasts.

"Oh man," Evan complains.

Live Wire smirks. "Not bad for the new girl huh?" she boasts with a cockiness Pietro would envy.

"Enough!" a voice says sternly a second before a powerful hand grabs her by the shoulder and flings her backwards until she hits the wall. While she rubs her head she makes a mental note not to turn her back on Clark again. Seriously though what in the hell does it take to get him to stay down. She had already pumped enough current in him to power a city and here he was still up, about and mobile. As the X-Men move to corner her Live Wire decides that time to regroup might be a good idea so she transforms into her electrical form and vanishes into one of the light fittings.

With Live Wire gone Rogue rushes over to Clark to check up on him. His uniform is melted and scorched in several place, testament to several blows Live Wire managed to land despite Clark's speed. "Are ya alright?" she asks him.

"It's just the uniform," he assures her.

"Is he alright?" Kurt asks with a groan as he comes round. "You ask zhe guy who is invulnerable if he is alright but not zhe guy vith zhe scorched fur?" he says sounding a little whiny.

"Ya ain't mah boyfriend," she tells Kurt, teasing him slightly, before both she and Clark help Kurt to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Clark asks Kurt.

"Nozhing an entire bucket of conditioner won't fix," Kurt jokes as his fur has picked up a static charge and is now sticking up.

As the others gather round Clark asks "So did I get here in time?"

"You did," Scott tells him. "She was still ranting on Luthor when she stopped. By the way good idea with the fire alarm," Scott says in praise.

"Downside is that the fire brigade will be getting here soon," Jean points out.

"The Professor can slow them down with his telepathy."

And speaking of telepathy Jean reports of what the Professor can sense from the helicopter. "The Professor says Live Wire is still in the building, most likely in the wires. We are going to have to try and lure her out."

Scott thinks on that for a second. Unfortunately she won't attack them in this large a group if she has any sort of smarts. He will have to break them up into pairs and take separate floors to make them more tempting targets and lure her out of the building's wires.

Kurt and Kitty are given the task first of finding the security office, shutting off the cameras and making sure that nothing of tonight's events have been recorded for prosperity. Kitty is good at that kind of thing. Scott pairs with Jean inevitably leaving the quickly recovered Logan with a scorch mark on his uniform to be paired up with Spyke.

Clark and Rogue end up being paired because Clark had this feeling that Live Wire would try to repeat her attempt to get at Rogue from the Danger Room. As they wander the floor they are on Rogue notices Clark rubbing his eyes. "They starting ta blur up?" she asks him.

"Yeah," he says as he tries to force them to focus. He had been without his glasses for awhile now and this is what happens. "I'll be alright though."

They enter some sort of meeting room with tables and chairs and half empty glasses of water left where they had been abandoned when everyone fled the building. No sign of Live Wire still.

"This is not how I pictured the run up to Christmas," Clark tells Rogue.

"What? Searchin' through a building for a crazed harlot who can turn herself into electricity?"

"Harlot!" a voice screams from seemingly everywhere and a bolt of lightning flies from a socket and smashes into Clark's chest sending him flying over the table knocking glasses and water flying. The lightning bounces around the room a few times until Live Wire appears in front of Rogue. "Harlot?" Live Wire growls out. "That's a bit rich coming from someone who looks like a lady of the night if you know what I mean."

That fired up Rogue like few things can and her eye twitches in that way it only does when she is really steamed. It was not easy being a Goth at the best of times but to have this bitch compare her to a...a prostitute of all things. She is so going down Rogue swears as she pulls one of her gloves off.

Live Wire notices. "Oh please. Like you are ever going to get near me to do that," she says dismissively of the threat Rogue possesses. She raises her own hand and forms an electric ball. She hears Clark getting back to his feet once more. "Tell me Clark how do you like your Goth. Rare, medium or my personal favourite well done?"

Clark glares hard at Live Wire as he prepares to shift himself in front of Rogue. Then suddenly there is this pressure at his temples. It is a feeling he hasn't had since...since the first time his x-ray vision manifested and sure enough his eyes have suddenly shifted beyond his control into x-ray vision. What he sees is a detailed look inside Live Wire which he could do without. What is interesting is that he can see electrical energy flowing through her body. Even in her human form she seems to be still part electrical.

Rogue takes the delay of Live Wire talking to Clark to grab a nearly empty glass and throw it at the chalk-skinned woman as a distraction so she can get close and use her powers. Live Wire sees the glass and zaps it shattering it. A few drops of water splash on her as a result. As soon as the water drops touch her Live Wire screams out in pain and sparks fly around the spots where the water touched.

From Clark's perspective with his x-ray vision what he sees is something that looks like it is short circuiting. Rogue takes the opportunity to throw herself at Live Wire. If she can just get one touch...

Live Wire spots Rogue coming and manages to move enough out of the way so that Rogue's fingers just graze across her cheek. It is enough to drain some of her power but nowhere near enough to put her down. Feeling a little disorientated by even Rogue's brief touch Live Wire decides discretion is the better part of valour at this moment and retreats back into the wires.

"Dammit!" Rogue shouts. She didn't absorb enough to dream of trying to follow suit in pursuit of Live Wire although she absorbed enough to make the lights in the room flicker at her flare of temper. She moves over to Clark who is still trying to get his x-ray vision to shut off as he rubs his temples. "Clark?" she queries and as he looks at her his cheeks start to turn red and his eyes follow suit by glowing red.

Seems the image of his girlfriend naked is going to solve his heat vision problems too. She is so going to kill him when she finds out. Although the slightly less pure side of him is thinking just how incredible Rogue looks. He blinks several times rapidly and his vision returns to normal. "It's nothing. My eyes are acting up," he says vaguely. "We should get back to trying to lure her out."

"Maybe ah should just insult her a few more tahmes," Rogue suggests. "That seems ta work."

Meanwhile back up in the Velocity to the Professor's and Storm's horror the radio fires up. _**"Live Wire is back on the air ladies and gents! Sorry about that. I was distracted and then I figured out that that is what they intended to do but they are going to fail. Now lets get on with this. Let me tell you about these two groups I mentioned earlier..."**_

"Charles," Storm says and is asking him a question.

"As long as she is in her electrical form I can't get into her mind," he has to unfortunately inform her. Although he can still sense her whereabouts very close by. "She is in the transmitter," he says pointing at the massive tower. He sends a telepathic summons to the X-Men which gets relayed through Rogue to Clark who appears a few seconds later in the helicopter.

"Professor I know how to stop her," Clark tells him and then explains what happened with the water. "We just have to get her out in the open and get her wet."

Storm can summon rain easily but how to lure Live Wire out is the question. Clark thinks hard. Rogue was probably right. They need to hurt her ego. He zips back outside and stands next to the huge transmitter antenna that dominates one side of the roof.

"Leslie!" Clark yells. "I know you can hear me!"

"You're not tricking me this time Clark!" she yells back, her voice emanating from the antenna. "I figured out what you are up to and it is not going to work! You're not stopping me! I'm telling everyone!" she shouts sounding like a child. A child with too much power and not the maturity to know how to use it responsibly.

"You don't actually think they'll believe you do you," he says scornfully. "You don't really think that people actually believe anything you have to say. After all why would anyone listen to someone as obnoxious as you. All those listeners you claimed adored you. They didn't adore you Leslie. It was just they were loyal to the local station and you happened to be on. Personally I couldn't stand you. I in fact hated your show and dear god don't get me started on your voice. What happened? You guzzle down some gasoline and then set it alight because geez...you make nails on a chalkboard sound appealing."

The whole antenna starts to spark with electrical energy.

"Get ready Storm," the Professor advises on seeing this and the weather mutant's eyes turn white as clouds start to roll in at her command.

"You arrogant ill-feeling...asshole!" Live Wire screams in pure rage. "You know nothing! Nothing!" Enormous bolts strike down at Clark from the tip of the antenna who holds his arms out in front of his face blocking them as the force of their impact drives him back sliding across the roof.

Clark digs his feet in and pushes back slowly towards the antenna. "That all you got!" Clark mocks her needing to make her mad enough to appear and retake her human form.

"They all loved me!"

"You're delusional!"

"I'm in charge here Clark! I've got the power! Not you!"

"And you are using it so maturely," he says sarcastically. "I'm sure your parents are so proud!"

"I am going to fry you!" she screams as his continued mocking of her just makes her angrier. She increases the power of her blasts. "Then we'll see how much your little girlfriend wants you after that!"

Clark grits his teeth against the pain of Live Wire's increased attack power and pushes back against the force harder in response. He has to get her out of the antenna. "Give it your best shot," he dares her and then adds, "but you'll still only be a tenth of the person she is."

"I'm ten times the person she is!" she screeches outraged that he dare say she is less than the Goth.

Charles looks out of the Velocity and can see Live Wire appear on top of the antenna as she is forced to focus all of her power on Clark in her anger and attempt to destroy him. The force actually starts pushing Clark backwards again sliding across the roof. "Now Storm," Charles commands.

Storm commands it and suddenly the rain pours down. When it hits Live Wire the water the rain is made of and her electrical energy mix in that way water and electricity always mix. They don't. Essentially her whole being short circuits. She cries out in agony and for a moment it is actually possible to see the silhouette of her skeleton. She then slumps forward falling from the antenna. Clark rushes forward and catches her. He is just placing her on the ground when the rest of the X-Men burst onto the roof and the Professor and Storm exit the helicopter.

"Vhoa. Vhat happened to her?" Kurt asks as steam is literally rising from Live Wire's form.

"An inventive idea of Clark's to stop her by bruising her ego to lure her out," Charles explains. In fact he was surprised at how insulting Clark could be. Proof perhaps that Rogue has rubbed off on him slightly.

"Thank Rogue," he says modestly. "She gave me the idea."

"Lets get her in the helicopter," Charles instructs. "We need to leave." He had done all he can to delay the fire brigade but an alarm was an alarm and they were obligated to attend.

But before anyone can do anything the sound of metal being bent catches their attention as the massive antenna starts to lean over in their direction as it suddenly topples over. Clark zips over to its base and catches it. Jean uses her telekinetic power to help push at it but something is wrong. The two of them combined should easily mange to push it back up but it feels like some force is pushing against them. The strain of fighting it shows on their faces showing how strong this mysterious force is.

Everyone's attention is so focussed on it that no-one notices the figure appear in a haze of green mist next to Live Wire's prone body and then vanish with it in the same manner.

It is now that Clark and Jean suddenly find that their combined efforts manage to push the antenna back up straight where Clark uses his newly restored heat vision to weld it back to its base. Jean floats over next to him. "Good job," she says in praise.

"Thanks for the help. You did good too," he praises her back. "But did you notice..."

"Some force pushing against us."

Clark nods. "Yeah."

"Yes."

"Um guys!" Kitty calls out to get everyone's attention. "Like where did Live Wire go?" she asks pointing at the spot where Live Wire was.

Clark looks down at the spot and then up again and notices a figure in red on a rooftop in the distance. "Maybe we should ask him," Clark says pointing at said figure as it launches into the sky and flies off.

"Erik," Charles whispers and now this mysterious force makes sense. Magneto did it as a distraction while he somehow snatched Live Wire from right under their noses.

Before anyone can decide what to do next the sound of sirens approaching makes the choice for them. They have to go. They load back up into the Velocity and make their exit. They fly back to the mansion with a little bit of mixed emotions. They stopped Live Wire blabbing all their secrets but have seemingly lost her to Magneto.

"I seriously doubt she'll work for him," Logan says to Charles from what he had assessed of Live Wire the short time she was around.

"I doubt Magneto will give her a choice Logan," Charles says expressing a great deal of sadness at what he fears Erik might do to force her to work for him.

"I don't even see how he will manage to keep her locked up," Logan wonders considering her ability to transform as she does.

Charles isn't sure either. Although Hank had theorised that if she was composed of electrical energy than perhaps she could be manipulated like electrical energy. Long explanation cut short they would simply need to ground her. It is what they would have tried if they had managed to get her back to the mansion. As for Magneto Charles can only speculate that he must be here because of the radio broadcast so it is not likely Magneto has had a great deal of time to plan how to hold her. However Erik was very intelligent. It is not beyond the realms of possibility he could come to the same theory Hank had.

Charles replies to Logan. "In either case Logan, whether she agrees to work for him or not, I have this feeling we have not seen the last of Live Wire."

"But now at least we know how to stop her," Storm adds as a positive note from her position piloting the helicopter in reference to Live Wire's weakness to water.

Behind the 4 adults Clark is taking in the completely melted sleeves of his uniform where he used his arms to block Live Wire's attack. Her attacks essentially burned them off so his skin is showing. In fact his skin is slightly scorched which explains the pain he felt. He must have really ticked her off. After all Ray had hit Clark with his electrical blasts and Clark survived that unhurt but in comparison to Live Wire though Clark has to say that she makes Ray look like a 9-volt battery. No offence intended to Ray.

Rogue is sitting quietly trying to push down the bit of Live Wire's personality she absorbed from the brief touch. She has a few flashes of Live Wire's memories but not much that makes any sense. People Rogue doesn't know. A man with pale skin. There is a flash of...green lightning? A flash of Lionel Luthor's face. There is Clark and Rogue can feel Live Wire's lust for her boyfriend. That is disturbing but frankly her touch was too brief to get anything substantial and it seems nothing all that helpful either as pertains to answers so Rogue is just going to do her best to push Live Wire into the back of her mind along with all the others.

Kurt who is sitting in front of Clark spins his chair round and notices the light burns on Clark's arms. "Did Live Vire do zhat?" he asks in some surprise that Clark is actually hurt.

"Do what?" Rogue asks, her attention now caught by Kurt who points at Clark's arms. Rogue's eyes widen in surprise, shock and worry. "She hurt ya?"

"It's nothing," Clark dismisses it.

Fury burns in Rogue's stomach. Clark can almost sense the rage coming off of her. "Rogue. It's nothing. They'll be healed by the time we get back to the mansion," he tries to assuage her.

"They vill?" Kurt queries somewhat confused.

He looks from Kurt to Rogue and back to Kurt. "Did I not mention I heal fast?"

"Zhat vould be a nein," Kurt says.

"Oh. Sorry but I do. After all how do you think my eyes healed after Mystique blow torched them."

Kitty decides to contribute to this conversation. "Well you were kind of like vague Clark whenever we asked about that," she reminds him. All he said was something along the lines of the torch somehow managed to dislodge the scar tissue. Like she said; vague.

"For a good reason Kitty. It is kind of...gross and I really don't think you want to hear about it."

"Try meh," Rogue sort of dares him.

Clark looks at Kurt since this is his mother Clark would be saying bad things about. Kurt gives him a look of sad resignation as far as Mystique goes and gestures for him to just go ahead and tell it. Clark lets out a sigh. "Alright but don't say I didn't warn you. Essentially the kryptonite left my eyes as vulnerable as yours so when Mystique burned my eyes she did as much damage as would have been done to your eyes. So basically she completely destroyed them and then from the burnt out remains they grew back."

Kitty's hand goes over her mouth as she imagines what that would have looked like. "Oh gross! I think I'm like going to hurl."

Upon arriving back at the mansion Clark, whose burns have completely healed as he said they would, finds himself explaining to Jean how he deduced Live Wire's vulnerability to water as they both exit the helicopter. "Well um lucky for us I guess is that my x-ray vision decided to start working again and I could see that even in her human form her body was still partly electrical and then when Rogue threw that glass at her I saw how the few drops of water that hit her short-circuited her slightly so I theorised that if you extend that out to soaking her completely you would completely short her out...so to speak."

"So you could actually see the electrical energy inside her body?" Jean queries intrigued by that notion.

"Yes."

"And I take it your heat vision just came back at the same time," she supposes since she saw him use it to re-secure the transmitter antenna back on the roof.

Clark briefly flashes a glance over at Rogue. "Um...yeah," he says with a slight hesitation as he remembers what triggered its return.

Rogue notes both the glance and the slight hesitation. It adds to something that has been niggling at her ever since that moment where he looked at her. His cheeks had flushed with colour and his eyes had glowed. He had said his eyes were simply acting up. His x-ray vision had returned so maybe it was acting up too which means...

It is now Rogue's turn to flush self-consciously as it all falls into place.

* * *

Meanwhile across town Lionel sits in his chair in his office feeling some relief. For some reason Live Wire's transmission just stopped suddenly. The two groups she mentioned...he wonders if she meant the two groups his men saw fighting when they captured Mr Dean. Oh well for keeping his secrets off the air not learning about them is a price worth paying for now.

He does have to wonder what caused Live Wire to stop. He had learned that the fire alarm had gone off at the station she used to work at so he assumed that was where she was transmitting from but beyond that he would have to wait and see what his investigators could find out.

It begs the question of if he is now simply waiting for Live Wire to show up again. She still has all that information she stole from him. He will have to be ready for her next time. He will have to hope that Essex can learn enough from the samples they took from her to understand the nature of her mutation and how to contain her. Kill her even if he has to but Lionel sees that as a last resort. She would inevitably be much more valuable alive than dead.

Lionel moves over to his window and looks out upon Bayville. "Where are you Miss Willis?"

* * *

He stands in the shadows watching her, waiting for her to wake up. He has to admit his timing was excellent to be able to snatch her from under Charles' nose. Of course he had a feeling that Charles would somehow manage to stop her before she revealed what he is not yet ready for the world to know which was why he followed the helicopter in the first place and when he saw them all upon the roof stood around their defeated foe he knew that that was his moment of opportunity and he took it. His guest stirs indicating that she is about to wake up.

Live Wire's eyes flutter open and she groans at the pain that is seemingly racking every cell of her body. What the hell happened to her and what was she drinking last night?

Oh wait now she remembers. It wasn't alcohol. It was Clark. Somehow he figured out a way to stop her. Oh just he waits until she gets her hands on him. He is going to pay for this and for all those things he said about her. It is all so damn easy for him living in a mansion possessing a whole array of powers. Until her transformation she had to work, scramble and claw her way to the top. He said she had no idea how he thought or what he wanted well she could say the same for him about how she thinks. Oh yeah he, his girlfriend, all the others at the mansion, the whole damn world and Lionel Luthor(she is not forgetting about him either), they are all going to pay but Clark especially. He turned her down in favour of a Goth of all things! Oh Clark is definitely top of her hit list.

She tries moving her arms only to find them bound by something. She looks around to find herself in a metal room strapped to a metal chair. Well this is amusing. They really think this can hold her. Pathetic.

Live Wire concentrates and tries to transform herself but nothing happens. She tries harder and still zilch. She struggles against her bonds and screams in frustration.

"You are wasting your time," a dark voice speaks from the shadows around the edge of her room.

Live Wire tries to peer into the darkness. "Who are you? What gives you the right to do this?" she demands to know.

A figure in red armour strides into view. "I am Magneto."

"Oh so you're the guy she told me about," Live Wire says in reference to Mystique. She looks him up and down. "I was expecting something less...Darth Vaderish."

"There is no reason for us to be enemies. I suspect we have much in common," Magneto tells her in essence starting to make his sales pitch.

Live Wire snorts. "Like I told the overgrown smurf I have no interest in what you are offering. I have such power now that I don't have to take orders from anyone. No-one will ever be my boss again."

"Yet here you for all your power helpless and at my mercy," Magneto darkly points out.

Live Wire strains again at her bonds. Why can't she transform?

"If you are wondering what happened to your powers those 2 simple wires attached to your restraints are the answer."

Live Wire looks at the wires, 1 attached to each of her wrists.

"They in essence ground you making your electrical powers inert." Magneto has enough knowledge of basic physics to realise that if her powers are electrically based then she possesses all the properties of electrical energy and therefore this energy can be controlled and manipulated in the same manner electricity can be. He strides forward so he towers over her. It is always helpful to be able to look down on someone. It a small subtle gesture that gives them the feeling of inferiority. "I give you this one last chance to join my cause of your own free will."

Live Wire just glares at him. This guy is getting added to her hit list when she figures a way out of this. "Go suck on a lemon," she tells him disrespectfully.

"Disappointing...but predictable. Very well. We shall do this the hard way." Magneto gestures at the doors to the room which slide open. He then summons one of his new recruits who shall ensure Live Wire will be serving him faithfully from now on. "Mastermind!"

* * *

_Author's Note: Definitely won't be the last we see of Live Wire although she will be a little different after Mastermind gets through with her. I chose to do that because simply I think Live Wire has too big an ego to ever agree to work for Magneto and since mutants have to be kept a secret some method of keeping Live Wire controlled was necessary. Of course no guarantee how long that will last. Also I chose to make it that when Live Wire is in her electrical form that she is immune to being controlled telepathically. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; On Angel's Wings._


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

It was a few days before Christmas and the students were having their last get together before they went their separate ways for the holidays so they could exchange gifts. Since the incident with Live Wire it had been a fairly quiet time. As a note of interest everything that Live Wire managed to do at the radio station had been rationalised by people as that she had somehow hacked in and taken it over. Not that she was a mutant who could transform herself into electricity and infect anything electronic like a virus. Since there had also not been any trace of her the conclusion was sadly being reached that one way or another she must now be working for Magneto or if she refused he dealt with her in some fashion.

It was speculation and not one fitting for Christmas so the students and the adults had decided to concentrate more on the glad tidings that Christmas always brings.

Right now in the lounge Rogue is adding one last bauble to the tree when she notices the angel that should sit atop of it lying on the floor like it has been forgotten. She picks it up and then looks at the huge tree and wonders how she is meant to get it up there. Guess she better look out the step-ladder.

Before she can a pair of hands grip her around her waist incredibly gently but firmly. "Here let me help," the owner of the hands offers and Rogue feels herself being lifted off the ground as if she is light as a feather.

Rogue can feel the warmth of the hands through her clothes which makes her heart flutter slightly but ignores it long enough to place the angel where it belongs. She is then lowered gently to the ground and her help comes to stand beside her.

"There. Now it is complete," Clark says with a happy cheerful smile. It may not be Christmas as he remembers it back in Smallville but it is still enough for him to be filled with the Christmas spirit. His parents are here. His friends are here. What more can you ask for?

Clark sneaks a glance at Rogue who has dressed up in this black top and skirt with long gloves that cover the whole length of her arms and a scarf over her neck. He has never seen her dressed like that before which is a shame because she looks beautiful. "I love your outfit," he tells her. "You look great."

Rogue plays with her bangs a little bit and blushes slightly at his complement. She isn't use to guys complementing her looks. "Oh what this old thing?" she tries to play it off.

Clark looks at himself dressed in his usual blue t-shirt and jeans. "I feel so inadequate now," he jokes as he pushes his glasses up his nose. His eyes were still not fully back to normal.

"Ya look fahne," she tells him. Better than fine actually. Even a simple cotton t-shirt looks great on Clark especially the way it clings to his pecs and abs that is seriously sexy...and this is really not a train of thought Rogue should pursue considering how most probably she will never know what those feel like to be touched by her hand.

Clark gently places his arm around her waist in a public show of affection. Slowly Rogue was getting more comfortable with that every day that passed although she thinks Clark has the patience of a saint to put up with what she knows is her short temper and her brooding attitude. Every day that passed though Rogue opened herself up to him a little more and in return he did the same as their feelings for each other grow.

Clark gazes about the room still slightly amazed that all these people are his friends. Friends who he doesn't have to hide what he is or what he can do. His gaze eventually falls to Kitty, Amara and Jubilee as they open Jean's gifts for them which are all necklaces of varying designs. Meanwhile Kurt has sneaked around behind Kitty with a piece of mistletoe hidden behind his back. He places it above Kitty's head.

Kitty glances up and notices it and shoves Kurt's arm away. "Kurt. In your dreams," she tells him.

"All in the holiday spirit!" Kurt says and then makes some kissing noises.

"Kurt. Knock it off," Kitty tells him half-laughing as she stands up.

Kurt leaps onto the back of the couch. "Oh come on Kitty! Just one little kiss!"

"No!" Kitty protests as she tries to get away from him.

Kurt chases after her. "Please," he begs as he runs between the Professor and Logan who in the Christmas spirit is stirring a cup of hot chocolate.

Charles smiles, happy to see his students in such good spirits. "Ah. To be young again," Charles remarks to Logan.

"Yeah. Glad that's over," Logan says dryly.

"You know Logan you are welcome to spend the holidays with us," Charles offers. Of course us this year being himself, Hank, Scott, Rogue, Clark, Martha and Jonathan. In fact Charles must admit to looking forward to the Christmas dinner Martha had insisted she was going to cook for them all.

"Thanks...but I've got some important...things to catch up on," he replies vaguely. Logan had his own Christmas routine that he follows without fail.

While Kurt continues to chase Kitty around the room Rogue says to Clark. "It's sure goin ta be lonely when all these guys leave tomorrow."

"I guess...or we could just go with peaceful." Truthfully Clark wouldn't mind peaceful for a few days. Sure he likes everyone here but some days with all the craziness he misses the peace and quiet of living on a farm.

Over by the fire, which has been decorated with holly and stockings hung up on it, he spots Jean has made her way over next to Scott who is sipping on some hot chocolate as well. She pushes some hair behind her ear in what is a gesture of slight nervousness. "So...um...I guess this is it until new year," Jean says to Scott without admitting how much she is going to miss him.

"Yeah. I guess so," Scott says sadly at the fact he is desperately going to miss her.

Jean pulls a parcel from behind her back. "I got you a gift."

"Oh...um...thanks Jean. I got you one too but it's up in my room. I was going to give you it before you left tomorrow so you could open it at home but I mean if you want it now I could go get it."

She waves him off. "No. No. It's fine," she says with a smile that he went to the effort of getting her a gift. She hands over her gift. "Here. Open it."

Scott takes it and opens the lid to find a jumper inside. "Thanks Jean," he says genuinely touched that she went through the effort for him.

"You're welcome. And you know I expect you to wear it," she says jokingly. "After all I don't want to come back here and find you laid up with the flu."

Scott smiles and with it being Christmas he decides to be brave and give Jean a friendly little kiss on her cheek.

A surge of warmth rushes through Jean at the little gesture which has more spark than any kiss she has ever shared with Duncan.

"Can ya believe those two?" Rogue says a little exasperated at the dancing around each other going on between Scott and Jean.

"I'm staying out of it," Clark says due to his experience of himself, Lana and Whitney. Besides he feels it is not really any of his business.

"Ah take it we're just saving our gifts for Christmas day," she assumes.

"Gift? Was I suppose to get you a gift?" he says sounding serious yet when Rogue looks at his face she can see the teasing expression on it. "I mean is that what a guy is suppose to get his girlfriend at Christmas?"

Rogue gently elbows him in the side although she loves the bit where he calls her his girlfriend causing a tiny smile to appear on her face.

Clark has to say it always a good day when he gets Rogue to smile.

Over by the corner where Martha and Jonathan are hanging out with Hank and Ororo Martha gives her husband a poke and points at Clark and Rogue with his arm around her waist being careful not to touch her skin yet trying to hold her close at the same time. It warms Martha's heart to see her son happy and Rogue as well. The poor girl has to endure so much. She deserves happiness too.

Meanwhile Kurt has gotten Kitty pinned on a couch where Bobby is sitting with Roberto and Sam. Kurt moves in for the kill but makes the mistake of shutting his eyes and Kitty slides out of the way. Bobby is laughing at the two of them so has his eyes closed so he never sees it coming. Not until Kurt's lips hit his cheek.

When they realise what happened both their eyes widen in horror and they go "Eugh!"

* * *

The next morning is when everyone who is going leaves although Logan left so early everyone was still asleep. Martha gives Ororo a hug before Storm leaves to drops the students off at their varying destinations since she won't be back since Ororo is spending Christmas as her sister's, Vivian's, house along with Evan.

"Give my best to your sister," Martha says to the woman she has come to be quite close friends with which wasn't all that hard. Ororo just had this way about her that made you like her and be at ease in her company.

"I shall," Ororo promises hoping that Martha knows how much she has come to treasure their friendship. Considering her life friends are a rare commodity for Ororo. Female ones more so. She gives Jonathan a hug as they exchange a few pleasantries too.

"Vell have a happy Christmas," Kurt says to Clark as they say their farewells.

"I'll try," Clark promises.

A thought occurs to Kurt. "Did zhey have anyzhing like Christmas on Krypton?" he asks Clark.

Clark shakes his head. "I don't know," he says honestly because he doesn't. "But I think there was religion. I mean there is a Kryptonian word for God. You wouldn't bother with having a word unless you believed in it."

"Vhat's zhe word?" Kurt asks curious. He himself is Catholic but understands there are many terms for God in many different religions.

"Rao," Clark tells him. "Which is either simply the direct translation of the word 'God' but since it is a proper noun I think it might actually just be what Kryptonians thought God's name was."

"Did you get all zhat from Dr Swann?" Kurt asks knowing about what Clark brought back from Dr Swann. In fact Kurt thinks that Clark and Dr Swann keep up a correspondence by e-mail.

"Some of it. Most of it was downloaded into my head," Clark says and he has to admit it feels great being able to actually say stuff like this and not keep it all wrapped up in secret.

Kurt shakes his head slightly. Clark had mentioned that story. "Zhat must have been veird," he remarks.

"You have no idea. Anyway have a Happy Christmas Kurt and a safe flight home," Clark expresses his wishes to Kurt who will be flying back home to Germany to be with his parents.

"I vill. I'll see you in zhe new year."

"Can't wait," Clark says genuinely because he really appreciates his friendship with Kurt since he was the one who reached out to him first and then actually thought it was cool that he was an alien.

"Well I'll like miss all you guys," Kitty says to Clark, Rogue and Kurt.

"Um yeah. Ah guess ah'll miss ya too," Rogue says not sounding like she means it that much although she probably will miss Kitty more than she is expressing.

Kitty smiles. She knows Rogue isn't great at expressing her feelings so she'll take what she can get.

Clark sighs. "It won't be the same without you Kitty. I mean no-one else is as easy to wind up as you are."

Kitty scowls while Clark smiles goofily. "You're just lucky that I am a nice person. Otherwise you'd like be in big trouble Clark Kent."

"I'm shaking. Really," he says ingenuinely.

Rogue has to suppresses a snort of laughter. Clark and Kitty were like the best entertainment around at times like this.

"Have a happy...Hanukkah," Clark tells Kitty more seriously although not entirely sure if that is what you say in relation to the Jewish celebration.

Kitty decides to let that one pass because the sentiment was more important than the actual words used.

Everyone apart from Jean is soon loaded up into either the van or the Professor's car. Jean picks up her bags and walks down the stairs where the Professor, Mr McCoy, Scott, Clark, Rogue and Mr and Mrs Kent stand at the top seeing her off.

"Bye Jean. Have fun," Scott tells her.

As Jean sits in the car and waves back a feeling of sadness washes over her that she is going to be away from Scott in particular although the fact he is standing there wearing the jumper she got him makes her feel a bit better. She then spots that Clark and Rogue are holding hands even as they wave goodbye and a feeling of envy wells up. Despite how recently they have started dating Clark and Rogue seem closer than she and Duncan have managed to get. If she could figure it out she would realise how that means that perhaps Duncan is not the right guy for her.

The two vehicles drive off leaving the small group at the top of the stairs.

"Alright!" Hank says enthusiastically while rubbing his hands together. "Whose up for helping the Professor and me install Cerebro's new security upgrades?" he asks before he and the Professor go back inside.

Clark turns to Rogue. "That's a joke right?" he asks hopefully because to him holidays especially the Christmas one are about spending time with your family.

Scott shakes his head a little. "I guess that's his idea of how to have a fun holiday," he says with all the due sarcasm.

* * *

That evening all those still left at the mansion find themselves in the lounge. Scott is playing a game of chess with Hank. Jonathan and Martha are simply sitting together basically with their feet up on a couch. The Professor is by the fire reading the evening edition of the Daily Globe and Clark and Rogue are on another couch with her now dressed in her more traditional green shirt, fishnet top, black skirt, leggings and boots leaning into him resting her head on his shoulder while he holds her gently.

Despite what would happen if she was to touch him Rogue somehow finds it very relaxing and safe feeling in Clark's arms and of course she knows for certain he will never try anything inappropriate at this stage of their relationship. He's too good a person.

Clark loves holding Rogue. After Lana he had convinced himself of not having another relationship but he guesses he never saw Rogue coming and he is glad he didn't. Rogue is a wonderful person. She doesn't show it all that often openly but she is warm, funny and intelligent. Also sitting here with her allows him to block out all the other sounds he has to listen to by focussing his hearing on her. On her heartbeat. He glances over at Hank and Scott playing their game. "Checkmate in 3 moves," he whispers to Rogue.

"Ya play?" she asks him.

Clark shrugs. "I memorised the rules once."

Rogue is actually not that interested. She can't believe she is even thinking this considering she is essentially snuggling up with her boyfriend on the couch but she is kind of bored. She is even missing Kitty. It's strange how slowly time seems to pass when everyone is not here to drive her insane. Her eyes turn to the Professor reading the paper with the headline about another 'Angel' sighting. Apparently there was an angel flying about New York saving people.

"Do you think it could be a real angel Charles?" Martha asks having heard the news stories all day.

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares," Hank quotes.

The Professor lowers the paper and looks at Hank. "Shakespeare?" he queries.

"The Bible," Clark is the one to correct the Professor. "Hebrews. 13:2."

Hank is impressed. "Very good Clark."

"How did you know that?" Scott asks Clark.

He points at his parents. "They made me go to Sunday School until I was 10," he says while making a face expressing how much he loathed that.

Martha and Jonathan roll their eyes simultaneously. "You are just not letting that one go son are you?" Jonathan says a little exasperated that 6 years on and Clark is still holding that against them.

"Not in this lifetime," he promises them.

"Indeed," Charles comments before he gets back on subject. "Although I don't believe that this angel is of the heavenly variety," he says in answer to Martha.

Scott stops in the middle of his next move. "What? You think he is some sort of demon?"

Rogue snorts at that suggestion. "Yeah. Right."

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Hank says as his next quote.

"Now that's Shakespeare," Rogue says recognising it from something they read for school.

"Hamlet. Act 1. Scene 5," Clark fills in. He too had read it for school and he has his perfect memory.

"No Scott," the Professor gently corrects that notion. "What I'm saying if that Cerebro wasn't still being repaired we would have gotten a reading on this angel by now."

"You think he's a mutant?" Clark queries.

Charles nods. "Yes. I fear his activities will alert the public to the existence of mutants." He thinks on it for a moment. "Someone should go to the city. Perhaps we could recruit him," he decides is the answer.

That gets Rogue's attention and she sits up. "Yeah," she says enthusiastically. "We could go. Ah mean Scott, Clark and ah could go."

Clark's eyebrows rise slightly at the mention of his name. Funny he doesn't remember being consulted on this. She look at him and explains. "Ah'm just going nuts sitting around here."

"Feeling restless huh?" Clark asks her.

"Um...yeah...kind of," she says unable to explain it better.

Clark couldn't blame her for that. It wasn't like he has never had that urge himself. He looks to his parents. "Mom? Dad?" he queries seeing if they have any objections.

Jonathan and Martha share a look. Well since coming here they had learned that doing stuff like this might be necessary and truthfully Charles' goal of peaceful coexistence was a noble one and it wasn't likely to be as dangerous as the fight with Live Wire so they give their approval.

Charles smiles slightly. Clark had done well in that fight with Live Wire and his training was coming along rapidly. A nice simple recruitment mission would be another step in bringing him into the x-men. "Alright," he agrees. "Hank could you compile a list of all the angel sightings with witnesses, addresses that sort of thing," he requests of his friend. "That should give these 3 a place to start."

"Yes!" Rogue says as she punches the air.

Clark shakes his head and smiles. He has never seen Rogue so...excited. She looks awfully adorable though and he has to restrain an urge to kiss her.

* * *

First thing the next morning, Christmas Eve, the 3 of them load up into Scott's car and are off to New York. It is during a quiet moment that Rogue, who is in the back seat, leans forward a bit and says to Clark in the passenger's seat. "Ah'm sorry."

Clark turns his head looking extremely confused. "For what?"

"This is your first Christmas here and ya were probably imagining something quieter than this."

Clark shakes his head and smiles a little amused. "Rogue we all feel restless from time to time. We all get bored and wish for something to do. Besides I've always wanted to see New York." That trip he took to visit Dr Swann didn't count as all he did was run straight there and then back to the mansion. He didn't stick around to take in any of the sights.

Rogue sits back feeling a bit better at Clark's answer. She doesn't get why she suddenly felt this restless urge to go do something but the fact Clark just lets it slide so easily...well he is a better person than her.

"What was in the box?" Scott asks Clark in reference to something Mr and Mrs Kent gave him just before they left.

"An early Christmas present," Clark replies.

"Yeah but lahke what was it?" Rogue asks getting in on this conversation.

Clark knows he is so going to get teased for this but he he tells them anyway. "Well you know I mentioned how I am not all that fond of those uniforms we wear for training."

"Yeah," Rogue says. She can remember Clark mentioning that and she doesn't blame him. Those New Mutant uniforms are insipid.

"Well I also mentioned it to my mom."

"So?" Scott asks not quite getting it.

"Yeah. What did she do? Make ya one for Christmas?" Rogue asks teasingly. The silence that follows and Clark's slightly awkward look gives her her answer. "Oh mah God. She did didn't she!"

"That is so touching," Scott says teasingly. "Isn't it Rogue?" he asks her giving her the opportunity to jump in.

"Oh sure. It just warms your heart ta know that your mother is still makin your clothes for ya."

"Oh funny," Clark says humourlessly while Scott and Rogue can't help but laugh. Well what was Clark suppose to do. Disappoint his mother and refuse her gift. Who knows how long she spent on it and since he was off on a mission she decided to give it to him now instead of tomorrow.

When they get to New York they make their way around the city talking to everyone who saw the angel or was rescued by him to see if they can get any leads. They get lots of talk about how wonderful the angel was but not any closer to any actual leads that could help them find this guy.

It is into the afternoon that the 3 teens having talked to everyone on their list decide to take a break in a café with Scott and Rogue in particular wanting something hot to drink to warm themselves up.

Scott sips on his drink as the 3 sit in a booth next to the window. "Ah that hits the spot," he says glad to be out of the cold. "My hands are freezing."

Clark munches on a sandwich they ordered as he pushes his glasses up his nose. Damn things. They never seem to fit right. He, of course, doesn't feel the cold. He only dresses up in a jacket so as to not draw attention.

Rogue sips on her hot drink and says "This angel guy sounds kind of cool."

That gives Clark pause for thought since she seem rather taken with the this angel who had been described as this heavenly sent perfect vision of a man. He hopes that wasn't a pang of jealousy that just hit him. He then winces slightly and raises his hand to his head.

"Yeah but I think the chances of finding him are pretty slim," Scott says before he spots Clark raising his hand to his head with a slightly pained expression on his face. "You alright Clark?"

"Hmm? Sure. I'm alright."

By now Rogue has turned to look at him and has spotted the same look Scott did. "No you're not."

"It's nothing really," he tries to assure his friends. "It is just..."

"Just?" Rogue prompts him to continue.

Clark lets out a sigh. "8 million people make a lot of noise." Every since they got here Clark has had to deal with the din that millions of people make. In fact if it wasn't for the help he had gotten at the institute in helping him practice to control his hearing he thinks the noise would probably be unbearable.

Scott puts his drink down on the table. "You can hear all that?"

Clark nods. "Yes."

Rogue places her hand on his shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze that tells him she is here for him. He gives her a smile in return to say thanks.

"Could you use your hearing to find the angel?" Scott asks.

"Scott!" Rogue tells him off. If Clark was in discomfort she sure as hell wasn't about to ask him to do something that would make it worse.

"It's alright," Clark tells Rogue before he answers Scott's question. "I need to know what to listen for," he tries to explain. "I need to know what to try and pick out of the din. For anyone I know it's fairly easy because I know the sound of their voice for example but with someone I don't know...it is pretty much impossible."

Well there goes that idea. "I guess we're pretty much at a dead end then," Scott surmises their current situation.

"At least we got out of the institute," Rogue says trying to be positive. "And ya know maybe we could see some of tha sights before we have ta go back," she suggests remembering Clark expressing how he had always wanted to see New York. "Ya know do something fun."

"Ok," Scott says not having a problem with that.

Rogue looks at Clark asking for his opinion and he says "Fine by me. Any suggestions what to do first?"

Rogue thinks on it. "Um well there was this cool music store ah saw on 5th Avenue that ah would like ta check out first if that's alright."

Clark can't help a small laugh. Wanting to go shopping seems so like a girly thing to do and not like Rogue at all but she is a girl. He had certainly noticed that and more than that that she is a very beautiful girl inside and out.

There is a small silence for a moment as they all partake of their hot drinks before Scott says "You know all these people we talked to today really think that this angel is real. Do you guys think...?" he leaves the question unfinished.

Rogue thinks he is joking and laughs. "Come on! You don't think..." it is then she realises that Scott was serious. "Oh. Ya do. Wow. Oh wow. Oh Scott ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean..."

"I know," Scott assures her. "And you're right. It is just..." he pauses for a second while he deals with the emotions he is feeling. "When I was a kid after the plane crash I thought I had lost everything. My parents, my brother." The pain is quite raw in Scott's voice. "I just couldn't deal with it so I believed for a long time that Alex must be out there somewhere with a guardian angel looking out for him. After awhile I kind of grew up," he says sadly at the fact that a childhood belief had to give way to reality. "But when we found Alex after all these years I kind of wondered if someone was watching out for us after all."

It is a very touching story Clark has to say. He can see why Scott would believe that but he had his beliefs in such things shattered years ago thanks to Sunday School.

"What about you Clark?" Scott asks. "Do you believe in angels?"

"No because I don't really hold any religious beliefs...or at least I don't buy into any of the established religions," he feels he needs to correct himself because he does call out to God every so often.

"Ah thought ya went to Sunday School," Rogue points out.

"I did and that is exactly why I don't buy into any of the established religious beliefs."

"Ah don't get it."

"God created **Man** in his image," Clark quotes. "That was the start of my doubts. I may not have known I was an...well you know but I already had some of my...gifts," he says choosing his words carefully since they are in a public place. "It made me wonder that if God created Man who created me. One day I asked the teacher about all those myths of people with superhuman abilities as a roundabout way of asking about myself."

"What did the teacher say?" Scott asks him having a bad feeling about the answer.

"She said..." and he quotes, "'If such creatures ever existed they were not God's creation but the work of the Devil.'" Clark smiles sadly. "So essentially she was telling me I was the work of the Devil and that is why I don't have fond memories of Sunday School."

"Man Clark. I don't know what to say," Scott says uncomfortably.

"You don't have to say anything Scott and I am not saying I don't respect whatever beliefs you have because I do but I just can't share them." That means it is not really the religious significance of Christmas Clark enjoys but the way it celebrates family and togetherness.

"Ya didn't believe what she said did ya?" Rogue asks concerned that Clark might think that he was some spawn of Satan of something.

"I was 10 Rogue and thought that this woman knew all about religion so for a little while I did yes." Rogue makes a reach for his hand and holds it. "I was upset and eventually my parents got me to explain what happened. They pulled me out of Sunday School after that. Well after my mother had given my teacher a piece of her mind. That was kind of funny actually. My teacher's face went pure white as my mother read her the riot act like she was a child."

Rogue takes her other hand and places it on Clark's cheek to tilt his head round to look at her. "Clark please don't ever believe what that women said. Ya are one of tha best people ah know and nothing like she accused ya of being."

"Rogue. I am what I am. I came to the institute because I realised it was time I accepted that and stopped pretending to be something I'm not and to see where that acceptance would lead. As for what the teacher said my parents knocked that out of me within a couple of days by pointing out all things even the Devil himself are God's creations but as you can imagine I never really got back into established religion again after that."

Clark gently pushes a lock of her white hair to the side careful not to touch her skin so he can look at her face more clearly. It means so much to him that she isn't afraid of him. She just accepts him as he is. She even defends him like she did just there. If only he could touch her he would show her how much she has come to mean to him. "I wish..." he starts to say but Rogue stops him by placing a gloved hand to his lips.

"Ah know," she says and she does. She could just see it in his eyes. This tender affection and desire. She wishes he could kiss her too but he can't and they just have to live with that.

Scott coughs and interrupts. "Um sorry," he apologises breaking up the moment. "But if we want to see some sights and get back before it's too late we should probably get going."

The 3 of them stand up and Scott feels a bit like a 3rd wheel or at least he did for a moment back there. Not that he is begrudging Clark and Rogue happiness here. Even he had noticed how they from the start seemed to end up hanging around each other. Maybe it was only a matter of time before their friendship developed beyond that. Question is what is the secret. How had they done something in months that he and Jean hadn't managed in years despite what he feels for her. Scott would give good money to know.

* * *

At the music store they overhear a conversation of two girls saying that there are now pictures of the angel at an accident on the Brooklyn Bridge. From there it doesn't take too much investigating to find out that the incident involved a little girl falling in the river who was now in the County Hospital. All 3 teens agree their best course of action is to see if they can talk to the parents and find out anything new.

As they get out of Scott's car at the hospital Rogue has noticed Clark seems quiet like something is bothering him. "What's wrong Clark?"

He looks at her. "Oh I was just thinking that maybe if I had better control of my hearing I could have heard the commotion on the bridge somehow and we might have gotten there in time to find the angel."

"How could you have heard it?" Scott asks not seeing how even Clark possibly could have heard it through all the other noises of the city.

Clark shrugs unsure how to phrase this. "It is just a feeling I have," is all he can manage to come up with as an explanation.

They make their way inside only to find that the parents of the girl have gone off to a church to pray. A tall blonde haired doctor walks by them at the reception desk and Clark can swear he suddenly hears the sound of feathers rustling. Rogue meanwhile is leaning against against the desk, her arms folded across her chest, slightly annoyed that they have missed the parents. She is not really paying attention to anything until she spots a single white feather drop from under the coat of the blond doctor who is walking down the corridor. "Scott! Clark! It's him!" she realises.

At hearing this the blonde man makes a run for it.

"Wait!" Scott shouts after him. "We just want to talk to you!"

All 3 of them run after him although Clark is slightly frustrated because if it wasn't for all the people about he could slip into superspeed and catch the guy easily but he can't. The man throws a trolley in their way which Clark bats to the side. The man then shrugs his white coat off revealing two white wings attached to his back. He is also in some kind of red and black costume. Just before they can get within arm's reach of the guy he opens a window, dives out and is gone flying off into the distance.

"Ah don't suppose flying is one of your powers?" Rogue queries dryly to Clark.

Well there was that one time he woke up floating above his bed...nah. "No. Sorry but I've got a handle on the sound those wings of his make so I think we should be able to follow him."

Rogue pulls Clark into a hug in celebration of that. "Ha. Ya really are super!"

"Well I don't like to boast," he says with joky false modesty.

* * *

While the 3 teens make their way back out of the hospital a winged figure glides slightly into a church where the parents of the little girl who fell off the bridge are sitting and praying that she will recover. The little girl he knocked off although he hasn't worked out exactly what happened. He had just saved her and her parents before their car dropped into the river then suddenly it was like one of the cables moved of its own accord and wrapped around his ankle causing him to knock the girl over the edge and into the water. 'God, if there really is a god, please let her be ok,' he prays.

That was why he was at the hospital. He had to see if she would be ok. He has no idea who the 3 teenagers were who chased him or how they knew who he was.

Warren lands on the upper tier unnoticed and bows his head as he thinks back on how he came to be here. His full name is Warren Kenneth Worthington III, heir to the Worthington company and fortune. Or he was until one day he noticed two strange bumps on his back which within days had grown into the wings that now adorn his back.

Warren had not told his parents what had happened. He had not told anyone what had happened. He had simply been holed up in his New York apartment for weeks unsure what he had become or what the point of these wings were. Well until the day he actually tried to fly with them. It had been amazing feeling the wind blow over him, through his new wings. It was easily the most exhilarating feeling of his life as he soared over the city.

It was while he flying about he fell into, to coin a phrase, helping people. He was literally flying along when he spotted a small child out on a balcony climbing on the railing just before the small boy fell over. Warren swooped in and saved him and the look of awe on the boy's face. Well it was then Warren knew why he had been given these wings. To help people or at least he did up until today. Now he was back where he started. He didn't know why he had these wings. Was it a gift or a curse?

Warren doesn't spot the figure in red floating behind him in the shadows. He only senses the presence suddenly. He spins round to see this...man in red armour and a purple cape literally floating a foot above the floor. He takes a step back as the man floats towards him. "Who are you?" Warren asks a little nervously.

"Someone like you," the man says back in a dark and Warren would go with foreboding voice.

Warren takes a few more steps back to get some distance between himself and this guy. "What-what do you mean?"

"Someone who used to be confused about what they had become." The man floats towards Warren a bit and he backs up a few more steps as the man continues to speak. "Someone who use to live in fear and self pity wondering if he had been cursed or blessed."

"Listen I don't know what you are selling but I'm not buying," Warren tells the guy hoping that he will just go and leave him alone. Warren turns his back and starts walking away.

"Do you realise what a wonderful gift you have?" the man asks him and that makes Warren pause. It was wonderful in many ways. "You can fly. You can do what everyone else dreams about...yet you live alone hiding in shame."

Warren bows his head and closes his eyes. That is what he is doing. That is why he has never told his parents because he is ashamed.

"It needn't be so," the man tells him.

Warren turns round to face him. "I'm learning to deal with it," he says back and he wants to deal with it on his own and in his own way and in his own time.

"You think that by helping a few pathetic people they will learn to accept you," the man says hoping to knock Warren out of his naivety. "You saw how quickly they turned on you today," he reminds Warren.

Of course what Magneto is not saying is that he orchestrated the whole thing. He made the car crash into the bridge cables to get Warren out into the open when he rescued the passengers. He made Warren knock the girl off the bridge. He was the man in the crowd who so easily managed to turn the people against Warren. Humans. It was almost too easy to turn them against Warren. They are so predictable. So ready to give into their prejudices. It just proves what a hopeless idealist Charles is. He can only hope his demonstration helped Warren see that clearly otherwise this conversation will not end well...for Warren.

"Do you want to live in fear for the rest of your life?" Magneto asks Warren.

"No." Of course Warren doesn't. No-one would. "But..."

Magneto cuts him off there. He has gotten the answer he wanted. "There are others like us Warren. I want you to meet them."

"What? Some sort of club for weirdos and freaks. I don't think so," he says dismissively. He then turns his back and starts to walk away. He isn't in this to join some..whatever it is this guy is on about.

Magneto is growing slightly tired of how people like Warren keep disappointing him. Very well then. He shall do this the other way. He gestures at an about waist high metal candle stick holder. It flies through the air and Magneto bends it around Warren in an attempt to grab hold but Warren slips out of the way.

"What is this?" Warren demands to know as the candle stick floats around him.

"This could have been easy," Magneto tells him with a tiny bit of regret that it has come to this. "Regrettably you have chosen to make it hard."

Warren leaps off the upper tier and attempts to fly away but Magneto knows that which Warren does not. There is no escape.

* * *

A few minutes earlier Scott pulls his car up outside the church Clark had managed to keep track of the angel to. "Is he inside?" Scott asks Clark.

Clark pulls his glasses to the end of his nose as he peers over the top of them and his eyes flash electric blue as he activates his x-ray vision. "Yes and...oh no," he says as he spots who else is in there.

"What?" Rogue asks.

"He is not alone," Clark says darkly.

Upon informing them of who else is there the 3 teens have to make rapid change into their uniforms. Not very much fun outside in New York on Christmas Eve in the dark and the cold. Scott changes into his dark blue uniform with yellow boots and a yellow X across his chest. Rogue changes into her green and black uniform. Both have the same triangular red patches with black Xs on their shoulders. Scott and Rogue manage somehow to regroup first outside the church doors when Clark comes round the corner into view dressed in what his mother made him. Both Scott and Rogue just have to pause for a second at the sight of him.

Clark's uniform is, inevitably as these things are, skin-tight. It is sky blue in colour with a yellow, almost more golden coloured, belt with an X on the buckle. He has these crimson red boots on and to top it off an ankle length crimson red... duster would be the closest description, a loose fitting coat essentially that majestically flows behind him as he walks. Rogue also can't help but notice he has slicked his hair back apart from this one curly lock which flops over his forehead. She has to dampen down an urge to reach up and run her hand through it.

In short in Rogue's opinion he looks incredible. In fact he almost looks like an entirely different person compared to the one he was a few minutes ago in his glasses and red jacket, blue t-shirt, jeans ensemble.

"What?" Clark asks them as he finds them looking at him funny. "It isn't torn or anything is it?" he asks. That is the last thing he needs for it to be torn. As he turns on the spot to see if Rogue or Scott spot any tears or anything he ends up revealing that on the back of the coat is a golden X inside a circle.

"Um no. It's fine," Scott tells him. "Ready for this?" he asks.

Clark nods and the 3 of them burst into the church, passing a man and a woman as they do, just as Magneto has wrapped one of the chains of the hanging lights around the angel and is carrying him off. Scott unleashes one of his blasts hitting Magneto square in the chest knocking the Master of Magnetism clear through the stain glass window to the outside.

Without Magneto Warren starts to plummet to the ground.

"He's falling!" Rogue shouts out.

"On it," Clark says as he zips forward, leaps into the air and catches the angel. As he lands Clark makes sure to absorb the impact of doing so entirely onto himself. Clark helps the angel to his feet as Scott and Rogue rush over beside them. "Here let me," Clark says in reference to the chain which he pulls apart like it is made of paper.

"Are you alright?" Scott asks the angel as Warren rubs his arm a bit where the chain was digging in.

"Well Magneto has certainly been busy lately hasn't he," Rogue dryly remarks. It wasn't two weeks ago he upped and offed with Live Wire from right under their noses not that Rogue is missing her in the slightest.

"Who are you people?" Warren asks of the boy who ripped his chains apart, the other one who shot some sort of red beam from his eyes and this girl with brown and white hair all dressed in different coloured costumes.

"You fools!" Magneto declares them as he floats back in through the window. He raises several metal objects around himself. "Have you learned nothing?"

Magneto, with a cry of effort, flings the objects at them all as hard as he can. Scott and Rogue dive for cover while Clark simply bats them aside. Warren takes to the air and flies for a window where chasing him is a chunk of one of the steel reinforced columns that hold the roof up that Magneto has ripped out. Warren makes his escape just as the chuck shatters the window behind him.

"A simple thank ya would have been nice," Rogue says sarcastically thinking the angel is just making a run for it leaving them here.

Scott moves around the column he and Rogue are hiding behind and blasts off a shot at Magneto who blocks it with another chuck of masonry he has ripped out. Clark tries the same thing with his heat vision but Magneto uses a chunk of masonry to block that too. Whatever you could say about Magneto you had to admit he was a master of his powers.

Scott spies the upper tier and an idea hits him. "Clark. I need you to get up the tier and see about grabbing Magneto. I'll keep him distracted," he instructs Clark. Scott can see Clark nod as an indication that he heard him. Clark's hearing is a handy asset Scott realises. He didn't have to shout that so Magneto can't have heard it and they can take him by surprise.

Scott lets off another blast as a distraction while Clark leaps up to the upper tier, zips along to opposite Magneto and leaps off planning to grab him and take Magneto down to the floor with him but as soon as he gets within a few feet of the floating mutant the horribly familiar feeling of nausea and weakness strike him that is only associated with kryptonite.

Clark ends up missing Magneto completely and plummeting to the floor, landing in a heap as his dense body causes cracks in the floor beneath him due to the force of his impact.

"Clark!" Rogue calls out instantly seeing something is very wrong.

Magneto throws a couple of objects at Scott and Rogue to keep them back as he lowers himself nearer Clark. "It does weaken you. Interesting," he remarks. He had had an alteration done to his armour as part of a plan to test whether the meteor rocks did affect Clark Kent like they seemed to. Fortune has given him the chance earlier than expected and allowed confirmation of what he suspected.

Clark grits his teeth against the pain and pushes himself up to his knees. As he looks at Magneto he now spots the small glowing green rock cleverly disguised in the middle of the chest plate. Until it started glowing you would never have noticed it. Clark isn't beaten yet though. He rips out a chuck of the wooden pew next to him which ends up being pointed and hopes if there is a God he doesn't see this as some sort of sin and throws it directly at Magneto as hard as he can manage. Being wood Magneto can't stop it and the pointed end of the piece strikes the piece of kryptonite dead on shattering it.

The blow also has enough force to knock all the air out of Magneto's lungs and he flies backward upward in recoil. It is then that Warren returns through the shattered window and grabs Magneto from behind. Seeing an opportunity Scott moves out into the open. "Angel. Let him go!" he shouts.

Warren does so just as Scott hits Magneto dead on once more. Magneto slams back into one of the columns and slides down to the floor momentarily knocked out. Rogue now takes this as her opportunity as she runs over towards Magneto taking one of her gloves off as she does so. She reaches in through his helmet and places her hand on his cheek.

The surge of memories and powers pour into her being but her touch instantly brings Magneto around. He grabs her arm and pulls her hand off his face before kicking her in the stomach pushing her away. Magneto struggles to his feet trying to summon up whatever power he has left. He looks at Rogue who looks back at him with her eyes glowing slightly in the same way his do when he is using his powers.

Magneto realises he has lost this battle as he sees Scott and Warren move to surround him while Clark is a little shakily getting back up to his feet to make Magneto's disadvantage even greater. Magneto takes to the air and flies out through the shattered window before anyone can stop him.

Rogue takes off in pursuit using Magneto's powers. She is not letting him get away. Not this time. She can see from his memories that he knows Clark's weakness. She can't let him get away with that knowledge.

When Warren flies after them that just leaves a still slightly weakened Clark and Scott behind. Scott moves beside Clark and notes the tiny shattered green remains on the floor. "You alright?" he asks Clark.

Clark nods. "I will be." Clark too looks at the shattered fragments on the floor. "He knows Scott. Somehow he knows."

Scott can hear the slight tremor of fear in Clark's voice that Magneto knows about his weakness and he places his hand on Clark's shoulder to reassure him. "We'll find a solution Clark," Scott promises him. "He isn't hurting you. Not as long as I have a say in the matter."

"Thank you." Clark looks to the window where Rogue vanished.

"She'll be fine," Scott says.

"Actually I'm more worried about Magneto," Clark jokes trying to lighten the mood.

That one makes Scott laugh because it is kind of true. Rogue could kick butt seven ways from Sunday when she wanted to. Although of course he is worried about her just like Clark is. Well probably not exactly the same way because he isn't dating her.

Part of Clark would love to chase after her but there is no way that someone would not notice a red/blue blur zipping through the streets of New York. This was so much easier in Smallville where he knew all the back ways. He will just trust in her that she can take care of herself.

"Come on. We should get back to the car," Scott decides. "Before the cops get wind of this."

Clark nods in agreement.

It is several minutes later after Clark and Scott have gotten changed back into their civilian clothes so as to not draw attention that Warren lands with Rogue in his arms with the grim news that Magneto got away...again. Seriously the guy is working her last nerve.

* * *

Back at the hospital the 4 of them sit a bit out of the way while they share stories. Warren, now wearing a brown trench coat to cover his wings, tells them about himself, how he ended up playing hero and what happened on the bridge. Clark, Rogue and Scott in return tell Warren about the institute they attend.

Warren looks over his shoulder at the distraught parents of the little girl. "I hope she'll be alright," he says expressing his ardent hope. "I didn't mean to..."

Scott cuts him off. "You don't need to explain Warren." From Warren's story about the cable moving mysteriously by itself it becomes clear that Magneto obviously set Warren up. There was seemingly no low as to which Magneto would not sink to in his attempts to recruit mutants to his cause. "Listen from what we hear a lot of people owe you their lives."

"Yeah including meh," Rogue reminds Warren. It had been when she finally caught up with Magneto around the Chrysler Building. They battled and he magnetically force pushed her away before throwing one of those metal Eagles that adorn the building at her. She barely dodged that but ended up plummeting towards the ground. If Warren hadn't swooped in and saved her she would be a sidewalk pancake right now.

Warren notes that when the girl said that the boy, Clark he said his name was, squeezes her hand that he is holding a little bit. Warren guesses they are couple. There is just something in their body language. Warren takes a moment to absorb everything because it has been a lot tonight. He now knows that he is what these 3 call a mutant. He possesses an extra gene that is the cause for his wings. "So this Xavier Institute of yours...what makes it any different from Magneto's pitch?" he asks them having learned the name of the guy in the red armour. He is also a little bit sceptical and it shows in his voice. "I mean suddenly it seems like everyone wants me to join their organisation or something."

Scott raises his hands and waves them to try and indicate how mistaken Warren is. "No. It's not like that at all. Believe me," he requests of Warren. "We're nothing like Magneto."

"Yeah. He's on a total power trip," Rogue adds in support. "We're just trying to fit in and make good use of our abilities."

"Scott and Rogue speak the truth Warren," Clark tells him. "A few months ago I was where you are sitting. Magneto tried to recruit me too and when I refused he tried to take me by force just like he did you. Professor Xavier...all he asked was that I listen to what he had to say and that is all we will ask of you now."

Scott nods at Clark's words. "We have all learned a lot from Professor Xavier. One of them being that we have learned that we have to be careful because most people just aren't ready to deal with us yet," Scott says in a roundabout way of asking Warren to cut back on the heroics without saying it directly.

Warren sighs as he thinks back on the crowd on the bridge. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

"And with Magneto still out there you really should lie low for awhile anyway," Scott adds as another reason. "Just come with us," he requests of Warren. "Meet Professor Xavier. Check out what we do and see what you think."

Before Warren can really think on that the doctor comes to meet the parents to tell them that their daughter is awake and is going to be ok. Relief floods his being as he gets up and heads to the girl's room.

Scott, Rogue and Clark stand up. "Do you think he'll come with us?" Rogue asks either of them.

"No," Scott replies. He could just tell that Warren wouldn't.

"Scott's right," Clark says in agreement. He explains why he thinks that is. "Remember what I said about me coming to the institute because I was ready to accept who I was and discover where that lead."

"Uh huh," Rogue says.

"Warren's not ready. At least not today."

Rogue was a bit disappointed but she couldn't argue with him but his last words did hold out some promise. Not today but maybe one day, hopefully soon.

The 3 of them make their way to where Warren stands outside the room of the little girl. Inside she is now sitting up talking to her parents. "I saw him again," she says. "In my dreams."

"Saw who sweetheart?" her mother asks her.

"My Angel. He came to see me."

Normally stuff like this doesn't affect Rogue but she can't stop a small tear coming to her eye. As she raises her hand to wipe it away Clark places his arm across her shoulder and holds her close. In return Rogue places her arm around his waist. A show of affection, of her feelings, she also normally doesn't show but around Clark..she just feels comfortable doing so.

Shortly after that they say their farewells to Warren and make their way out of the hospital and towards where Scott parked his car. It was time to go home. On the way Clark has to ask something that crossed his mind. "Do you think maybe Warren had the right idea?"

"In what way?" Scott asks.

"I mean in helping people. After all what is the point of having powers if you don't use them to help people in need."

"Ya thinking of becoming a superhero or something?" Rogue asks him.

"No. I mean just imagine me having to explain that to my parents." Clark does an impression of that conversation. "Mom. Dad. I want to be the next Spider-Man." He snorts and shakes his head. "I think they would be voluntarily sending me to Belle Reve."

"Spider-Man?" Scott repeats not quite able to believe he is hearing this. "You don't actually believe those stories in the Bugle do you?" he asks because seriously to him it seemed little more than tabloid tittle-tattle. There had not been one decent photo of this co-called Spider-Man in the few weeks since the stories started up in the Daily Bugle.

"Ah heard he has six arms and was seen building a nest on tha Empire State," Rogue says making fun of just some of the stories she had heard about Spider-Man.

"And that he swings through the city on webs he shoots out of his arms," Clark adds in the same vein.

"Maybe he's a mutant. Maybe we should go find him," Rogue jokily suggests.

"Will you two give it a rest," Scott says telling them off slightly. "We all know that if he really existed and was a mutant the Professor would have picked him up on Cerebro by now. He hasn't."

"Take tha stick out of your butt," Rogue mutters quietly so Scott can't hear her. They were only having a small bit of fun.

Clark snorts out a small laugh he can't quite hold in because he heard her. Scott's a nice guy but he has got to learn to relax sometime.

"What's so funny?" Scott asks him.

Clark puts on this look of paragon of innocence. "Oh nothing. Nothing at all."

Scott eyes the two of them suspiciously as they reach his car. He has just opened the door when two voice shouts out in stereo.

"Clark?"

The 3 teenagers turn to face the direction those voices came from and see two people running towards them. A blonde girl and a dark skinned boy.

Clark blinks like his eyes are deceiving him or that his glasses are not working because he can't believe that they are here. "Pete? Chloe?"

* * *

_Author's Note: So there is my version of On Angel's Wings. I thought hard over Warren and concluded that like I had Clark say he just isn't ready at this point to accept who and what he is but at least they managed to keep Warren out of the bad guys' hands unlike what happened with Nathan Dean and Live Wire. On the downside for our heroes of course is that now Magneto knows for certain what Clark's weakness is. As for the ending I had this idea pop into my head ages ago so that Clark's old friends could meet a couple of his new ones. Also I just had to add that Spider-Man reference. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Clark catches up with Pete and Chloe and...oh yeah they are not in New York alone. Do the initials L.L. ring any bells?_


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Chloe slams into Clark with such force that anyone else would have certainly been winded but those people aren't a virtually invulnerable alien as she wraps her arms around him in a hug. Clark soon returns the hug to the diminutive blonde while Pete chooses the more dignified pat on Clark's shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?" he just has to ask them.

"We could ask you the same thing," Chloe snarks as she pulls back from him. "After all this isn't Bayville," she cleverly and obviously points out.

Clark rubs the back of his neck in what is his nervous gesture as he quickly tries to think of an excuse that doesn't include looking for a guy with wings. "Um yeah. Good point...but we'll get to that in a second. Let me introduce you first." Clark turns and holds his hand out in the direction of Scott and Rogue. "Pete. Chloe. These are a couple of friends of mine at the school I attend. Scott Summers and Rogue."

"Rogue?" Chloe queries with a quirk of her eyebrow at the unusual name.

Rogue shrugs. "Ah prefer it," she says not wishing to get into detail about it. Also she wasn't exactly thrilled about the way this blond girl wrapped herself around Clark. He had said they were only friends...still she gets to do something easily which Rogue has to take care doing worrying all the time about not making skin to skin contact.

Clark does the reverse introductions. "Scott, Rogue these are my friends from Smallville. Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross."

There is an exchange of handshakes. Rogue is thankful it is winter so she doesn't have to explain her gloves. That is always so damn awkward in the summer.

"Cool shades," Chloe remarks as she shakes Scott's hand. She had never seen anyone wear red coloured shades like that before and certainly not at night.

"I have an eye condition," Scott reels off as his usual reply to whenever someone asks him about that.

"Really? What one?"

Scott blinks. No-one ever asks that. He says he has an eye-condition and then they drop it. Of course none of those people were Chloe.

"Chloe," Clark says warningly. "Will you please stop giving my friends the 3rd degree."

"I was only asking a question," Chloe says innocently.

Clark snorts. "Right. Sure you were Chlo," he says with complete sarcasm. "You do remember who you're speaking to?"

Chloe places her hands on her hips and gives him her most annoyed expression. "Oh I remember alright you great big dumb farm boy."

"Caffeine addict," Clark hits back.

"Overgrown boyscout."

"Nosy Parker."

"Hey that's rude," Chloe complains. "I'm not nosy. Just inquisitive."

"And denial is a river in Egypt."

"Four eyes!" she hits him back with in reference to his glasses.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" Clark asks her not sounding all that impressed as he folds his arms across his chest trying to make himself seem even bigger and imposing as he looks down on his friend. "You're losing your touch Chlo."

Rogue and Scott look on a little bemused and getting flashbacks of Clark and Kitty when they are in full flow. For most people they would like their arguing by on both Clark and Chloe's faces are these tiny little smiles showing that they are only having fun with each other.

"By the way what is up with the glasses?" Chloe asks him.

Clark shrugs. "Turns out I'm short-sighted," he says using the excuse that was the simplest one to come up with.

Pete actually knew better. Clark had explained to him over the phone what happened with the kryptonite at the jewellery store although Pete couldn't help but note that Clark had been vague on certain things when he was telling the story. Pete hadn't decided if that was because Clark just wasn't comfortable talking about it or if he was hiding something...or back to hiding something.

Anyway Pete turns his attention to Rogue. "How do you do that with your hair?" he asks her in reference to the white stripe in it. "Because you know it is really kind of awesome."

Clark rolls his eyes, moves next to Pete and bends down slightly so he can whisper in Pete's ear. "Pete. Will you please refrain from hitting on my girlfriend."

"Whoa! She's your girlfriend?" Pete says in total shock at that revelation.

"Yes ah am," Rogue confirms.

"Yes she is and why are you sounding so surprised?" Clark asks Pete. "I told you I was seeing someone when we talked last week."

Pete scratches his head. "You did?" he asks unable to recall that.

"Yes I did...or I thought I did but obviously I was talking to an entirely different Peter Ross."

"You probably did Clark," Chloe says. "But Pete's brain has been out to lunch ever since he started dating Mandy."

"Head of the cheerleaders Mandy?" Clark seeks to clarify.

"That's the one. I'm thinking cheerleaders must carry an infectious virus that causes anyone they date to drop 20 IQ points."

"How did you get her to go out with you?" Clark asks Pete unable to see that at all.

"My natural charm and charisma," Pete answers like it should be blindingly obvious which makes Chloe snort loudly.

"I'm thinking he used hypnosis or some sort of mind control," Chloe airs her thoughts. "But I haven't been able to prove anything yet."

Pete turns to Scott and Rogue. "And these are my so called friends saying these things."

"Well friends are suppose to be honest with each other," Chloe points out.

Clark almost visibly winces. Stabbing him with Kryptonite in the gut would have been kinder because he has not been honest with Chloe...really ever.

"So Clark what are you doing here in New York?" Chloe asks getting back to that.

"Last minute Christmas shopping," Clark comes up with now he has had a minute or two to think on it. "Right guys?" Clark asks Scott and Rogue to back him up.

"Oh yeah. Really last minute," Scott says in support.

"What about you?" Clark asks Chloe and Pete.

"Kind of the same really. Lana wanted to come to New York to do her shopping and she asked us along," Chloe tells him.

Emotions flicker across Clark's face. "Lana is here with you?"

Pete shakes his head. Chloe just had to bluntly drop that in. He points at the hospital. "She's in there. She slipped on the ice."

"Is she alright?"

"It's just a sprained ankle," Chloe informs him.

"Why are you out here then?" Clark asks in some confusion.

"We needed some air and frankly I think Lana wanted to be alone to spend some 'quality' time with Lex."

Now Clark was more confused than ever. "Lex is here too?"

Pete hits Chloe across the back of the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Chloe demands to know as she rubs her head where Pete hit her.

"Chloe. He doesn't know," Pete reminds her.

Chloe's eyes widen as she realises what Pete means. "Oh," she says her mouth forming a perfect 'O'.

Ok Clark is starting to get annoyed. "Know what?"

Chloe and Pete share a look before Pete decides he better be the one to tell Clark. "Um well you see after Lex came back into town he and Lana spent a lot of time together. You know with him...'comforting' her after your break-up." Pete can't help but put a suggestive tone on the word 'comforting' considering his dislike of anyone with the surname Luthor.

It finally clicks in Clark's mind. "They're dating?"

Chloe shrugs a little helplessly and lost at what to say. "How do you think we got here? Lex brought us on his private jet."

Clark is lost in his emotions. What is he suppose to feel right now? What does one feel when your ex and your one time former and maybe still friend start dating?

Clark's attention is grabbed when he feels a hand slip into his own. He turns his head to find Rogue standing next to him. Oh right that is what he is suppose to feel. What it is he feels for Rogue. Lana is the ex but still...there is just this pang of regret in his heart whenever he thinks of Lana about how it all ended.

"Here they come," Chloe mutters.

All turn to see a bald man aiding a limping brunette girl walking towards them.

"Chloe! Pete!" Lana shouts out as she limps towards them.

"Hey Lana!" Chloe says forcing herself to sound overly cheerful. "Look who we found," she says gesturing at Clark.

Emotions now flicker across Lana's features as despite the glasses that now adorn his face she can see quite clearly standing there is "Clark." Her eyes then drop to the hand he is holding belonging to this Goth girl with brown and white hair. Lana's eyes narrow as to what that signifies as to the type of relationship Clark has with this girl.

"Hey Lana," Clark says obviously a little uncomfortable at this situation.

Lex is actually as surprised to see Clark as Lana is. He hadn't seen or spoken to Clark in months. He only found out Clark had left town when he returned to Smallville after being out of the country for a few weeks to find the Kent farm empty. It was only after he talked to Lana he learned Clark was attending a private school in Bayville which of course explains why his father developed a sudden interest in the place. Lex could have sought Clark out but his...'relationship' with his father occupies most of his time.

In reality of course it is more like a battle as always between Lex and his father and Lex needs to consolidate his power base in Smallville at the moment which takes precedent over almost everything else with the exception of Lana. Lex had never really planned to date her. He spent some time consoling her upon his return over her break-up with Clark and somehow they just fell into dating. Not that Lex is really complaining. Lana is beautiful and smart and a bright spot in his otherwise seemingly dark world. The darkness that pervades Lex's life is completely his father's doing and one day Lex will...he doesn't know what exactly but one day he will be rid of his father. He swears he will.

"How are you Lex?" Clark asks him although Clark has a few other questions like why he hasn't been able to contact Lex by any method short of running all the way back to Smallville.

"Fine. Yourself Clark? Your parents?"

"Fine. We're all fine. Well I guess I should do some more introductions. Scott, Rogue this is Lana Lang and Lex Luthor."

"Luthor?" Scott queries. "As in Lionel Luthor?"

Lex nods. "My father," he confirms.

Rogue remembers something Clark said. "Clark saved ya from a car accident."

"He did. I owe Clark my life." Lex appraises Rogue. "Let me guess...Mississippi right?" he asks as to where she is from guessing from her accent.

"Um yeah."

Lex turns back to Clark. "Haven't heard from you for awhile Clark."

"Could say the same about you Lex and it wasn't like I didn't try. However it seems your phone number stopped being valid and every letter I sent got no reply."

Lex smiles lopsidedly. "My father cancelled my phones while I was abroad and as for the letters I'm guessing he had them intercepted."

Clark shakes his head. "Are these more of his tests or something?"

"I'm a Luthor Clark. I'm always being tested and I'm always having to prove myself," Lex says a little bitterly at the lack of normalcy in the relationship he has with his father. "I am sorry I wasn't around when your parents lost the farm though. If I had been I would have helped you."

"I know...but to be truthful it all worked out in its own way. My parents have good jobs and I'm happy. I have good friends...and I feel like I'm in a place I belong."

Lex smiles a little and steps closer to Clark so he can whisper in his ear. "I'm guessing more than friends with Rogue right?" he guesses from seeing the same as what Lana did with Clark holding the Goth girl's hand.

Clark simply nods in response.

"Interesting choice," Lex remarks because Lex knew girls from the south. They were...feisty. Clark probably had little idea what a handful he was letting himself in for.

"Same could be said of you," Clark whispers back with it coming out more snidely than he meant it to.

"Clark," Lex starts to say with a sigh.

Clark cuts Lex off. "It's alright Lex. You don't need to explain. Lana and I...whatever we had is over. She is free to do whatever she wants."

Lex steps back and appraises his friend. That was much more mature than he remembered Clark being. He guesses that whatever this school Clark attends really does it has seemingly done him some good. Lex then checks his watch. "Well as much I would love to catch up we have to get to the airport if we are to get back to Smallville for Christmas," he says a little regretfully but he can't stop time. Not yet anyway but if he puts his mind to it Lex is sure he could think of a way. His phone then goes off and he fishes out from his pocket. "Lex Luthor," he says as his way of answering it.

While Lex chats to whoever it is on the other end Rouge takes a moment to look over Lana. Break-up. That is what Pete said which means that Clark must have dated her which he has never mentioned to Rogue she might add. In Rogue's opinion Lana does have an exotic quality to her features which just makes her feel kind of plain by comparison.

From the other end Lana is looking this Rogue over. In Lana's opinion she is rather plain and ordinary, the Goth thing aside. She has no idea what it is Clark sees in her. A Goth of all things. Doesn't seem like Clark's type in Lana's opinion. Clark's type is well...her but he upped and left and kept secrets and lied constantly. The poor girl. Lana almost feels sorry for her for what Clark is no doubt putting her through. That was why she started dating Lex because at least Lex is honest with her and he was there for her when Clark most certainly wasn't.

Meanwhile Lex's phone conversation has gotten quite heated before he sighs totally exasperated and hangs up. "What?" Lana asks him.

"The plane has engine trouble," he has to sadly inform her so they won't be getting back to Smallville. The only alternatives now are a hotel or his father's new place in Bayville. Considering it is virtually Christmas and hotel vacancies are a near impossibility Lex dials his father. Not Lex's first choice considering he and his father have that never admitted but well known feud going on but it would give Lex an excuse to be around his father and see if he can find out what it is his father is up to.

After speaking to his father Lex informs them all that they are all welcome to join him since Lionel actually offered an open invitation. No doubt his father was trying to do what Lex is trying to do in reverse and find out what Lex was up to so that makes it another typical Christmas for the Luthor household.

Lana wants to stay with hew new boyfriend for Christmas so she decides to go with Lex.

"Hell no!" is Pete's reaction and he says it in no uncertain terms. He tolerated the plane ride with Lex for Chloe's sake. No way in hell is he spending Christmas at Lionel Luthor's house. He would rather stand here and freeze to death.

Clark has an idea. "Can you excuse us a minute?" he asks of his friends as he pulls Scott and Rogue aside. He keeps his voice low. "Is there any chance we could offer them a place at the mansion?"

Scott is sceptical. Sure he can understand why Clark would want to do that. It is Christmas after all. "What about Mr McCoy," Scott points out. As soon as anyone sees him there goes the secret.

Clark looks over at his friends. Lex and Lana have made their choice but Pete and Chloe don't deserve to be stuck with Lionel Luthor of all people. "Pete can be trusted. I mean he knows about me."

"He does?" Scott asks a little surprised. He doesn't think Clark mentioned that before.

"He found my spaceship so I had to tell him and he has kept it secret since. Chloe...I'm sure she can be trusted as well." Well Clark thinks she can anyway. Besides it is worth the risk rather than leave her stranded and alone at Christmas.

Scott thinks on it and makes a decision. "Only if the Professor agrees Clark and if they can't be trusted or can't handle it he will have to wipe their memories," Scott warns him.

Clark isn't entirely comfortable with that possibility but he can understand why. "Alright. We better ask him now."

Scott nods and fishes his phone out of his pocket. The one he keeps for emergencies and this sort of counts. As Scott moves away a distance so he can't be overheard Lana manages to pry Rogue away from Clark. "So are you and Clark dating?" Lana asks Rogue seeking to have her suspicions confirmed.

"Yes we are."

"Just a little friendly warning expect to be hurt."

Rogue scowls at Lana's tone. "What do ya mean?"

"Clark lies," she says shortly. "Clark keeps secrets and he doesn't trust anyone." The bitterness of what transpired between herself and Clark slips into her tone of voice.

"He trusts meh," Rogue says confidently. After all who was it he took with him to see Dr Swann. Who was it he first sat down and told his story to. It was her. That's who.

Lana's lips curl into the twisted parody of a smile. "I see he has managed to fool you too."

"Ya don't know what ya are talkin about and if ya say one more bad word about Clark ah swear ah'll make ya sorry."

Rogue locks stares with Lana in a battle of wills which Lana loses. "Don't say I didn't warn you," Lana says before she turns on her heels and limps back towards Lex. Rogue has to restrain the urge to punch Lana's lights out.

"What was that about?" Scott asks Rogue. He had finished his call with the Professor and had caught the end of that little scene.

"Nothin!" Rogue snaps in reply. "She is just a jealous bitter cow."

"Ok," Scott says while mentally noting he is so not getting sucked into whatever that was.

Rogue moves topic off of that unpleasantness. "What did the Professor say?" she asks Scott.

"He agreed to let them stay with the warning I gave Clark."

"Tha mind wipe?"

"Yeah."

"Well lets hope they can handle it then."

Rogue and Scott go to tell Clark who was back chatting to Pete and Chloe and miraculously unaware of what just took place between Rogue and Lana. Lex and Lana go off back inside the hospital to stay warm to await the car Lionel was sending for them. That leaves Clark, Scott and Rogue to make the offer to Pete and Chloe.

While both would obviously prefer to spend Christmas with their own families this was the next best thing. Only one thing remained. The whole mutant and in Clark's case alien secret. They decide to save that one for when they get back to the Institute.

An hour later they arrive a little cramped at being squeezed into Scott's convertible. Chloe and Pete exchange greetings with Clark's parents before they are led into the Professor's study.

Chloe can't help but feel as she sits down that a bombshell is about to land on her. Turns out she is right.

A good 15 minutes later the Professor has summarised everything. Mutants, his school and its purpose. Considering the somewhat late hour he kept it to the short version. He agreed to let Clark's friends stay for the obvious reason. It was Christmas and no-one should be left out in the cold.

Chloe blinks rapidly as she absorbs all this. In fact she can't believe she of all people is being told this. It then hits her. She now knows Clark's secret. He is a mutant and she had just learned from the Professor that there are what he called x-gene mutants, and those mutations caused by the meteor rocks are different. "I have like a million questions," she says.

The Professor smiles kindly at her. He could actually sense her questions at the top of her mind. "Why don't we save at least some of them for tomorrow," he suggests.

"Fresh minds and all that?" she queries.

Charles nods. "Yes."

Chloe yawns at that moment so she can see his point.

Charles gestures at the door. "Clark is waiting outside. I'm sure you have a few questions for him too and when you are done he'll show you to the rooms Martha has prepared for you."

Charles watches the two young people get up and leave. He will spend tomorrow observing them, scanning them to make sure they can be trusted. He hopes they can. He dislikes having to alter the memories of people.

Clark had been leaning against the wall when Pete and Chloe exit.

Pete shakes his head as he looks at his friend. "Clark only you could end up at a school for mutants," he says in a wry tone.

Clark shrugs and smiles in such a way as to say he doesn't know how this happens to him.

"Do the others know...?" Pete asks and Clark gets it. Do they know he is an alien?

"They do. When Lionel came into town I felt they deserved to know everything as to why he followed me here."

Pete shakes his head and mutters some unpleasantries under his breath about Lionel.

Clark turns his attentions to Chloe who is looking at him in a whole new way. "Say something Chloe," he asks of her.

"It was you wasn't it. All the meteor freaks who were stopped somehow. It was you." It is all suddenly falling into place.

"It was me," he confirms for her, "and Chloe could you refrain from the freak description. Mutants are just people."

"Sorry," she says a little sheepishly. Force of habit. "So this was the big secret huh? Clark Kent. Mutant."

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Um yeah about that. Everyone here is a mutant. Everyone except me...and my parents but they're human. I'm something else."

"Like what?" Chloe asks unable to figure it out.

"Remember that scene in Roswell where Max explains to Liz about where he is from?" Clark asks her.

"Uh huh," Chloe says a little confused. Clark then points upward in an impression of Max in that scene and she gets it. Her eyes widen. "No way! That's...that's just...um..." she struggles for what to say next.

"It's still me Chlo. I'm still the same person," Clark says silently praying that Chloe doesn't react quite as badly as Pete did.

Chloe gazes at him for several seconds. "Well that does clear up one thing," she says.

"What?"

"Your fashion sense," she quips.

A smile creeps onto Clark's lips. "Coming from the girl who wore skirt over jeans I don't think I'll be taking that to heart somehow."

"Hey. That will come back into fashion!" Chloe insists.

"It was never in fashion in the first place Chlo."

Chloe pouts in response to that and then turns her gaze to Pete. "You knew didn't you," she accuses him guessing from what Pete said when they exited the room.

"Yes he did," Clark answers for Pete. He then takes Chloe by the shoulders and starts to lead leads her. "Lets go sit down and I'll tell you all about it. Oh and I should probably give you the heads up on one of the teachers here; Mr McCoy."

"What is he an alien too?" Pete asks as he follows Clark through the halls of the mansion. Pete is a little surprised how well Chloe is taking this. Better than he did he must admit which makes him feel a little guilty as his...he would probably call it now overreaction.

"Oh no. He is a mutant. It is just...he looks a bit different from what you might expect."

"Different how?" Pete asks as they walk into the lounge to find a big blue fur covered man sitting by the fire reading a book.

"Like that," Clark says in answer to Pete's question.

* * *

_Author's Note: So I threw in two L.L's for you all. You'll see more of Lex and Lana down the line as I'm planning a sort of 'Return to Smallville' arc. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Christmas!_


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Rogue is awoken the next morning by someone knocking on her door. She pulls her pillow over her head. "Go away," she mumbles. It is far too early.

She can just about hear the door open.

"Come on Rogue. Time to wake up. It's Christmas." It's Clark.

"It will still be Christmas in an hour," she says back. She then hears that loose floorboard creak. "Before ya even think about it," she warns what she can tell is Clark approaching the bed. "Remember one touch and ah'll be ruining your Christmas."

"Alright," Clark concedes. He knows he can get a bit carried away on Christmas morning. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she mumbles back before she falls back asleep.

An hour later Rogue does get up. She is just out of bed stretching her muscles out when there is another knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Um...Chloe," is the response.

"Just a minute," Rogue tells her as she makes her way over and opens the door.

"Um hi," Chloe says a little awkwardly. "Mrs Kent sent me to say to come down and get breakfast."

Rogue nods. "Just a sec," she tells Chloe as she goes back to her bedside table and grabs her gloves.

Chloe watches on. She had asked Clark last night when they were talking about what he could do and what everyone and the institute could do and he told her about Rogue's power. It was so sad. "Can I ask...if you can't touch...how do you and Clark...?"

Rogue sighs. "We don't. We can't. We're still working it out."

Chloe feels like she should not have asked that. Damn reporter instincts. "I'm sorry," she says and Rogue shrugs trying to show indifference when she is far from feeling so.

Chloe notices that on the other side of the room is a bed with pink sheets and walls covered in boy-band posters and other male celebrity posters. "Deja vu," Chloe mumbles.

"What?" Rogue asks.

"Um it is just...your room-mate's side of the room reminds me of my house-mate's room." Her house-mate being Lana who loves pink. Seriously pink covers, pink carpet, pink curtains, pink everything.

Rogue pities Chloe if her house-mate is anything like Kitty.

* * *

Down in the kitchen Pete and Clark are sitting next to each other at the table eating breakfast and catching up. "So you can hear like everything now?" Pete asks in relation to Clark's superhearing.

"More or less but on the plus side without it I couldn't have saved Rogue."

"Ah yes. When you had your revelation about your feelings for her."

To Clark it sounds like Pete isn't all that convinced that Clark means what he says. "I do like her Pete. I like her a lot," he tells his friend earnestly.

"I'm not saying you don't although forgive me if I'm still in shock about the fact you like anyone apart from Lana Lang."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Oh come on Clark. You have been in love with Lana since you were about 6. A naked supermodel could have been standing in front of you and you would have turned her down flat declaring how Lana is the only perfect woman for you."

"I never once said Lana was perfect."

"No but you were totally convinced that Lana was the one and only woman for you which is quite something when you're 6."

"I did not think that when I was 6 Pete. In fact if I recall you had convinced me back then that if I was to even touch a girl she would give me cooties."

Pete smirks. "Well it's not my fault you're gullible."

Clark lets out a sigh. "You are right though. I had convinced myself that there was no-one but Lana."

At this moment there is a cough and the boys find standing behind them is Chloe and a hurt angry looking Rogue who then promptly storms off.

"How much did you hear of that?" Clark asks in reference to the conversation he just had with Pete.

"Enough," Chloe says with a stern expression on her face.

Clark actually mutters a curse which is a first as far as Chloe is concerned as he gets up and chases after Rogue leaving Pete to face Chloe giving him her most intense death glare. "What?" Pete asks her.

"The two of you are just a pair of dumb-asses," Chloe insults Pete.

"I was just telling Clark a few home truths," Pete says in his defence. "And he's the one with super-hearing. He should have heard you coming."

Chloe shakes her head at the two of them. Dumb-asses. You never talk about stuff like that where someone might overhear you. "Have you phoned your family yet?" Chloe asks Pete. They had both spoken to their families last night explaining everything but she was asking whether he had phoned to wish them a Happy Christmas.

Pete checks the time. "Little early. I'll give it another hour."

Chloe checks the time too. "Yeah. You're right. I'll probably do the same."

"So Chloe...you are taking this whole thing really well about Clark," Pete remarks.

Chloe shrugs. "Alien or no Clark is still Clark. He is just a little bit...different from the rest of us. That's all." Yeah so it is kind of amazing that her friend is a real life alien but after talking to him last night for about 5 minutes she concluded that nothing that much had changed. Clark was still the same dorky guy she had known for years albeit one with superpowers but hey... she comes from Smallville where superpowers are just about the norm. At least Clark used them for good by stopping all the meteor...mutants she has to remember to refer to them from now on.

Pete lets that one hang for several seconds. "So do you think she has killed him yet?" Pete asks in reference to Clark and Rogue.

Chloe rolls her eyes. Definitely a dumb-ass.

Rogue stomps off down the corridor hurt swirling around her heart. It seems she has been playing second choice to Lana and after she defended Clark last night as well.

"Rogue wait!" Clark shouts after her not quite slipping into superspeed.

"Go away Clark!" she tells him.

"Please. Let me explain," he begs of her.

Rogue stops and turns to face him. "What is there ta explain exactly? Ya were just using meh because ya couldn't have her!" she almost shouts, although the angry hostile tone of her voice is as clear as day. That is what she got from what she overheard. He thinks Lana is the only woman for him but since he is here and Lana is not he has basically settled on Rogue as second choice.

Ok Clark will admit he makes misjudgements and mistakes but he won't accept that accusation. "Now that is not true."

"Isn't it?"

"No. If you had let me continue what I was about to say to Pete was that I had been mistaken about Lana."

"Really?" Rogue asks sceptically.

"Yes really." Clark runs his hand through his hair. "You see I had convinced myself of what I said and what I had ended up doing was trying to change myself into what I thought Lana wanted in a guy."

Rogue is a tad confused by what Clark means. "What?"

"You've had a first crush right?"

Rogue nods. Cody. The boy she kissed at the party just as her powers manifested themselves. She had been crushing on Cody for months and now she is stuck with a part of him permanently in her head.

"Then you must have thought about what qualities it was that he would be attracted to in a girl."

Again Rogue nods.

"I thought the same about Lana and then I set about changing myself into that person because I thought she couldn't possibly really want the real Clark Kent but you...you do. You learned I was an alien and it didn't bother you. You didn't look at me any different to before. You agreed to go out with me...the real me because this is all I am Rogue. What you see standing in front of you. Clark Kent, farm boy from Kansas and what he wants...all he wants...all I want is you and if you don't believe I'm saying the truth then touch me."

"What?"

Clark holds his arms out. "Go ahead. Absorb me if that is what it takes to convince you."

Rogue can tell that Clark is deadly serious about this. She is tempted to absorb him just to be certain but that would be a lack of trust on her part. She shakes her head. "No. Ah believe ya."

Clark lowers his arms back to his side. "I'm not perfect Rogue. I make mistakes just like any other person. Lana...in many ways Lana was one of my bigger mistakes because I dragged it out too long. I let it go too far without her knowing the truth about me and when I wouldn't let her in...when I refused to tell her the truth she ended up understandably hurt and bitter at me." There is a lot of regret in Clark's voice and it is a reflection of he allowed everything between himself and Lana to end up.

Rogue reaches up and starts twirling one of her bangs around her finger. She isn't sure what to say to that.

"You should go have breakfast," Clark tells her.

Rogue thinks that she should. She is hungry. He moves to the side as she walks by him.

"Rogue," he says stopping her.

"Yeah?"

"Will we be ok?" he asks her.

Rogue takes a moment to think on what Clark said. She lets her temper lower a bit and says "Yes Clark. We will be ok."

That brings a smile to his face and she smiles back before she heads off to the kitchen for breakfast. Scott then appears round the corner.

"I'm guessing you heard that," Clark assumes. Privacy it seems went out the window the day he came here.

"Most of it," Scott admits. "Would you really have let her absorb you?"

"If that is what it took than yes." Clark takes a moment. "Oh Happy Christmas," he says realising he hasn't said that to Scott yet today.

"Yeah. You too. Happy Christmas."

"Could have done without the relationship drama though," Clark says with dry humour.

Scott shakes his head. It is strange how Clark seems to find humour in almost anything. In fact Mr and Mrs Kent are the same. Must be a farmer thing.

* * *

Later that morning the time has come to exchange gifts as they all sit around in the lounge next to the tree. Charles received one from all the students of a framed photo of them all standing in front of the mansion and he wonders how they pulled that one off without him noticing. He would put it on his office wall next to the one he had of the original X-Men team before all the New Mutants came.

Hank got a new pullover of the type he liked which was handy since it was difficult for him to go shopping looking like he does now.

Scott ends up with yet another jumper but he thanks the Kents respectfully. He gets a new watch from Clark which Clark tells him is the same type his father has which Mr Kent got from his father and which has therefore survived decades of farm work so should survive at least a little while even when they are battling mutants.

Clark got the inevitable joke present from his parents of a new alarm clock which had given Chloe cause to ask why and Clark explained about his habit of accidentally crushing them. Chloe just looked at him rather blankly for several seconds before she cottoned on. She still hadn't quite caught up on the fact that her best friend was a super-powered alien.

From Rogue he got a copy of 'To kill a Mockingbird'; his favourite novel. He use to have a copy but when they unpacked here at the mansion he couldn't find it anywhere so he is very touched. It does not escape Charles' notice what Clark's favourite novel is about. It is also one of Charles' favourite novels for the racial prejudices it deals with.

In return Clark gives Rogue a novel in return. One of the Anne Rice ones she loves so much.

"Look inside the cover," he tells her.

Rogue opens the book and finds inside that is actually a signed copy. "How did ya manage ta get it?" she asks him.

"If I told you that it would ruin my air of mystery," Clark jests.

Chloe snorts. "Air of mystery my foot."

Clark ignores Chloe and hands over a smaller gift to Rogue. "I got you this too."

Rogue opens the gift to find it is a bracelet engraved with what she recognises as Kryptonian script.

"How did you get that?" Pete asks him recognising the symbol on the bracelet as something you just can't pick up.

"I got a plain one and I engraved it myself with my heat vision," Clark explains to his friend.

"What does it say?" Rogue asks him.

"Hope," Clark answers simply. "Because that is what I want you to always have Rogue. Hope that we will find a way to control your powers."

Rogue hates to show it but she can't stop the little tear forming in her eye which shows how touched she is by his gift. God what is Clark doing to her? She never used to be this emotional. Then again she never thought a guy like Clark would look twice at her let alone date her. She slips the bracelet on her wrist.

Martha and Jonathan watch the whole thing smiling. Clark could be so thoughtful and tender when he put his mind to it and it made them happy to see him in an open honest relationship. It was sad how Rogue and Clark couldn't touch each other. On the other hand at least they never had to worry about a certain physical aspect of relationships. God knows Clark had been embarrassed enough the first time they sat him down and had 'The Talk' and he probably isn't eager for a refresher any time soon.

* * *

"I'm surprised," Pete tells Clark. It was after gift exchange but still before dinner so the two of them were wandering around the mansion while Chloe was back giving Professor Xavier the 3rd degree.

"About what?"

"How readily you told Chloe about yourself," Pete elaborates. After all he had to find Clark's spaceship to get Clark to admit the truth.

"People change Pete. Being here...I've learned to be more comfortable with myself although don't expect me to climb to the top of the nearest building and shout it out," he says with wry humour. Of course what he is thrilled about is how well Chloe has taken it. There was no looking at him funny or treating him any different although she did manage to get through what seemed like hundreds of questions last night which Clark did his best to answer. "How are you doing Pete?" Clark asks his friend in relation to everything. "I know this is a lot to take in."

"Well after meteor...mutants," he says remembering to avoid the word freak, "and learning what you are it is not as much as it might have been but I have to ask why tell us and not Lex and Lana?"

"Because I know Lana would not take it well," Clark says in his judgement.

"Yeah she is a little bitter at you," Pete will say in agreement.

Clark shakes his head sadly. "I left it too long. I fear she might..."

"Not take it very well? Use her anger and resentment and twist it and you into something horrible?"

Clark manages a sad smile. Good old Pete. Still as brutally honest as always. "Something along those lines, yes."

"Give her a decade or two to calm down and I think you'll be alright," Pete says trying to be funny and lighten the mood. "And Lex?"

Clark lets out another sigh. "He is my friend but..."

"But?"

"He is still Lionel's son and there was that whole thing about trying to reforge their father/son bond last time I checked."

"Actually I think from what Chloe says they are back at war with each other," Pete points out.

"I want to trust him but there is just some piece of me that won't overlook the fact he is still a Luthor."

"If you want my opinion..."

"Always," Clark assures Pete.

"Then I wouldn't tell Lex either because I just know he is up to something. You should see the mansion sometime. It is more like a military barracks with all these security personnel these days. If you tell him and he decides you are a threat or something he has an army to take you down."

Clark frowns. That doesn't sound like the Lex he remembers. Guess quite a bit can happen even in a few months. Well that just confirms it for now. He has made the right choice but things can change and maybe one day he will change his mind but not today.

The two friends continue their wander through the mansion. Pete takes in the opulent fittings of the mansion. "In a way it is nice to know that there is a place teaching people to use powers for something other than the mayhem we have both seen back in Smallville. I have to ask though what were you really doing in New York and don't give me that shopping line."

"Did you hear anything about the Angel?" Clark asks Pete.

"Sure...no way. Really?"

Clark nods. "We were looking for him. Turns out he is a mutant. In fact we just said our goodbyes to him literally 5 minutes before you showed up."

"Goodbyes?" Pete queries.

"He wasn't ready to come here. He still had some way to go to learn to accept what he is." Clark cocks his head to the side suddenly. "I have to go. The Professor is calling me." Clark points down the corridor. "Turn right at the end and my parents are in the kitchen, second door on the left," Clark explains the way.

Clark then zips off. The Professor called his name out-loud since telepathy doesn't work on him. When he reaches the office he finds Scott and Rogue there. He guesses Chloe was finished and this was probably a debrief about the mission.

Charles listens carefully as the 3 teens explain what happened and how they bumped into Magneto and figured out that he must have set Warren up on the bridge. Charles shakes his head slightly at that one. He only wishes he could be surprised that Erik had done it. Of course it was deeply worrying to learn that Magneto now seemed to know Clark's weakness.

Clark meanwhile had been thinking on it and had come up with an answer as to how. "It was the incident at the jewellery store," he had concluded. "Remember that I overheard Mystique on the phone to him. She was there and saw what happened."

Charles nods. He now remembers wondering at the time just how much Magneto knew. Well it has happened and they will just have to deal with it the best they can.

"Well you all did an excellent job," Charles says in praise of them.

"But we failed to get Warren to come," Scott points out which kind of makes it a failure.

"Yes but you kept him from Magneto. That is a victory Scott. It leaves open the possibility of him joining us one day." Charles looks at time. "Well I believe Martha will be serving Christmas dinner shortly. Let us convene in the kitchen."

* * *

Charles has to say that Christmas dinner has to be one of the happiest sights he has seen in many years. With so many round the table happily chattering away. It is a moment of family togetherness he has not seen in a long time. On top of that the dinner Martha cooked is excellent. Charles feels he will be spending many days working it off.

Afterwards the teens sit in the lounge to allow their dinner time to digest.

"Ah think ah'm going ta burst," Rogue says. Dinner had been great but there was just so much of it yet she couldn't help herself because it was just so good.

Scott doesn't say but is right there agreeing with Rogue. That was just great and he is pretty certain he will be bursting apart at the seams shortly too.

Rogue looks at Clark sitting there not looking like he is about to burst yet he ate more than she did. "How can ya eat so much Clark?" Rogue asks him.

Clark shrugs. "One of the weird benefits of being an alien I guess. I mean considering the speed I can move at, the way I heal rapidly I'm assuming my metabolism is pretty fast."

"So can I ask do you guys really train in a room full of death traps?" Chloe asks. It had been raised during Christmas dinner as the subject of a few jokes and grumbles.

"Virtually every day," Rogue complains. "Because Logan is a sadist who enjoys making us suffer."

"Well that will be a slowing of the pace for you then Clark," Chloe quips.

"Huh?" he asks.

"Well it was you that stopped the meteor...mutants and I mean that must have been pretty intense at times considering."

Clark shrugs.

"Why did you never take any credit for it Clark?" Chloe asks him.

"It wasn't like I did it for the glory or anything Chloe. I did it because because it was the right thing to do. Because they were dangerous and hurting people."

"Yeah but most people would be crowing to everyone about it. You are kind of amazing that you did it and took zero credit. You are like a superhero or something."

Rogue smirks. "Ya see. It is just lahke ah said. Ya do want ta be a superhero," she teases him.

"Not really...and it isn't all training Chloe. Believe me. There are times we have to stop other mutants."

"Yeah lahke Live Wire," Rogue says her unhappiness at that psycho all too plain.

"And Magneto," Scott adds while wondering what Magneto is planning next.

* * *

At one of his bases what Magneto is planning right now is to give his bruises a few days to heal. Despite his armour Cyclops' blasts pack quite a wallop. Not to mention one where Clark Kent struck him. Even a piece of wood can kill if thrown with enough force and Clark Kent seemed to pack quite a wallop of his own. Magneto did not actually know his codename. It is a minor thing but something to find out at some point.

He learned something from it all though. Clark Kent has a weakness. One that does not make sense. He is still missing something because he knows almost as much about the x-gene as Charles does and it cannot create a mutant with that many abilities and from all he knows about the meteor mutants it was the same. It begs the question as to what exactly Clark Kent is. Not that Magneto is obsessing in anyway. He just would like to know.

He takes a slightly painful breath. New York had been a slight miscalculation. He had gone by himself because he honestly did not expect to run into any of the X-Men. He knew that Charles sent them all home for Christmas. As he said. Miscalculation.

There are other things that easily make up for it. The capture of Live Wire who was having another 're-education' session with Mastermind just to reinforce the changes that had been made to her somewhat unstable mindscape as Mastermind had described it as. Live Wire's powers were most impressive and formidable. The potential future uses Magneto could think of for her were numerous. She would join his Acolytes.

Other good news included Mystique's reports that it seems the Brotherhood are back on side for now. Essex is keeping him updated on Lionel Luthor's activities and the status of his new enhancer. For now he would leave it where it is in Luthor's hands but he already had it planned out how to take it when the moment came.

Magneto moves from his personal quarters in his base and seeks out Haze. Time to give her her Christmas present so to speak. He finds her inevitably flirting with Gambit once more. In this lounge area he had turned a blind eye when they put a Christmas tree. He might as well let them have their little celebration. As for the others Colossus was still sore about his sister and was still mostly keeping to himself in his room. As long as he did what he was told Magneto was not bothered. Speaking of the girl he had Sabretooth and Pyro babysitting her at the moment. He will keep his word to the extent that she will not be harmed.

However back to the business at hand. "Haze," he summons her.

She gets off the couch where she was sitting next to Gambit and makes her way over to Magneto. "Yes Magneto."

"I have been thinking over your proposal regarding Clark Kent and have reached a decision," he informs her.

Haze's face lights up in anticipation.

"You have my approval. I will inform Mystique that you will be attending Bayville High in the new year." With proof about the green meteor rocks affecting Clark Kent it seems more than likely that Haze's belief in how the red variety affects Clark is correct. If it affects him the way she believes than soon he will have a powerful new ally without having to go through the effort of attempting to capture him as he tried back in Smallville.

Haze smiles widely utterly thrilled that he approved her idea. "Thank you Magneto. I shall not let you down."

"See that you don't," he warns her although so far she has never let him down. She had been an excellent asset. One of the best of his recent recruits. Magneto turns and leaves without another word.

Gambit saunters up next to Alicia. "You see chere. D'is just like Gambit told you. Brains and beauty is a deadly combination."

Alicia blushes at his compliment.

Gambit gently strokes her cheek. "Gambit will miss you," he says with some sincerity actually. She had been here the longest with him apart from Sabretooth and great company the feral mutant wasn't.

"I'll miss you too," she says her breath hitching slightly at his touch. "By the way...Gotcha!"

"Quest-ce?" he says in French meaning 'What?'.

Alicia points upward and smirks. Gambit looks up to see that they are right under the mistletoe which she had joked that she would lure him under. Gambit had promised her that it would be the other way round. A little fun competition to pass the time. He shakes his head but with a smile as he lowers his head and very gently gives Alicia the very first kiss of her life.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; One more chapter with Chloe and Pete at the mansion to tie up a loose end._


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The morning after Christmas and Chloe had talked to Lana to discover that they should be able to get home by the end of the day and that a car would be sent to pick her and Pete up around dinner time. So that gave her a few more hours in this amazing place. Chloe felt considering the mountain of revelations she has gone through in the last day and a bit she is handling it all remarkably well.

She knew of course that she could never utter a word of this to anyone. Seems rather typical of her life. The greatest story ever and she can't breathe a word. Make no mistake she is all for freedom of the press and right to know but there has to be limits. She can see that.

She wanders around the mansion in clothes she was leant from...Chloe actually never asked who they belonged to. She guesses just one of the female students about her size. She spots Clark and Rogue in the lounge sharing a joke and when Rogue laughed Clark's face lit up more. She lets out a sigh. As always with Clark she is on the outside as far as any relationship goes.

"So when are you going to tell him?"

Chloe jumps. "Jesus Pete don't do that!" she chastises her friend for sneaking up on her. "And lower your voice," she instructs him as she does the same.

Pete grabs Chloe and walks her round a corner. "Chloe I think with Clark's hearing ability he can hear you anywhere in this place. Now when are you going to stop stalling and tell him?"

Chloe looks very uncertain at what Pete is suggesting. "He'll never forgive me."

"Of course he will. Clark is not the judgemental type. Just explain it to him the way you explained it to me."

Chloe nods and summons up the nerve and walks back into the lounge. "Clark can we talk?," she requests of him before looking at Rogue. "Alone," she adds.

Clark frowns slightly. Something about Chloe's voice was off. She looked and sounded nervous. Terrified might be a better description. 'Now what can this be about?,' he wonders to himself.

Clark and Chloe end up standing just outside the French doors. Chloe will take the cold so they can talk alone. "Ok what is it we need to talk about Chloe?"

Chloe bites her lower lip in her nervous gesture. "Clark...I...I'm sorry."

Clark cocks his head slightly as he tries to get a reading on her. She sounds on the verge of tears already. "Sorry for what?"

Chloe takes a few shaky breaths. "I...made a deal with Lionel to spy on you," she spills out quickly. She then watches Clark's features twitch ever so slightly and she swears that his eyes flash red for a second.

"You what?" he almost growls out.

"I spied on you for Lionel," she repeats herself.

"Why Chloe? Why would you do that?" Clark asks unable to quite believe that Chloe would do that to him.

"I was weak," she admits shamefully. "He caught me at a weak moment and I caved."

"What moment?" he asks her, keeping his anger at her in check so that he can try to attempt to understand why she did this to him.

"The day after Lex's wedding."

Clark closes his eyes. "The day you saw me and Lana together." So that is what this is about.

Profound shame fills Chloe. She wasn't sure what to say. To say that she basically did it out of jealousy because she wanted him was so immature, petty and pathetic.

Clark takes a few steps away while he gathers his temper in before turning back to face her. "What did you give him?" he demands to know.

"Nothing," she answers truthfully. "Nothing he didn't already know."

"Look Chloe I know I can be a bit insensitive at times but betraying me to Lionel of all people...what in god's name were you thinking?"

She wasn't thinking that was the problem. She saw him kissing Lana, holding hands with Lana, being sweet and tender and affectionate the way she always dreamed he would be with her one day. He shattered that dream right there and she was hurt and angry and felt like he betrayed her so in reality it was all about getting back at him. Hurting him back and god is she pathetic. "I'm sorry Clark," she says tearfully. "I wish I could say something else but it is all I have."

Clark shakes his head. "It all makes sense now. The new computers for the Torch, your job at the Planet," he says as the pieces fall into place.

"I quit," she says.

"What?"

"The Planet. I quit," she tells him. "I couldn't sit there and know I got it because of making a deal with Lionel. It...soiled it."

"But working for the Planet is your dream."

"Only if I earn it."

"Are you still working for Lionel?" Clark asks her.

"No. He dissolved our deal as soon as you left town."

"Oh he dissolved it. Not you. Not my so called best friend."

Chloe winces at the clipped acerbic tone of Clark's voice. It was worse than him shouting and yelling at her. It felt like a whip hitting her, cutting into her skin. "I tried Clark. Believe me I tried but once someone like Lionel has a hold over you they never let go."

Chloe takes a step toward him and tries to place her hand on him. She has to get him to see how sorry she is but as soon as she takes that step Clark is gone in a blur and with a gust of wind that blows the snow on the ground about.

Shortly after that Pete steps through the French doors. He had felt the gust of wind as Clark ran past him and guessed that Chloe had told him.

"He hates me," Chloe says tears rolling down her cheeks.

Pete takes her into his arms while she sobs. "He doesn't hate you Chloe. He's angry. Give him a few hours to cool off and you'll see it will be alright."

* * *

**A couple of hours later...**

Clark had been quite steamed at first he will admit at Chloe. At what he considered at the time she said it was her betrayal of him. Betraying him to Lionel Luthor of all people. However by now his anger had simmered down and he was brooding essentially as he stood in his room looking out the window at the snow covered landscape.

"And ah thought ah was tha dark brooding one in this relationship," a much loved southern accent remarks.

A smile tugs at Clark's lips of its own accord at that as he glances round to see Rogue standing at his door. "Guess you have some competition," he manages to quip despite his mood.

It is now Rogue's turn to try and fight a smile tugging at her lips. She walks towards him. "So what was it that Chloe said ta ya that has ya all upset?"

Clark pauses for a while before he makes a request of Rogue. "Promise not to punch her first?"

Rogue frowns. "Why would ah do that? What did she do?"

Clark tells Rogue what Chloe did. In response Rogue is silent for several seconds before saying in an eerily calm voice, "Ah'm killin her."

Clark smiles at that and takes Rogue by the hand. "No you're not," he says knowing she is not really serious.

Rogue actually pouts. "Can ah at least hit her once?" she asks.

Clark shakes his head. "No." He then lets out a sigh and runs his hand through his hair. Now that his temper has cooled he is more willing and able to understand Chloe's position. "We all make mistakes in moments of weakness," he tells Rogue and Clark knows that better than most.

"You're a better person than meh," she says truly believing that. After all she most probably would have punched Chloe's lights out by now.

"You need to give yourself more credit," he tells her back. "You could have easily turned your back on the world. Rejected it. Yet here you are at this institute trying to do what is right. It is why you are such an amazing person."

Rogue's eyes glow softly at Clark's words. He called her amazing. She doesn't think anyone has ever called her that before. She wraps her arms around his broad back and hugs him.

"What's this for?"

"For being who ya are."

"Wow. I should be me more often," he jokes warmly which makes Rogue just have to smile in response. She then feels his lips very gently touch the top of her hair in a kiss which sadly is as close as she will ever get to the real thing.

* * *

It is a little later that Clark searches and soon finds Chloe down in the kitchen, looking rather miserable, eating a bowl of ice-cream. "Ah the never fail comfort food," he jokes.

Chloe drags her eyes up from staring at the table to her perhaps now former friend. He was right of course as always. Ice-cream is her comfort food when she is feeling bad.

"Can I sit?" Clark asks of her. Chloe gestures at the chair opposite her and Clark sits himself down. He starts with three simple words. "I forgive you."

"Really?" she asks as hope starts to surge up within her that he really means it.

Clark nods and says. "Chloe we all make mistakes. You are looking at the poster child for them."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"I was mad at what you did, not at you."

"I'm sorry Clark," Chloe feels she needs to say again. "If I could take it back..."

Clark cuts her off. "Trust me. Been there. You don't have to say it."

"So we're still friends?" she asks needing him to say it for her.

"We'll always be friends Chlo," he promises.

Chloe manages a smile at that. Still she is a little sad in this regard. There are still friends and looks like that is all they will ever be. He is never going to return her feelings. She can see he has moved on. Not from her of course. From Lana...which in of itself is a near miracle. Chloe was starting to think Clark was doomed to play out forever this 'Will they? Won't they?" yo-yo with Lana.

Clark reaches over and takes the spoon from her bowl helping himself to her ice-cream.

"Hey! Chloe protests with a scowl. "That's my ice-cream farm boy."

"Don't see your name on it," he cheekily says back while deliberately and with a completely over the top exaggerated performance licks the spoon clean.

Chloe narrows her eyes at him yet can't stop the smile forming. They are going to be ok.

* * *

Later that day Scott had found himself giving Clark's friend Chloe a tour of the lower levels of the mansion. She sure was inquisitive. She had been hitting almost non-stop with questions and inquiries. What Scott noticed was that how unbothered she seemed to be by the whole mutant thing. It gives him hope that maybe when the day comes mutants are revealed it won't be as bad as he has sometimes feared. "So are you really ok with this?" he asks her.

"Hmm," Chloe says wondering what he means. "Oh the you being a mutant. The whole x-gene, mutants are amongst us stuff."

"Um yes. That."

"Sure," Chloe says like is is nothing. "Ok it was like definitely a shock at first but then again I come from Smallville where we have mutants crawl out the woodwork literally on a weekly basis but in your favour is the fact who haven't tried to kill me." Chloe looks at Scott. "Besides you seem like a good guy." And he does. Chloe can see a few things that Scott seems to have in common with Clark. "So I'm getting a very cold war bunker theme here," she says gesturing at the metal walls around her.

Scott smiles. "Yeah. We've all kind of made that point as well."

"I'm guessing though there is a very practical reason for it," Chloe says being very analytical.

"It has to hold up the weight of the mansion as well as being a safe place for us to train and if worse comes to worse some place we can safely hide in."

"Worse comes to worse being if people don't take so well to your existence," Chloe assumes.

"The Professor is an optimist but he is no fool either."

Chloe nods in understanding. "Well when that day comes just give me an exclusive interview and I'll write you the fairest article I can that allows you to air your point of view."

Scott scratches the back of his head. "Ok. Sure," is all he can think of to say to that.

Chloe's face lights up in a toothy smile. "Great. So shall we continue with the tour?" she asks him.

"Of course," Scott says as he points in the direction to go.

* * *

It is nearing the time of the day when Lana and Lex are going to be showing up to take Chloe and Pete back. She had really enjoyed the tour she had with Scott. He even demonstrated his powers for her on a few targets in what he called the Danger Room. It was all so...awesome.

Chloe had just gotten changed back into the clothes she was wearing when she got here after Mrs Kent had washed them for her when there is a knock on the door in the room she had spent the night. "Come in," she tells whoever it is.

Who it is is Clark. "Just to let you know Lex and Lana are nearly here," he informs her.

Chloe's face puzzles up slightly. "How do you know?"

Clark points at his ears. "I can hear the car coming along the road."

Chloe just looks at him for several seconds still trying to fully grasp what her best friend is and what he can do. "Wow that would be so handy in my line of work," she quips.

Clark has to smile at that one. The fact she can joke so readily about him makes him feel confident that she isn't going to go all weird on him about the whole alien thing. Hopefully is also means the Professor won't have to wipe hers or Pete's memory. He had mentioned this to both of them.

"Guess that means it is time for the Professor to root around my head huh?"

"He won't root around Chloe. He'll just check that you can be trusted. I know it seems a violation but there is too much at risk here and he doesn't know you like I do."

"I get it Clark although can't he just root around your head and see I'm trustworthy?"

"Um two problems with that. I was never sure enough to trust you before for which I'm sorry by the way. I was just..."

"Afraid?" Chloe offers and Clark nods. Chloe can understand that considering how many exposes she did on the meteor mutants so she isn't holding it against him. "The second problem?"

"The Professor can't read my mind. He says it is like my thoughts are in a foreign language is the analogy he used."

Well he is an alien. What did she expect really. Chloe takes a breath. "Ok. Lets get this over with."

Clark leads Chloe down the hall to the Professor's office.

"Can I ask something about Scott?" she asks Clark.

"What about him?"

"Is he single?" She is only asking because she just felt they connected a little earlier and he is really good looking.

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"You remember the me, Whitney, Lana saga?"

Chloe snorts. "Remember it? It is seared into my brain forever."

"Then imagine this," Clark tells her. "Replace Lana with a red-headed girl called Jean. Whitney with a guy called Duncan and me with Scott."

"Whoa!" Chloe says. "It is like the Twilight Zone or something," she comments at the parallel.

Clark nods in agreement with that sentiment. "Which is why I am staying out of it and Chloe you should do the same," he advises her.

Chloe agrees. No way in hell is she getting sucked into anything like that again. It was painful enough the first time through.

When they reach the Professor's office Pete is just coming out after having his brain scanned. "So how was it?" Chloe asks Pete.

Pete looks at her with a puzzled expression. "Who are you?" he asks pretending he doesn't know.

"So not funny Pete," Chloe comments at the lameness of that joke.

Pete smirks. Chloe shakes her head at him.

"_Please come in Chloe,"_ the Professor's voice says in her mind. 'Ok that is not creepy or anything,' she thinks sarcastically.

Chloe takes another breath and walks into the room.

"Please sit," the Professor requests of her. Chloe does so. "Thank you for agreeing to this," Charles feels it is important to say to her.

"That's alright. I mean I get it why you need to keep this secret. After all I should. I do come from Smallville."

Like with Pete before her the Professor did sense she understood and like Pete he hoped the result would be the same and that is that Chloe can be trusted and he won't have to wipe her memories. "This will only be a surface scan and I shall not intrude on your inner most thoughts," he informs her.

Chloe closes her eyes. "Alright. Go ahead and do it."

"Just relax," Charles tells her and Chloe then waits for something to happen. What she does not know.

"Alright we're done and thank you," Charles says gently.

Clark cracks one eye open. "That was it?" she asks surprised. She didn't feel a thing.

Charles smiles warmly. "I try never to leave an impression and I sense you are a trustworthy person and that you can be trusted." She was inquisitive to the point of being nosy yes but trustworthy all the same.

That makes Chloe smile but it fades a little before she says "Why didn't Clark think that before?"

Charles looks at her sympathetically. "Fear is powerful and it can make us doubt what we think we know for certain."

"And I guess me being a reporter sworn to tell the truth didn't help matters huh?"

"That may have contributed to it," Charles adds.

Chloe gets to her feet. "Well thank you for letting us stay over Christmas Professor and thank you for trusting me with he truth."

"It was no problem and you are welcome."

Chloe turns and leaves to find Pete and Clark waiting outside the door for her. "Well I passed," she informs them.

"Well I'm shocked," Clark dead-pans.

"Me too," Pete says in the same vein.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Some friends you are." She then points at Clark. "By the way two days here and I haven't heard one peep about your career in journalism."

"Because there isn't one. I don't have time for one. I get extra tutelage from Mr McCoy and extra training sessions from Logan and any free time I do have I dedicate to my girlfriend. If that is ok by you that I put her higher on my list of priorities."

"Well..." Chloe starts to say before she smirks.

"Not funny Chlo." Clark's head then cocks to the side. "If you are going to say your goodbyes you better make it now," he tells his friends as he hears the car with Lex and Lana draw near the mansion.

Goodbyes are quickly exchanged and the car with Lex and Lana drives up to the front door of the mansion. Chloe makes her last goodbyes to Clark's parents. "Goodbye Mr and Mrs Kent. Smallville hasn't been the same without you."

That makes Martha and Jonathan a little sad actually. They both miss the farm still. Not that being here, watching and helping the children here grow isn't rewarding because it is but Smallville was their home for such a long time you can't help but feel nostalgic. It had been wonderful seeing Chloe and Pete again and to see Chloe accept Clark's secret better than they ever expected was a great surprise.

As Chloe and Pete get in the car you can see how unhappy Pete is. Guess he still mistrusts the Luthors. Jonathan can sympathise. After a brief hello and goodbye to Lex and Lana from Martha and Jonathan they all watch the car go waving them off.

Clark watches the car go with a sad sigh. He feels a gloved hand slip into his and give a slight squeeze.

"You're goin ta miss them," Rogue concludes.

"Yeah."

"You'll see them again."

"I hope so. I'm really glad they know the truth though. It gives you hope you know. The way they took it."

Rogue will admit she was surprised how easily Clark's friends did accept it. It does give you hope.

Inside Charles watches from the window with Hank next to him out of view. "That went well," he remarks to Hank.

"Indeed," Hank says back in agreement. It had been extremely pleasant for him how quickly Clark's friends got over their shock at his appearance and interacted with him as if he was just a normal adult. "Well 2 down. Only 6 and a half billion to go," he jests in reference to how many humans are left to convert to accepting mutants like Chloe and Pete have.

True there was a long way to go but this was a start. One that has given Charles some hope for the future.

"By the way who gets the task of telling Logan when he gets back that two more people know about us?" Hank asks knowing Logan is not going to be happy about it to say the least.

Charles knew there was something he was forgetting. Logan will not be pleased but it is done and Charles thinks that in the long run it is for the better.

* * *

Elsewhere Mystique had been spending Christmas with an old friend; Irene Adler also known as Destiny. Irene was blind and a mutant who had the power to see the future in a series of visions.

For right now the two of them a sharing a hot chocolate drink. Of all the things humans have created chocolate is one Mystique loves. "Irene I need to ask you something," Mystique says.

"About the boy who is dating Rogue," Irene knows. In fact she is a little surprised it has taken Mystique this long to ask.

"Yes. There is just...something different about him." It had been bothering Mystique for awhile. There is just something...not quite right about Clark Kent. As Risty she had overheard talk about the powers he possessed and she is talking in the plural. That alone at least makes him...she doesn't know what. The result of some kind of experiment maybe. Then there is a couple of days after she attacked him he is back at school able to see although now needing glasses apparently. None of it makes sense and perhaps Irene has seen something that could explain it. Mystique needs to know especially since Irene's previous visions had spoken of how vital Rogue was to the future so anyone that close to Rogue Mystique needs to know about especially when there are inconsistencies like there are revolving around Clark Kent.

"The Star Child will bring light to where before there was darkness," Irene cryptically says and Mystique recognises it as the response to a vision Irene must have had.

"Star Child?" Mystique queries.

"The boy," Irene explains.

"Why do you call him Star Child?" she asks Irene.

Irene smiles knowingly. "All things must happen at a set time and I'm afraid for now Raven I must keep that to myself."

Mystique eyes her old friend for a few seconds. It is not the first time Irene has said that to her and Mystique can understand. If knowledge of the future fell into the wrong person's hands then everything Mystique has worked for for years could be undone. Putting that aside for the moment. "Irene. What have you seen about him?"

"I have had many visions of him Raven," Irene says addressing Mystique by her proper first name. "Some good. Some bad. Some involving people in pain calling out and then I see him. A flash of red and blue and the pain fades away. He brings hope to where before there was despair. He illuminates the darkness that threatens our world and where he leads many will follow."

"Lead who?" Mystique asks.

"All those who believe in Truth and Justice."

Mystique snorts. "Truth and Justice? Those are very subjective terms Irene. One man's truth is another's lie. One man's justice is another's injustice."

"Raven. You know how my visions work and that they are not always clear but one thing is certain. The boy you ask about will be a major part in what is to come."

Mystique isn't sure what to make of that but if he is to lead, if he is to be a major part of the future then she has to find a way to get him onto her side.

* * *

_Author's Note: I felt like I needed to tie up Chloe's deal with Lionel by having her tell Clark. I also thought I should add a part with Destiny and her visions. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. __Next up; the students start to return and Kitty notices something about Clark's powers._


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Into the new year and essentially nothing much is happening since it is only really today that everyone starts coming back. Well Logan returned a few days after Christmas and for a few days after that he was quite grumpy...well grumpier than usual after being told about Chloe and Pete knowing about mutants and the institute. Ray was also back from staying with the Morlocks. He had made a few friends during his time there and he wanted to see them over Christmas although only the Professor knew where he was. When the Professor found Ray the Professor had promised to keep the Morlocks' existence a secret.

Clark is in his room perusing through some new info Dr Swann had sent him. While he reads he is twirling the octagonal silver looking key from his spaceship between his fingers. While everything Dr Swann gave him was interesting Clark knew there was only one person who could give him real answers about his people. Jor-El and this key was the means to access the caves back in Smallville.

Clark was not likely to be visiting Smallville any time soon mind you. He came here to learn about his powers and he still feels he has more to learn in that area first. Thanks to the Professor and others he for example has gotten a better handle on his hearing quicker than he thinks he would have if he was still back in Smallville on his own. Not to mention all those training sessions they get run through have Clark using his powers in ways he never thought of before.

There is a knock on his door. "Come in Rogue!"

Rogue opens the door and finds Clark lying on his bed. "How did ya know it was meh?" she asks him.

Clark shrugs and says lightly, with a goofy smile, "X-ray vision, super-hearing, super sense of smell. Take your pick." He gets up and off his bed. "So what brings you here?" he asks her glad she is here but still curious all the same.

"Ah need a reason ta see mah boyfriend?" she asks trying to sound insulted.

Clark shakes his head with a smile. "Nope."

"What's that?" she asks in reference to what is in Clark's hand.

"Oh this. This is...was the key to my spaceship. Here," he says throwing it to her.

Rogue catches it and takes a minute to examine it with the outer edge engraved with markings. "What kind of metal is this?"

"None found on Earth."

Rogue has to take a second just to remember that Clark is from another planet. He was so down to earth and normal, apart from the super powers obviously, that she almost forgot from time to time. She flips the key back to him and he puts it back inside his geology book where he had cut out a space for it. He guessed few people would think to look in there.

Clark cocks his head to the side as he listens to something. He turns round, pulls his glasses down to the tip of his nose and peers through the wall to see Logan driving the van back through the gates. Clark then pushes his glasses back up into place. "Kurt's back," he announces happy that his friend is back. Logan had gone to pick him up from the airport.

Having nothing better to do Rogue goes with Clark to welcome Kurt back.

"So how were your parents? How was your Christmas?" Clark asks his friend upon entering his room and finding him unpacking.

"Zhey vere fine and Christmas vas great," Kurt replies. It is always a little difficult being away from his parents so when he does get to go home Kurt enjoys every second of it. He the notices this metal bracelet on Rogue's wrist with what he thinks is a symbol in the language of Clark's people. "Zhat's new," he says to Rogue while he points at it.

"Oh. It was a present from Clark," she tells Kurt while she takes a moment to appreciate it again and of the hope that Clark wanted it to represent. That one day she will have control over her powers. She smiles a little.

Kurt had to smile at his two friends. They did seem happy. "So did I miss anyzhing vhile I vas away?" he asks innocently totally oblivious to everything that happened after he left.

Clark and Rogue share a look. They weren't sure where to even begin.

* * *

Down in the Professor's office he and Scott are having a talk. Charles had left it to now so Scott could enjoy his holidays as much as possible because this was serious X-Men business he wanted to discuss. Charles rests his elbows on his desk and tents his fingers. "Tell me Scott. What is your honest assessment of Clark?"

Scott thinks on the question for a moment. "In what way Professor? As a person? As in how he is performing?"

"Both."

"Well as a person I mean what is there to say. He's a nice guy. If you ask for help he gives it. I'm not sure I've ever seen him really lose his temper even when Bobby pranks him. Besides that he is a little quiet and shy, more so at the beginning than now. Since he told us he was an alien I would say it is like a weight has been lifted from him and he can be himself more."

Charles nods in basic agreement with everything Scott is saying.

"As for his performance," Scott continues. "From what I've seen I would put him ahead of the other New Mutants. He has better control of his abilities and seems to pick up things faster."

Again Charles nods in basic agreement.

"Can I ask why you are asking me this Professor?" Scott asks, curious.

"Your assessment is spot on Scott. The problem is that Clark just isn't ahead of the New Mutants, keeping him there for very much longer will be holding him back. It was why I asked Logan to give him the extra sessions. Clark now completes easily X-Men sessions at a Level 5 setting."

That wasn't too many levels behind where the X-Men are. Understanding dawns in Scott's mind as to why the Professor asked him here. "You want to move Clark up into the X-Men."

"I want to know your opinion. If you think he can fit in." Because it is more than Clark's skill or powers that matter here. The X-Men are a team and therefore anyone who joins them has to be able to function as part of a team.

Scott thinks back on the last month in particular. Clark helped them find Rogue even when he was blind. He even downed Quicksilver in that state. Clark was clever in the defeat of Live Wire and without him they would never had found Warren in time to save him from Magneto. Clark's power was of course without doubt an asset. Short of Juggernaut Clark was probably the most powerful person Scott knew. "I think anyone can fit in given time Professor," Scott says. "But judging if someone is ready is a different matter."

Charles will concede that. "There is no pressure Scott for you to decide one way or another but as leader I felt you needed to be informed so you can be allowed to choose."

"Can I think on it?" he requests.

"Of course." It goes without saying. "Take all the time you want."

Scott gets up to leave.

"Oh by the way Scott. That's Jean back," the Professor informs him having sensed Jean's mind.

Scott instantly breaks into a smile and rushes off to meet her. He finds her just coming in through the front door. "Jean!"

Upon hearing and seeing Scott Jean breaks into her own smile. "Scott."

Scott's eyes fall onto Jean fiddling with a new necklace she is wearing. The one he got her for Christmas. "Do you like it?" he asks her.

Jean looks down at it. It was a pendant attached to a chain, engraved upon which is the image of the Firebird of legend, of the Phoenix. For some reason the image just seems to strike something deep down inside her. "I love it," she tells him.

* * *

In the kitchen Kurt was fixing himself a snack while still listening to Clark catch him up. "So seriously he looked like an angel?" Kurt asks in reference to Warren. Kurt was Catholic and his belief was deep enough that he did believe that angels existed.

Clark nods. "Yep. Pure white wings and everything."

Kurt sits down at the table shaking his head. "Man it is a strange world ve live in."

It is at this point Kitty walks in having just gotten back. "You said it fuzzy," she remarks at hearing his last comment.

"Hey Kitty," Clark and Kurt say together.

"Did you have a nice time vith your family?" Kurt asks her.

"Oh you know parents. It is all like 'Oh look how tall you've gotten' and 'You look thin. Have you been eating enough?'. You know that kind of thing." Kitty sits herself down. "So Clark where are your parents?" she asks him having not seen them.

"Grocery shopping," is Clark's reply. "But they will be back in 5...4...3...2...1...now."

The door to the kitchen open as Martha and Jonathan walk in carrying boxes full of groceries. Kitty shakes her head. "How do you do that?" she ask Clark.

Clark shrugs. "I've gotten pretty good at controlling my hearing."

Upon seeing Kitty Martha and Jonathan give her a warm welcome back before they unpack the groceries.

"Jonathan where is the milk?" Martha asks her husband not seeing it.

"I thought you were getting it," he says somewhat confused.

Martha places her hands on her hips. "No I said I was going to get the bread while you got the milk," she reminds her husband who is looking kind of sheepish about now. "Jonathan," she reprimands him with a shake of her head. Now they were going to have to go back and get the milk.

"I'll go," Clark offers since he can run to the nearest store in seconds.

"Thank you honey," Martha says gratefully. She hands him over some money and Clark vanishes with a gust of wind.

Less than a minute later he returns, giant cartons of milk in hand.

"Um Clark did you like run flat out?" Kitty inquires of him.

"More or less. Why?"

"Well taking the time needed to be in the shop and buy the milk and considering the nearest store is about a kilometre away you ran the distance in like 5 seconds." Or at least that is what Kitty works it out to be roughly.

"I did?" Clark thinks back on it. "I did," he comes to realise or something like 5 seconds. It wasn't like he was timing himself as he went but he definitely covered the distance in less time than he use to.

"Vhat's the big deal?" Kurt asks.

"To run a kilometre in anything close to 5 seconds I have to be running at nearly 400mph," Clark informs Kurt.

"I still don't get it," Kurt says no closer to understanding.

Kitty rolls her eyes. "Think back on when like Clark first arrived and he ran around the Danger Room," she tries to prompt Kurt.

Kurt shakes his head still no closer to the answer.

Clark answers instead. "My maximum then was just over 200."

"So vaht? Your speed has nearly doubled in 3 months?" Kurt says that not quite able to believe it.

"Well I mean I was like guessing at the exact length of time," Kitty tries to modify. "We would really need to test it properly."

Clark looks to his parents. "It never stops does it," he comments sadly. All his life he has been getting stronger and faster and it doesn't seem like it is going to stop any time soon.

After that it is fairly straight forward decision to go and see the Professor about using the Danger Room to find out for certain whether Clark has really gotten faster.

* * *

Meanwhile across town at the Bayville Boarding House the 5 mutant teenagers, a couple still in their night clothes, gather in the living room on Mystique's order.

Toad, one of the ones, in his night clothes, yawns. "Man it is too early yo," he complains. After all it is still the holidays. He doesn't need to be up this early. "I'm missing out on my beauty sleep."

Tabby snorts. "Toad you would have to sleep for a thousand years to be considered average," she says as a put down. Tabby was cranky when she was woken before noon.

Mystique enters the room. "Alright. Listen up. I have an announcement to make. We are getting a new member."

That woke them all up. "We are?" Lance says with surprise.

Mystique smiles which is actually kind of creepy. None of them had ever seen her smile except when she was about to do something malicious to one of them. She then checks her watch. "She will be arriving now."

For a few seconds no-one knows what to expect then in the middle of the room a green mist appears which eventually takes the form of a blond girl with a rucksack over one shoulder. She smiles at them all. "Hey guys. I'm Alicia," she says introducing herself.

Mystique steps over and places her hands on Alicia's shoulders and pushes her forward slightly to present her to the group. "As you can see Haze here is a teleporter."

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know you guys," Alicia says genuinely. Like she had said to Mystique some time back she missed hanging out with people her own age. Not that Gambit wasn't great because he was and boy what a kisser. Just thinking on the kiss they shared at Christmas still gave her goosebumps.

Alicia steps up to each one in turn and greets them individually having learned everything she could about them beforehand. Like Mystique had been teaching her. Knowing as much as you could about both your allies as well as your enemies was vital if you expected to survive. "Lance...Todd...Fred...and you would be Pietro," she says greeting Quicksilver. She knew he was Magneto's son and seeing him in the flesh for the first time she could see a few features he shared with his father.

Pietro preens and runs his hand through his hair to smooth it out. Tabby had shot him down flat but now he had a new girl to work that charm of his on. "You know it baby," he says in a flirtatious tone.

Alicia has spent enough time around Gambit to know flirting when she sees it especially when it is much much cruder than Gambit would ever dream of using. However for her plan to work Alicia can't let herself be distracted by any other guys. She moves on to the only girl of the Brotherhood. "And you would be Tabby."

"Yes!" Tabby yells triumphantly pumping the air. "At last. Another girl!" Tabby pulls Alicia into a huge hug. She then steps round to Alicia's side keeping her arm across Alicia's shoulders smiling. One thing she has missed since leaving the Institute was hanging around with other girls. "Oh man I have to show you the sights. First no trip to Bayville is complete without a visit to the mall."

Alicia smiles. This is what she has been missing. This is what her parents forced her to miss but she doesn't want to darken this moment with thoughts about them.

"So you want to come room with me?" Tabby asks Alicia.

Alicia turns to Mystique. "Can I?" she asks hopefully. She has never roomed with anyone either. She had her own rooms at Magneto's bases and she so wants to catch up on everything she has missed.

Mystique gives her approval with a nod. She didn't doubt Alicia's commitment and perhaps if Boom Boom forms a bond with her then it might cement Tabitha's loyalties. She watches Tabitha lead Alicia off upstairs. This was the start of a plan Alicia had concocted and Mystique had helped refine. A plan to get Clark Kent on their side. Mystique was still a little angry at the boy for exposing her but she could put that aside for a greater good. There was what Irene said about the boy for one thing and another was if Clark Kent was here instead of the Institute then that would allow her to carry out that plan to infiltrate it later so Mystique would put her anger aside and concentrate on the plan.

* * *

Everyone who is back and it is not that many really gather in the control room to watch Clark get run through his paces again. Truth was that there was really nothing better to do. The doors slide open and in walks Clark. Walks in in the red and blue costume his mother made for him. Kitty's first reaction is to let out a whistle of approval.

Logan's first reaction is to scowl. "Where did he get that?"

"I made it for him," Martha says proudly. She then folds her arms across her chest and looks at Logan sternly. "Unless you have a problem with that," she dares him to say.

Now Logan is not afraid of anyone but he had seen that look before. The one Martha is giving him. He had seen it from Clark when he sets his mind hard to something. Now Logan knows where the kid got it from. Logan makes a mental note not to piss off Martha any time soon.

Satisfied by Logan's lack of response Martha turns her attention back to her son. She shakes her head slowly. She can't help but think it is missing something on the front, on the chest but she just doesn't know what.

"That's your boyfriend," Kitty whispers to Rogue still in a little bit of awe at just how stupendous Clark looks.

Rogue smiles. "Ah know."

As before Hank instructs Clark to start off a normal jog and work his way up to his maximum. Clark does so as he soon accelerates to the point his form dissolves into a red and blue blur. He passes a hundred easily. 200 soon follows and the numbers keep spiralling upward. 225...250...275...300...325...326...327...326...327.

"Is that his maximum?" Jean asks with the same academic interest she had shown the first time they did this.

"Seems to be," Hank reports. "Impressive. In 3 months his speed has increased by over 50%."

Impressive is a word Charles would use as well. It begs the question though whether this increase will continue at a steady rate or whether this is a surge and it will now plateau off.

Kitty watches on. So she was off about the timing after all but was right about Clark being faster.

"Do you zhink zhe same is true of his strength?" Kurt asks the question that has popped into his head.

"Only one way to be certain," Hank says as he speaks over the PA and brings Clark to a stop. Like last time Clark steps over to where part of the roof drop down on hydraulic pumps. Since they did this last Hank had increased the maximum force it was capable of generating.

Hank soon has the force up to 800tons. Clark's maximum last time was 894. Unlike last time there are no signs of strain on his face as Hank increases the weight. "That's 900," he informs everyone which means Clark has beaten his old record.

It is not until the weight is approaching 1300tons that Clark shows any signs of strain. When Logan calls it a day this time the reading has stopped at 1362tons. Just over a 50% increase, similar to his speed.

Kitty speaks up. "Ok I like have a question. How have Clark's powers increased?"

That is a very good question and not one Hank has an answer for. 3 months on and Clark's physiology in many, many ways was still a complete and utter mystery. As he said at the time to Charles Hank believes he could quite possibly spend a lifetime trying to get to the bottom of how Clark's body works.

During all this Scott has watched on in silence. All this has just given him more info on which to make his decision about whether Clark joins the X-Men or not. He hasn't made a decision yet. He requires more time to think on it.

* * *

Clark finds himself in his room that night looking out of his window. Like he said earlier to his parents it seems it is never going to stop. He looks down at his hands. Is this his future? Will he continually just get more and more powerful? Will he pass a point where he can no longer control it? Where he can never risk touching anyone? Will he end up having to live alone in the wilderness or something?

"Ya really are trying ta compete with meh for tha dark brooding one aren't ya?"

Clark's lips curve upward. He can't stop them whenever she is around lately. He turns round to face her. "I guess I should apologise," he says to her. "I know I haven't been very good company tonight."

Rogue steps into the room. She could tell that what had happened earlier had been bothering him. She herself was actually kind of amazed that anyone could possess the kind of power Clark does and the fact that he seems to be getting more powerful yet at the same time he was also perhaps the kindest, gentlest person she knew.

"So what it is that has ya so worried?" she asks him.

"The same thing as always," he replies. "That someone I care about will end up hurt."

"Ok now this ya have ta stop," she tells him bluntly. "Ya haven't hurt anyone Clark. Ya are not goin' ta hurt anyone. Ya need ta stop beating yourself up over things ya haven't done."

"But I like beating myself up," he jokes rather lamely.

Rogue shakes her head. Clark always seems to like to find humour in things. It shows why in reality she is the only real brooding one in this relationship.

Clark steps forward and pulls Rogue into a hug. "I am sorry," he says if he has been ignoring her tonight. He has to stop doing that...doing this. It was his habit back in Smallville especially when he was moping over Lana. To retreat to his sanctuary where he could brood by himself but Rogue deserves so much better than that. He has to wonder why she puts up with it and what he did to deserve someone as wonderful as her.

Rogue closes her eyes and lets out a little contented sigh as her head rests on Clark's chest. It amazes her how readily he is willing to put his arms around her or hold her hand without showing any fear of what would happen if he was to accidentally touch her skin. Almost everyone else who knows about her powers, even her friends, she can always feel them tense slightly in preparation to pull back but she never feels that with Clark. She has to wonder exactly what it is she did to deserve someone like him.

"Thank you for putting up with me," Clark says softly.

"You're welcome," Rogue says and then adds affectionately for the very first time, "sugah."

* * *

"Well?" Lionel asks hoping he hasn't be called here for nothing and wasted his time.

Dr Essex stands proudly next to his now finished machine; his genetic stabiliser and potentially so much more. "I just finished the diagnostics. It is working within expected parameters. We are ready to begin testing."

"Excellent," Lionel says in praise. "And just in time."

"Time for what?" Dr Essex inquires.

"Follow me," Lionel requests of him.

Dr Essex does so as they head to the elevator and eventually they reach Lionel's office. By now the sun has set and it is dark outside. Lionel goes over to his drinks cabinet and pours himself and Essex a drink each.

"You remember my mentioning of how I was investigating past projects involving people with abilities?" he asks Essex as he hands over a glass to the doctor.

"Of course," Essex says easily. "You wished to find someone with experience of handling mutants."

Lionel nods. "Indeed."

"You never said why," Essex points out.

"There is an old adage about fighting fire with fire. There are seemingly two groups of mutants in this town," he says from what he knows. "Two potentially well trained groups and the only chance I have of taking them down is to create my own elite group of mutants. Once captured I am certain that these mutants will be able to expedite your research, yes?"

It goes without saying that the more mutants he can study the quicker he can make potential breakthroughs. Of course Essex knows in reality who these groups are. There are two mutants at Xavier's in particular he would love to have in his control but Lionel doesn't have any clue that Essex knows so he'll continue to play along feigning ignorance for now.

Lionel continues. "That is why I wanted someone with experience. I need someone who knows how to...whip this elite team into shape."

"And since you brought me up here I am assuming you found this someone."

Lionel smiles slightly. "Indeed," he confirms. In fact Lionel found him faster than he thought possible. There is a knock at the door. "Come in," Lionel tells the person.

The door opens and Essex observes as a middle aged man with a beard and dressed in military fatigues enters the room. Lionel makes the introductions. "Dr Nathaniel Essex. I would like you to meet Colonel William Stryker."

* * *

_Author's Note: I'm thinking more along the lines of Stryker from X2 if that helps you imagine him any better. Love Brian Cox, my fellow Dundonian. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Back to school where everyone finds out about the Brotherhood's newest member._


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Over the course of the next few days everyone returned from their holidays and all too soon it was time to head back to school.

Clark is having breakfast when Kitty walks into the kitchen humming happily to herself. "What are so happy about?" he asks her.

"It's the first day of school," Kitty replies happily.

Clark just looks at her strangely along with a few of the other students who are probably having the same thought he is. Clark doesn't hate school. Not at all but he certainly doesn't hum happily to himself about returning to it either. Especially since that means putting up with Duncan Matthews. The guy is just lucky that Clark is so nice. A less nice Clark would have dealt with him very differently.

School pretty much falls back into its routine as if they were never away. Clark is just having lunch with Scott and Kurt along with Rogue who he is sitting next to when Kitty comes up to them with news. Apparently the Brotherhood have a new member.

"How do you know?" Scott asks her.

"Lance told me," is Kitty's reply.

"Ah thought ya two had a fallin out," Rogue says.

"We did," Kitty says and the pain of it can still be heard in her voice a little bit. "But we like talked by phone over the holidays and he apologised."

Scott snorts rudely. "Alvers? Apologise? I'm sorry Kitty but I am not buying that."

"I keep telling you Scott Lance isn't so bad," Kitty says in Lance's defence.

Clark keeps his mouth shut. He hopes Kitty is right yet he can't help but feel that maybe she is letting her feelings blind her a little. If Lance wasn't so bad then why isn't he at the Institute.

Kurt moves the subject on. "So like who is zhis new guy?"

"Well first off it's a girl," Kitty informs them. "Oh look there she is," Kitty says pointing at the blonde haired girl as she walks in. Lance had pointed her out to Kitty earlier.

Clark drags his eyes to where Kitty is pointing. As soon as he sees her an image flashes in his head of a 13 year old blond girl who use to sit in the corner in his class.

"Lance says her name is..."

"Alicia Baker," Clark interrupts Kitty.

"Um yeah," Kitty says taken a little off-guard. "Like how did you know that?"

Clark doesn't answer that. He gets to his feet instead. "Excuse me," he says to his friends as he makes his way across the hall towards Alicia. He has so many questions. "Hi...um...Alicia," he says somewhat awkwardly to her. "I don't know if you remember me but we were in the same class together in Smallville. Clark Kent?"

Alicia has to fight off the smile at how quickly Clark has come to see her and feigns surprise instead. "Oh my gosh! Clark Kent! What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here. I live at the Xavier Institute now."

Alicia continues to feign surprise. "Really? Does that mean you are a...you know what?"

Clark nods knowing she means mutant but obviously he isn't about to tell her he is an alien. "And you are as well?" he queries.

"Yep."

"Alicia I have to ask about what happened to you? Your parents. They were killed."

Alicia now has to feign being really upset by that when in reality she isn't. Good riddance to her parents as fas she is really concerned. "I really don't think this is the place to talk about that but can we meet up after school?" she requests of Clark.

"Um...sure. If you want."

Alicia smiles at him. "Ok. I'll see you then." Clark then turns around to head back to his friends but Alicia stops him. "Oh and Clark. It is really nice to see you again."

"Um yeah you too," Clark says back because it is the only thing he can think of to say.

Alicia watches Clark head back to the table with what she knew were all those other mutants from Xavier's. Well he wouldn't be sitting with them for much longer if she had anything to do about it. This was the start of phase 1 of her plan. Get Clark to trust her, lower his guard and, if she can manage it, put a wedge between him and his friends while she is at it. Then she will move onto phase 2.

As Clark sits back down Kitty asks him "Like what was that about?"

"And how did ya know who she was?" Rogue adds having never gotten the answer as to how Clark knew this girl's name.

"She used to be in my class in Smallville," Clark explains. He then further goes on to explain that after Scott, Jean, Logan and the Professor left Smallville Alicia disappeared and that her parents were killed. "I thought that maybe Magneto might have had something to do with it but I had no proof," Clark goes on to tell his friends.

"And now she suddenly shows up as part of the Brotherhood," Scott says jumping onto Clark's logic. That maybe Magneto did have something to do with it and that her being here is not a mere coincidence.

"In either case wouldn't it be better for me to meet up with her and see what I can learn," Clark puts forward. Like where she has been for the last 3 months. Once upon a time Clark wouldn't have been as suspicious. He completely blames Chloe for adding this suspicious streak to his nature.

Scott could not argue with that. If they could learn something useful about what Magneto is up to all the better. If it was just a coincidence then at least they would know.

* * *

After school Clark waits at the gate. It doesn't take long until he spots Alicia. The others had already gone. They had all agreed that the Professor needed to know and to see what they could find out.

Alicia greets him with a huge smile. "Hey Clark."

"Hi Alicia."

The two of them walk side by side as they head away from the school. They chat about how their respective days were until the crowds thin out and they can speak without being overheard.

"So I guess you want to know what happened to my parents," Alicia assumes.

"I don't mean to pry. It was just they were killed and you vanished and I looked everywhere for you and I couldn't find you."

"You looked for me?" Alicia says with genuine surprise. She didn't think that Clark knew she existed. He never hung out with her. He always hanged out with Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan.

"Look I know we never talked all that much but I do remember you and I did always wonder what happened to you when your parents took you out of school."

"I became a mutant. That is what happened to me...and...and my parents freaked. Totally freaked and they were afraid to let me out in case..."

"In case you did something...abnormal," Clark fills in. He knows his parents worried about that. Hell he worried about doing that.

Alicia nods. "I mean I don't blame them," she completely fibs because she does. She tries to mix in some truth next because as Mystique said a lie is always more believable if you mix some truth in. "I mean yeah I was angry at them. I know I changed but I was still their daughter wasn't I."

"Yes. You were still their daughter."

They remain silent for a few moments as they walk past a couple of people.

"Can I ask what happened the night you vanished?" Clark gently inquires. "I mean if it too difficult you don't have to," he adds thinking it might be hard for her to relive her parents' deaths.

Alicia schools her features to make it look like it is painful for her. All part of the show and another thing Mystique had been helping her practice since she moved in with the Brotherhood. "Something broke into our home."

"What?"

Alicia shakes her head. "I don't know. An animal of some kind. It was mutated. I guess by the meteor rocks," she says starting the story she had concocted and that Mystique helped her refine. She then asks "Um you know the truth about them right?" just in case he doesn't. "Know what they can do."

"I know," Clark assures her.

"Well like I said it was mutated. I don't know what it was originally. When you are trying to fight it off that isn't your number one concern."

"I understand."

"So it killed my parents and it was about to kill me when I was saved."

"By whom?"

"By Magneto."

So he was still in town that confirms for Clark.

Alicia continues. "After he saved me he took me away to safety and treated my injuries."

"You've been with Magneto these last 3 months?"

Alicia nods. "Yes and look before you say anything else he told me that he and Professor Xavier don't exactly see eye to eye but you have to understand this from my perspective Clark. He saved me. I owe him."

"Alicia do you know what his intentions are?" Clark asks her bluntly.

"To protect mutantkind from a world that hates and fears us."

"By starting a war that will potentially kill millions."

"Look Clark I am not saying I agree 100% with his ideals here. I don't if you want the truth." Which is kind of an ironic thing to say when you're lying through your teeth.

"You don't?" Clark asks her to confirm.

"Look at me Clark. Do I look like a soldier to you?"

Clark takes a moment to look at her. No she doesn't look like a soldier. She looks like a 16 year old girl and a fairly attractive one at that.

"I don't want to fight or kill anyone Clark. I just want to live my life. Ever since I recovered from my injuries I've been begging Magneto to let me come and stay with the Brotherhood. I missed hanging out with people my own age. I missed talking to them like you and I are doing right now. Magneto only agreed a couple of weeks back over the holidays. I think even the Christmas spirit managed to reach him and here I am." Again a mixture of truth and lies Alicia hopes Clark will believe.

Yes. Here she is. "Alicia if you don't really agree with Magneto you could come live at the Institute," Clark makes the offer.

Alicia bites her lower lip. Ok she and Mystique practised this one because Mystique knew that the offer would be made. Alicia can't accept it because that would mean living in a place with 2 telepaths who might pick up a stray thought and expose all her lies. "I don't know Clark," she says with great uncertainty. "Like I said before I do owe Magneto. It just wouldn't feel right jumping ship after everything he did for me."

"Alicia staying with someone out of obligation is not the way to live your life. It has to be because it is something you truly believe in."

"Do you believe in Xavier's dream?" Alicia asks him back.

"Peaceful co-existence is the only answer," Clark tells her and he does believe that. "Violence only begets more violence." It was his father who taught Clark that one.

Alicia sighs and runs her hand through her hair. She was hoping for more doubt than that in his answer. Never mind she still has an ace up her sleeve for later when she gains his trust. "Clark we only just met up again and I don't want to argue with you so can we stow this for another day. I would like time to think on what you said."

"Sure," Clark tells her. After all even he isn't that optimistic to think he can convert someone after only one conversation. "If you ever consider it Alicia just come to the Institute and speak to the Professor. There will be no obligation on you beyond hearing him out."

"We'll see," she says giving no commitment. "Like I said Clark. I'll think on it." She then checks the time. "I hate to make this reunion so short," she says with genuine regret because Clark was even better looking than she remembered. It had been 3 years after all and he was slightly on the skinny side back then but he has really filled out and Alicia means **really **filled out. "I have a training session," she informs him.

"You get those too?" Clark asks slightly puzzled because from the stories he heard it didn't seem the Brotherhood did those.

"Yep."

"Do you want me to run you back?" Clark offers so she doesn't have to walk through town.

"Oh yeah. The others mentioned you were fast. Are you faster than Pietro?"

"Don't know. He keeps challenging me to races but I turn him down."

"Why?"

"Because it is all about massaging his ego. That's no reason to race."

Alicia chuckles at that. "Yeah he does have quite a large one of those." It had only taken her about an hour of living with him to wonder how they all fitted into the same house as Pietro's ego.

"So do you want a lift?" Clark asks her again.

"No. Thanks. I'll manage on my own but before I go can I ask you one thing?"

"Ok."

"The others mentioned that you have an whole array of powers. Isn't that unusual for us?" Us being mutants.

"I'm unique," is the answer Clark gives.

Alicia can see he isn't going to be more forthcoming about that right now. "Well I should go but see you tomorrow?"

Clark nods as he pushes his glasses up his nose. "Yes unless you plan to go another school."

Alicia smiles at the humour in his voice. "Nope."

"How are you getting back?" Clark asks her.

"My mutant power," she replies simply. "I'm a teleporter and I can move myself anywhere instantly which is useful right now. Mystique gets really steamed if we're late. Bye Clark. See you tomorrow." Alicia then vanishes in a green mist.

After she is gone Clark utters one word. "Mystique?" He better get back and tell the others about this. He quickly checks no-one is around and blurs off home at superspeed.

* * *

Back at the Institute Scott, Rogue, Kitty and Kurt are in the Professor's office telling him all about what transpired today involving Alicia and Clark's suspicions.

"Well thank you for bringing this to my attention," he says to them all. He could understand Clark's suspicions. Alicia vanishes and her parents are killed the day after the confrontation with Magneto on the Kent farm. It was too much of a coincidence but when Clark returned they would have more information on which to judge their next actions.

Just then there is a knock on the door and since Charles can only sense the mind and not read it he knows it can only be one person. "Come in Clark!"

Clark opens the door with a slight frown. It was weird and a little creepy when the Professor did that. He walks into the room and stands next to his friends who he is guessing had just finished catching the Professor up.

"So Clark what did you learn?" Charles asks him.

"One moment Professor," Clark requests as he turns his attention to Kitty. "Kitty when you were talking to Lance did he mention anything about someone else being with the Brotherhood?"

"No," Kitty replies. "Why?"

"Something Alicia said to me," Clark says vaguely.

"Please feel free to enlighten us Clark," Charles tells him.

Clark hesitates for a second because he knows how much this is going to affect Kurt and Rogue in particular. "She said that Mystique is back living with them."

"What!" Rogue yells out, her anger boiling over.

Kurt looks at Kitty with a hurt expression.

"I swear Kurt. I didn't know. Lance never said anything to me about Mystique. You know I would tell you if I had known," Kitty says.

Kurt looks into Kitty's honest sincere expression and nods sadly. "Ja. I know."

Kitty is now the one who is feeling a little hurt. She and Lance...she thought that maybe they could move past last year's unpleasantness and now she finds out he has been keeping that secret from her.

"What else did Alicia say?" Scott asks pushing aside the personal issues revolving around Mystique for the moment. Although honestly they shouldn't be all that surprised that Mystique ended up back with the Brotherhood.

Clark relays the entire conversation from beginning to end to his friends.

"Do you think she was telling the truth?" Scott asks Clark.

"I don't think she was telling the whole truth," Clark chooses to say.

"What makes you think that Clark?" Charles asks him.

"When she was talking her heart rate would increase periodically. I'm no expert on the matter but I did read somewhere that when people lie their heart speeds up but I couldn't tell you which parts were lies and which parts were the truth."

Clark is correct Charles knows. When people lie there are certain physiological reactions. It is what a polygraph detects.

"What's her power?" Rogue asks seeing as to how they hadn't gotten to that yet.

"She's a teleporter."

"Is that what she told ya?"

"It is what she showed me. It was how she got home."

"She used her powers?" Charles asks Clark sounding slightly perplexed.

"Yes."

"What is it Professor?" Scott asks at the Professor's tone.

"Cerebro did not detect any use of mutant powers in the last few minutes."

They all thought on that for a second. The answer soon strikes Clark. "She is from Smallville. She must be meteor infected." Clark knew that green colour of the mist Alicia vanished in was familiar.

"Of course," Charles says realising the obvious.

"Vhat difference does zhat make?" Kurt asks. Clark had told them all stories about the meteor mutants of Smallville. Apart from the tendency of psychosis they sounded a lot like x-gene mutants.

"When I created Cerebro I based it off my knowledge of the x-gene so it would hone in on those particular brainwave patterns. I never foresaw the effects of the meteor shower that hit Smallville or that it would create mutants whose brainwaves are different and that currently I don't know how to detect," Charles tells them. "However..."

"However?" Kitty is the one to ask.

"Now that we can be certain of the location of one of the meteor mutants I can focus Cerebro on that one precise location and try to make adjustments to see if I can make it possible for Cerebro to detect Miss Baker. Perhaps this can be the key for determining how to detect all of the meteor mutants." Charles had been trying to think of a solution to this problem of how to detect the meteor mutants for awhile. The best scenario would have to been to have a meteor mutant here at the Institute but knowing for certain where one is within Bayville is almost as good.

"Meanwhile what do we do about Alicia?" Scott queries from the Professor.

The Professor leans back in his chair as he ponders the issue. "She has perhaps indicated that she is not entirely enamoured with Magneto's agenda."

"Or she could be lyin'," Rogue bluntly points out.

Charles nods in concession of that point. "In either case she seems willing to speak to you Clark, most likely due to the fact you both come from Smallville, so I propose that you befriend her. If the possibility exists that she is open to joining us we cannot let that opportunity go to waste."

Clark nods. He can't argue with anything the Professor has said and for once he would like to be able to help one of those changed by the meteors. He still feels guilty for them becoming what they are and while helping one won't make that go away it is at least something so if befriending Alicia is what he has to do then befriend her he will.

* * *

That evening in the office of Lionel Luthor the man himself is currently getting a very informative lecture from the new head of his Mutant Response Division Colonel William Stryker. Lionel had allowed the Colonel a few days to settle into his new role first, assess the facilities and decide on whatever improvements he wished.

Right now the Colonel is just finishing off his lecture of what he dubbed the x-gene. An extra gene present in a small percentage of the population that was the reason behind people with abilities.

"Once I learned of this gene I saw the potential in it for both good and evil and so I became part of a group whose job it was to recruit mutants and train them to fight against those that would use their powers to threaten the innocent and the security of this country," Stryker explains as to why he chose to get into this line of work.

"Ah yes. That was Project...Weapon X I believed you called it," Lionel says from many files Stryker had provided for him to read.

"Indeed," Stryker confirms for him.

Lionel turns to the man who is sitting next to him. "Dr Essex," he prompts the man.

Dr Essex gets to his feet and activates a slide projector. Up on a screen that has been erected on the wall are images of two double helix strands of DNA. He stands next to the images, pointer in hand. "The information Colonel Stryker supplied clarifies what I found in a couple of our test subjects," Essex informs the other two men. He points at the image on the left. "This is Mr Dean's DNA and here is the x-gene," Essex says pointing at it directly.

"What about the meteor infected?" Lionel inquires.

Essex points at the image on the right. "This strand was taken from one of the meteor infected."

Stryker knew of the meteor infected from what Luthor had given him. He himself was a military scientist to put it simply and he did find it from a scientific point of view fascinating. He then spots something about one of the base pairs on the image Essex is pointing at. "Why is one of the base pairs green?"

"It is the meteor rock. It has bonded itself to the one particular gene, altering it and essentially transforming it into a version of your x-gene." Essex of course knew all about the x-gene. He just doesn't want Lionel and Stryker to know that he knows. Otherwise it might be difficult to explain why he kept that information to himself for so long.

That raises an interesting question. "What would happen to someone who already possesses the x-gene if they became infected by the meteor rock?" Stryker asks.

Essex smiles broadly. "I was hoping you would ask that." Essex shifts the slides to another one of another DNA strand. "We can thank the electrifying Miss Willis for the answer because from my study of the DNA sample we managed to get from her before her escape I have been able to determine she possessed the x-gene and here it is," he says pointing at it on the screen only is it now covered in tiny green particles.

"The meteor rock bonded to the x-gene," Stryker observes.

"Oh yes and that explains her transformation. The meteor rock once bonded to the x-gene transformed her, mutated her, enhanced her, evolved her to a level the x-gene alone could never have done," Essex explains with pure unadulterated excitement as his mind works through the potentially limitless possibilities.

Lionel tries to summarise this. "So are you saying your device can take someone who is already a mutant and make them more powerful."

"That is precisely what I am saying."

"It was not meant to do that," Lionel points out.

"Actually in a way it was. You wanted me to stabilise the meteor mutants. My machine does that by essentially enhancing the positive and negating the negative aspects of their mutations. With Miss Willis it enhanced her in a completely uncontrolled manner due to the fact she accidentally activated my machine before it was finished. I would need to conduct tests to see if I could repeat it under controlled conditions."

"Well we do have Mr Dean in our possession" Lionel says.

Essex grins with anticipation. "Why indeed we do."

"You are going to enhance him?" Stryker queries sounding sceptical.

"Eventually but first I want to know your picks for the elite squad from the mutants we have in our possession." Those in Belle Reve and at a few other locations Lionel had been storing those mutant they had captured or had created in earlier experiments. "The quicker we start, the quicker Dr Essex can stabilise them and the quicker you can begin their training," Lionel argues.

"It will be a small 5 person team to start with. That works best when you are starting from scratch. Once their training is complete then we can increase its size," Stryker explains his thinking and his plans.

Lionel nods in agreement. "Yes. Yes. Whatever it takes Colonel. Whatever money and equipment you need. Just get it done."

Stryker is not going to turn down an offer like that. When Weapon X was destroyed he found himself and his ideas outcast from mainstream government funding. They don't look favourably on those that cost them billions of dollars only for it to fail spectacularly. Since then he has been struggling on as best he could. Scraping together money wherever he could get it to try and preserve what he could. Not easy especially since Wolverine destroyed that Weapon X facility last year and seemingly his former colleague with it.

He had his own facility still and with Lionel's money he had plans to re-equip it, modernise it, get it ready for what is to come. He has plans to rebuild many things that have been lost to him. Lionel's Mutant Response Division is actually a good concept and once he whips it into shape it will be good in practice as well. Led by a new team of mutants that he will train. Lionel had said about the adage fighting fire with fire and it is a phrase Stryker agrees with wholeheartedly.

Wolverine, Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, all the rest of them...they have no idea what is coming or more correctly what he and those like him are about to bring down upon their heads. It will be a Day of Reckoning.

* * *

_Author's Note: So Alicia makes her appearance in Bayville and she will be causing all sorts of mayhem soon. The last bit was my attempt to explain how the meteor rocks mutate people by altering a gene to make it an equivalent of the x-gene. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Rogue was not happy. Not in the least. At first she understood that it was about getting information, trying to weed out the lies from the truth but as it had gone on she was certain it was changing. As she watches her boyfriend sitting at another table sharing a joke with the pretty blond girl she knows for a fact it is changing.

It had been two weeks since it was decided that Clark was to try and befriend Alicia and it seems to be going well. Too well. Lately he seems to spend more time with Alicia than he does with his own girlfriend.

To make matters worse there is that damn annoying voice in Rogue's head that always reminds her of her insecurities. Right now it is saying 'What did you expect. That a guy like Clark would hang around with someone like you. Someone who isn't all that pretty and someone he can never touch'.

Rogue tries to ignore it. She really does but she can't help but think that some of what it is saying is true.

Completely oblivious to all this, to what thoughts are passing through his girlfriend's mind Clark finishes laughing at the joke he was sharing with Alicia. They were reminiscing on this teacher they use to have called Mrs Grimsdale or Mrs Grim as they all jokily called her. The name fitted because she was...grim. The way she looked, the way she dressed, the way she sounded when she spoke, it was all...grim.

Clark had to say having Alicia around and being his friend was almost making him nostalgic for Smallville before all the weirdness really started. It was only really a couple of years back that the meteor infected really started showing up. Oh sure they had been the odd story now and then but Clark had dismissed them as stories so up until those few years back his life in Smallville had been pretty normal.

Normal meant helping his parents on the farm, hanging out with his friends, going to school. Now he will admit back then he would not have really said Alicia was his friend. They didn't hang out. He talked to her now and again sure but not really friends and in a way he is glad to have a chance to rectify that.

Now Clark has not forgotten that Alicia comes with many unanswered questions. Questions that still have no answer but he isn't going to get answers by treating her as the enemy. Besides what if she was telling the truth about not being all that enamoured with Magneto's agenda. Surely it is in everyone's benefit if he befriends her and persuades her to come to the institute.

Alicia glances out of the corner of her eye as Clark digs into his lunch. She had to admit this was going better than she dreamed and...well speaking of dreams since she and Clark have become friends she has had a few interesting ones involving him and her and a distinct lack of clothing. She had never had dreams like that before. No doubt due to the fact her parents locked her up away from contact with boys. It has left Alicia craving to know what it would feel like to simply have Clark kiss her.

Alicia isn't sure if it is unusual or not to have feelings like this spring up in only a couple of weeks. Maybe she could ask Tabby. Tabby and her have become friends and Tabby has probably had more experience of these kind of feelings than Alicia has.

Putting that aside to later it hasn't escaped Alicia's attention the glares she has been getting from the girl called Rogue. When discussing it with Mystique Alicia had found the blue shape-shifting mutant would slip into 3rd person descriptions, like she was trying to keep anything revolving around Rogue as impersonal as possible. The gist of what Mystique would say is that those looks were a good sign. It meant that she was succeeding in driving a wedge between Clark and his friends. Alicia herself couldn't be sure but she trusted Mystique's judgement.

When school came to an end that day Clark jogged past everyone trying to catch up with Rogue. "Rogue. Wait up!" he shouts after her.

Rogue continues walking at the same pace like she never heard him.

Clark catches her up. "Rogue?" he queries because she had to have heard him and even now she isn't looking at him.

"Ah'm surprised ya can remember mah nahme," she mutters angrily.

Clark was even more confused now. "What?"

"Nothing," Rogue almost spits out.

"Rogue have I done something to upset you?"

"Lahke ya don't know!"

"Um I don't. Telepathy isn't one of my abilities."

"Don't even try ta be cute!"

"I'm not!" Clark says in his defence. "Rogue if I've done something wrong just tell me."

"Oh ah don't know. How about spending more tahme with tha enemy than with your own girlfriend."

Clark's brow knits together. "Are you talking about Alicia?"

"No. Ah'm talkin about tha other blond girl ya hang out with," she says sarcastically.

"Rogue...are you jealous?"

Rogue snorts. "In your dreams Space Boy!"

"Rogue you can't possibly think..." a glare out of the corner of Rogue's eye confirms that is exactly what she thinks. "Oh come on Rogue. You know me better than that. I'm just being friendly to her. You know reaching out in case she wants to join the institute."

"And that is an excuse for spending more tahme with her than ya do with meh," Rogue says pouring utter scorn on Clark's excuses as she sees them.

"I do not spend more time with Alicia than I do with you." Well he doesn't think he does.

"And ya wonder why ah have difficulty believing ya when ya say stuff ya know is a lie. What do ya and her really get up ta when ya hang out together and no-one is watching ya huh?" A slightly more rational Rogue would probably have more trust in him but her insecurities are just really acting up.

Clark has no idea what has gotten into Rogue. "First off I don't lie to you."

Rogue snorts. "Ya have before," she reminds him at the fact he lied about what he was upon his arrival at the institute.

"And I apologised for that," Clark reminds her. "And if I remember correctly, which by the way I do since I have a photographic memory, you said you understood."

Rogue says nothing in response to that as the two of them continue to walk along oblivious to anyone who may or may not be overhearing this little spat.

"Second," Clark says getting back on rebutting her accusations. "Alicia and I hang out. You know hang out. Do stuff together as friends, emphasis on the friends."

Ok that's it. Rogue stops and turns to face him with her hands on her hips and her face dark with suppressed rage. "Don't talk down ta meh," she warns him in what she thinks he was doing.

Clark stops and looks back at Rogue. "I'm not but I am not about to stand here and be accused of doing things I haven't done. It is not my fault you are riddled with insecurities." The words are out of Clark's mouth before he can take them back and he instantly regrets saying them.

Rogue's eye twitches in that way it only does when she is really, really pissed. "Ya know people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones," she says, her voice now taking on a low and dangerous tone.

"What?"

"Do ya want meh ta list your insecurities Clark because ya have plenty. The difference between ya and meh though is that ah don't resort to drugging mahself up on red stones." Rogue's anger had gone past the point of no return and she is saying stuff her more rational side knows she is going to regret later.

Clark's eyes actually flash red for a second. He cannot believe she brought that up. She knew how ashamed he was of his actions yet she brings it up anyway.

Rogue will admit it was actually a little scary when Clark's eyes flashed but she is too angry and has gone too far to back down now.

The two of them stand there glaring at the other. What they hadn't noticed is who had been watching them argue with each other. Most of the students from the institute are watching on. Jean takes a step forward. "That's enough," she tells Clark and Rogue sternly. If this continued much longer Jean was half afraid they would say something incriminating in public about their powers or something.

Scott steps forward in support. "Jean's right. You two want to argue you do it at the institute."

Clark fixes Scott a glare. He tends to be a laid back guy so most people don't think he has a temper but he does. Clark just learned to control it because he had to due to how strong he was. If he lashed out he could easily kill someone. "I'm done talking to her anyway." Clark turns on his heel and stomps off rapidly.

"Kurt could you...?" Scott requests of him.

Kurt nods and runs after Clark to make sure his friend doesn't do something foolish.

Kitty takes a cautious step towards Rogue. "Rogue?" she queries with a little trepidation.

Rogue fixes a glare, not at Kitty, but at Scott and Jean. "Next tahme stay out of things that don't concern ya," she bluntly tells them before she too stomps off with Kitty in pursuit like Kurt to make sure Rogue doesn't do anything foolish.

* * *

"Clark!" Kurt call after his friend before Clark finds an opportunity to slip into superspeed.

Clark manages to catch Kurt in the corner of his eye running to catch up with him. "I don't want to hear it Kurt," Clark warns him off thinking that Kurt is going to tell him off or something.

"Vell I zhink you need to hear it," Kurt says back as he catches up with Clark.

"Did you hear what she accused me of?" Clark says incredulous, barely able to believe that Rogue seemed to think so little of him even after all the time they have spent together.

"Ja. I heard."

"I wouldn't cheat on her! You know me Kurt. I wouldn't do that."

"She never actually said that," Kurt points out.

"Stop splitting hairs Kurt," Clark says scathingly. "She may never have said the words but that is what she accused me of."

"Vell you have been spending a lot of time vith Alicia lately," Kurt feels he needs to point out.

"Great. Take her side why don't you...and I have not been spending that much time with Alicia!" Clark hasn't actually bothered to work out exactly how much time he has been spending with Alicia and right now he is too angry to even attempt it so he is simply sticking to his automatic response. Clark stops walking and looks at Kurt. "Now look did or did not the Professor say I should befriend Alicia?"

"Ja he did."

"Then what the hell is everyone's problem?" he asks rhetorically.

"No-one said it should be at zhe expense of time you spend vith Rogue."

"It hasn't been!" Clark argues still sticking to his defence.

"Clark as your friend I hate to say zhis but it has."

"It has not!" Clark snaps back. He is just too worked up to admit he may be wrong if he is.

Kurt opens his mouth to argue but Clark cuts him off. "Alright. Enough. I can see you are on her side. Fine. So be it," Clark says in a huff and takes an opportunity of no-one around to vanish off in his usual gust of wind.

Kurt shakes his head and looks skyward. "Allmächtige Gott. Gib mir Kraft," he mutters in prayer in his native German which translates to 'Almighty God. Give me strength'.

* * *

"Ah don't want ta hear it Kitty," Rogue snaps at her friend as Kitty catches Rogue up.

"What? That I like totally agree with you."

Rogue's temper simmers off its boil at hearing that. "Ah thought he was different ya know. That we had something."

"Rogue don't like bite my head off for saying this but you still do and Clark is different. I'm like sure once he has calmed down he will realise that he is in the wrong and apologise."

"Maybe ah don't want to hear his apology. Maybe ah don't want another thing ta do with him."

"Rogue you don't really mean that," Kitty tells her friend.

Well maybe Rogue doesn't. She is just really, really angry at the moment. If Clark does apologise it better be a really grovelling one. That is all Rogue will say.

This whole blow out also has a witness in the shape of Alicia. Once she reaches home that evening she tells Mystique about the whole thing.

Mystique thinks upon what Alicia has said for several minutes. What she needs to do is to really hammer the wedge home. Not that Mystique is enjoying seeing Rogue miserable because even Mystique isn't that heartless but part of the plan is to try and get Clark Kent as separated as possible from his friends when they attempt to place this rock on him which Haze claims will have him joining their side.

An idea strikes Mystique which she tells Haze about.

"Um won't that destroy his trust in me rather than reinforce it," Alicia argues.

"Trust me," Mystique tells her. "I've got it all worked out."

* * *

That night Clark lies in bed unable to sleep. He had been really worked up for hours. Usually his temper would have cooled by now except that everyone seemed to want to put their 2 cents in as advice for him. Most of which boiled down to that he was in the wrong and Rogue was in the right. As he lies there and thinks on it he has to tend to agree. These last couple of weeks...god he hasn't taken Rogue out on one date. Not one.

Clark lets out a loud sigh into the darkness. The best relationship he has ever had and he is screwing it up already. He has to apologise to her. Get on his knees and beg for her forgiveness if he has to. Not right now and probably not for at least a couple of days considering how steamed Rogue was earlier. She hasn't spoken one word to him since their fight.

Clark's attention is caught by the door to his room opening. Clark turns his head to gaze in that direction as Rogue wanders in in her orange and green pjs. "Rogue?"

Clark sits up revealing he is only in shorts tonight as Rogue nears the bed and sits down on its edge. As she does so her top slips up slightly revealing a little of her flat toned stomach. Clark's mouth goes a little dry at the sight.

Rogue starts to speak. "Clark about earlier..."

"I know. I'm sorry. I was a jerk. I never meant to ignore you. I'll do anything to make it up to you."

Rogue then looks at him with an expression Clark would call part mischievous part lustful. "Anything huh?"

Clark nods as a sultry smile creeps onto Rogue's face as she gets onto all fours and crawls her way across the bed and up his body all the time avoiding touching him by the merest fraction of an inch. Close enough though that Clark can feel her body heat. Rogue stops when her face is millimetres from Clark's. "Kiss meh," she asks of him.

"What?" Clark stutters. "Rogue...we can't...your powers...Logan!" The last bit was because Logan made rounds. Clark has heard him walking by and if Logan spots them like this Clark better start running with all the speed he can muster.

Rogue says nothing but takes her bare hand and strokes Clark's exposed stomach. Clark braces himself for what he does not know but after several seconds he notices that nothing has happened. He looks Rogue right in the eye and can see her the lust and desire. "Just relax sugah," she tells him with a deep husky seductive sexy tone as her lips descend upon his own.

The kiss starts off as soft, exploratory. Clark knows they really shouldn't be doing this and also there is something in his head that is telling him that this is wrong somehow. On the other hand he is a 16 year old boy and his hot girlfriend is in his lap in only her pjs. He is soon kissing her back and the kisses progress into hot and heavy ones. Clark even dares to slip his hand up the back of Rogue's shirt and feel the smooth soft skin and in response Rogue moans.

It is then that the security alarm goes off, Clark wakes up from what was a dream to find his lips attached not to Rogue but to...he pulls back a bit to see who it actually is. "Alicia?" Alicia dressed in only a vest top and a pair of pink panties.

Alicia shoots him a smile. As Mystique told her to Alicia teleported herself here so she would be found in bed with Clark. What Alicia found was a shirtless Clark Kent lying in bed. She has never actually seen a half-naked man before and the sight of Clark's defined physique brought almost instant heat flushing around Alicia's body. It didn't really take much internal debating for her to decide to take a chance and fulfil a long held fantasy of locking lips with Clark Kent. Who knew even in his sleep he would respond. Who knew even in his sleep he was a great kisser.

Before Clark can even ask her anything, let alone figure out what in blazes is going on, the inevitable happens when Logan virtually breaks the door down and finds Clark in the compromising position of having a scantily glad girl on top of him. "I can explain," Clark says lamely.

Logan looks at him hard. "Really?" he asks sceptically.

"Um...no." A single thought echoes around in Clark's head. 'I am so dead!'

Logan shifts his gaze to Alicia who has been silent because she has been waiting. Waiting for what has now gathered behind Logan in the form of the other students, Clark's parents and one very shocked and hurt looking Rogue. Perfect. Time to go and before anyone can do something to stop her she vanishes in her haze of green mist leaving Clark all alone and in the lurch.

Clark is soon dragged down to the kitchen for a meeting with his parents and the Professor with Logan standing in the corner. "Look. I don't know how she got there. I was asleep," he says in what is his only defence.

Jonathan and Martha look at him and for once they are having a hard time believing him. Martha strides forward and wipes the evidence in the form of pink lipstick off Clark's lips as to why she is having difficulty believing him.

Charles speaks calmly. "Clark. You have admitted yourself that you have become friends with Alicia have you not?"

"Well yes...but I wouldn't cheat on Rogue like that." He turns to his parents. "You believe me right?" he asks of them. "You know I wouldn't do that."

"Clark I know what I saw son," Jonathan very reluctantly has to say. He wants to trust Clark. He does but there is what he saw.

Clark cannot believe this. "Then you don't believe me. What do you think I did? Tell Alicia to teleport over once everyone was asleep so we could make-out?"

"Did you?" Jonathan asks his son.

"No!" Clark insists vehemently. "Because if I did I would have been smart enough to shut off the alarms first," he points out in something which doesn't actually aid him since it implies he has been thinking of doing that very thing.

"Or perhaps ya were thinking with another part of your body instead of your brains," Logan not so helpfully adds to this conversation as far as Clark is concerned.

Clark shoots Logan a glare for that. He cannot believe this. Didn't they know him better than this. Didn't they know he wouldn't do that to Rogue who by the way he can hear crying her eyes out up in her room because of what she saw. "I don't know what else I can say. I told you everything I know. You either believe me or you don't."

The silence that follows is deafening.

* * *

The next morning is hell to someone with superhearing when you can hear all the gossip and speculation being spoken in whispers.

"Did you see that last night?...I saw her last night...man was that Alicia chick fit...shame she isn't living here...I'm sure Clark is thinking the same thing...God I have like never seen Rogue so upset...I thought Clark was better than that...I guess a teenage guy is still just a teenage guy no matter what planet he is from."

Clark shakes his head and tunes it out as best he can. He stays in his room until the very last moment, skipping breakfast, until he has to go to school. When he does leave his room and walks past everyone else he gets lots of looks and silences. Truthfully Clark is surprised Kitty isn't here chewing him out. He does learn that Rogue is long gone.

Clark decides simply to run it to school and avoid travelling in the van with everyone. As he exits the door of the institute he finds Kurt leaning against a column. Terrific. He so doesn't need this. "Kurt if you are here to make me feel bad don't bother. It is hard for me to feel any worse," he tells his friends.

Kurt shakes his head. "Nein. I am here in case you feel like talking."

Clark walks past him and Kurt follows. "There is nothing to say Kurt beyond I am not cheating on Rogue and I don't know what Alicia was doing there last night but I intend to find out believe you me."

Kurt is slightly worried by Clark's tone there. "Clark vhat are you intending to do?"

"Whatever I have to to get the truth out," he says in what could be interpreted as a veiled threat if Kurt didn't know better. Clark then vanishes in a gust of wind. Kurt can guess he is off to school so Kurt teleports after Clark with his puff of blue smoke.

When Clark gets to school he finds that conveniently Alicia has taken the day off. He is half-tempted to skip school and see if he can track her down at the Boarding House but considering the lack of trust in him there seems to be at the minute that would only probably make things worse. Not to mention skipping school is a 'no no' as far as his parents are concerned. It is when school is finished Clark finds a note pinned to his locker from Alicia. In it she asks to meet him alone at the park.

Clark's day so far where everyone seems to be mad at him can't really get much worse so he decides to do what he thought was a bad idea this morning and go and meet her so he can clear this up and then move on to fixing his relationship with Rogue. Considering the day he is having unlike he thought this morning things can't get much worse. When he arrives in the park he finds her sitting on a bench so he sits down next to her and gets straight down to finding out just what she was doing in his room last night.

* * *

**Later at the Bayville Boarding House...**

"So you ever going to let us in on what was in that note you had me leave on Kent's locker?" Pietro asks Mystique as he sits and watches tv. Ever since he got home Mystique had been pacing about in front of the window looking out of it every so often.

"You know what you need to know," Mystique tells the arrogant Quicksilver. If his powers weren't so powerful and he wasn't Magneto's son Mystique would have long ago canned Pietro. She is pacing because this is the moment where they find out whether her training of Haze and her planning have worked or not. She then spots a blurred figure come to a stop outside the Boarding House carrying Haze in his arms.

Mystique quickly makes her way over to the door and opens it. The 5 members of the Brotherhood also make their way into the hallway as in walks Alicia followed by Clark with whom she is holding hands.

If that wasn't a shock in itself even they can see there is something different about Clark beyond the fact he has seemingly dumped the glasses since they are no longer perched on his nose. He is walking with this assured cockiness with a smug smirk on his face like he is laughing at a joke only he gets.

Clark claps his hands together. "Well now! Isn't this a turn-up for the books. That's what you are all thinking right." Clark looks at Tabby. "Well except for you. You're probably thinking how to catch me naked in the shower and the answer is you don't have to wait for that. All you have to do is ask."

Alicia frowns at that while Tabby is caught a little off guard. That statement was unexpected to say the least. Even Mystique is a little befuddled by that.

"What are you doing here Kent?" Pietro demands to know.

"I'm living here now," is Clark's response which renders even Pietro speechless.

"You left Xavier's?" Lance inquires.

"I wasn't going to stay with that bunch of ingrates. All I did for them and when it came to it not a single one of them believed in me. Not even dear old mom and dad. Not that they are my real parents so what do I care? Oh that's right. I don't," he says coldly.

That leaves everyone completely lost at what he is on about. Mystique speaks up. "Well then. If you are staying I guess we better get you a room Mr Kent."

"Ok if I'm staying here there is one thing we need to clear up first," Clark informs her.

"And that is?"

"From here on in there will be no more calling me Clark, Kent, Mr Kent and definitely not Superboy," he says in loathing at that name. "Although I guess I am super in many ways. Particularly in one area which if you want I can give you a personal demonstration later," he makes the offer to Mystique.

Mystique looks at him blankly for a few seconds. She knows a come on when she hears it and that was a come on.

Clark continues. "Anyway like I was saying from here on I only want to be called by one name."

"Which is what?" Mystique asks him.

Clark smirks and his eyes seem to glow a ruby red for a second. "You can call me Kal."

* * *

_Author's Note: And Kal makes his return and now the trouble is really about to start. The details of what transpired in the park with Alicia that has resulted in Clark's red K alter ego returning I'll add in the next chapter in a flashback. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. _


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**Earlier in the park...**

"This better be good Alicia," Clark says to her in controlled anger as he sits down next to her on the park bench she requested he meet her at.

Alicia summons up every acting skill Mystique has been teaching her. "I'm really, really sorry Clark," she says. "It is just I thought..."

"Thought what?" he demands to know.

"That you and I..."

"Were what? A couple?"

Alicia nods.

Clark just stares at her unable to grasp how in hell she came to that idea. "Ok lets put aside the fact we are only friends and lets just assume you thought we were a couple what were you doing in my bed last night?"

Alicia manages to produce a few tears which roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Clark. I mean I thought that is what couples did. How was I suppose to know differently? My parents locked me up for years."

Oh god not tears. Clark can't stand it when girls cry. He thinks it stems back to when he accidentally dislocated his mother's shoulder and made her cry. Ever since then the sight and sound of a girl or woman crying just strikes his heart like someone has jabbed kryptonite into it. Clark places his head in his hand as he thinks of what to do or say next.

Alicia's answer is probable. After all as far as Clark has been able to confirm her parents did lock her up. He means he did see her house with the lead sheets surrounding her room. "Alicia we are not a couple," Clark tries to make her understand in as gentle as tone as he can manage. "We are friends only. I have a girlfriend." Or he thinks he does. After last night Clark isn't so sure anymore and Rogue spent all day at school avoiding him like the plague. Clark has no idea how he is patching this up but getting the truth from Alicia as to why she was there is a start. Hopefully Rogue will believe him if she ever starts talking to him again.

Alicia wipes her tears from her face. Ok this is the critical moment. Unlike last night she has Clark all alone and away from the mansion where someone might be able to stop her. "So we are friends?" she asks him to confirm.

"Yes Alicia. We are friends," Clark says back to her.

Alicia smiles a little and then throws her arms around Clark's neck as she hugs him. Clark remains frozen unsure how to respond. "Thank you,"Alicia whispers in his ear. "And I'm sorry."

Clark pats her on the back gently a few times. "I forgive you," he says to her because he is good hearted soul. Unfortunately that characteristic is about to be his undoing because what Clark has not noticed is that in Alicia's hand is a chain and attached to it is a particular red rock. Behind his back she gets the chain into a loop and before Clark has noticed or stopped her she places it over his head.

"What are you do..."

Alicia pulls back and watches as Clark's eyes flash a ruby red. When the glow fades she finds his whole demeanour has instantly changed and his eyes have a darker more dangerous shade to them. Clark's lips then curve up into a self-satisfied cocky grin.

Clark reaches for the chain around his neck and pulls it round until the small red stone is in his palm. He had forgotten how good this felt as the radiation of the red kryptonite surges through his body. He looks at Alicia who has basically just doped him up and he can only think of one thing to say in response. "Now now aren't you a naughty girl. I'm thinking of giving you a spanking," he says with a strongly suggestive overtone while his voice has dropped to a deep baritone.

Alicia looks on rather blankly. Even though this was her plan she wasn't sure what would happen once she got the stone around Clark's neck. She didn't expect this.

Clark slips the stone under his shirt. The more rational Clark Kent would be wondering right now where and how Alicia got the stone and knew what it did to him and ok that part of him really is thinking that. However this Clark Kent right at this moment only cares about how good and powerful it makes him feel and it is not the only thing he is feeling or more accurately he is thinking back to how it felt to have Alicia in his lap last night.

Rogue may be pretty to look at, well she is absolutely stunning to look at if he was being honest and under red kryptonite Clark is brutally honest but she can't satisfy his physical needs which under the influence of red K are demanding they are seen to. Alicia on the other hand is both pretty to look at, has a smoking hot body from what he saw and felt last night and he can touch her without worry of being drained to death. So to satisfy his body's physical demands Clark grabs Alicia by her arms and then kisses her hard and passionately.

Alicia is a little shocked at first but soon finds herself melting at the way Clark is kissing her. Her only other kisses was with Gambit under the mistletoe and that was gentle and sweet and Clark last night when he was kind of asleep which was basically the same. This kiss Clark is giving her is pure raw passion and power. She finds his arms wrap around her and pull her into his hard muscular body.

Eventually Alicia has to give Clark a push back before she passes out from the sheer length of the embrace. When she looks at him the look in his eye is almost feral.

"So do I get to spank you now?" Clark asks her.

"Um...how about you come home with me where it's warmer?" she suggests so she can get him with Mystique and they can see about whether he is willing to join them or not although there is a part of her that is kind of intrigued by the spanking idea.

Clark cocks his head as he thinks about it. It isn't like going back to the institute is all that appealing. After all they all think he cheated on Rogue. Even his so called parents. Clark's lips curl up into a disgusted snarl as he remembers that. On the other hand going with Alicia means putting up with the Brotherhood especially Pietro.

Yes. Especially Pietro and Clark has so wanted to put that jerk in his place for awhile and to be purely practical he'll need a place to stay for the time being. Clark stands up and throws those annoying glasses off his face into the undergrowth. He then picks Alicia up. "Ok. You're on. I'll take you home you naughty naughty girl," he growls out. Alicia wraps her arms around Clark's neck. "Maybe later you can return the favour because I'm a bad bad boy," she suggests to her.

Alicia's whole body flushes with heat at that thought and Clark knows it as he can smell the change in her scent that comes with arousal. He silently smirks to himself. He can remember all the women back in Metropolis this summer back doing the same thing whenever he was around them. God. Women are so easy.

He then blurs off in the direction of the Boarding House.

* * *

Kal.

That was the name Clark chose for himself when all he wanted to be was someone besides himself. Right now he feels like that again. He wasn't lying earlier about his so called friends and his so-called parents being ingrates. Who found Rogue when she was taken. Who was the one who took the beating at the hands of Live Wire and then came up with the way to kick her ass. Oh that's right him. And when Clark needed a little trust from his friends he doesn't get it so time for Kal to make his big return.

Kal lets out a snort of disgust both at his former friends and at this room he is forced to endure. God does this place reek. He can see this being a short stay. He just needs to get himself some money and he'll be out of here. Hmm. Kal wonders which bank would be best to knock over. That would be the easiest and quickest way.

Clothes. That is what he should get first. Out of this lame blue t-shirt and jeans combo and into something fashionable. He missed all those designer clothes he had this summer past. They made him look good and the women drool.

"Clark?"

Kal's lips curve up into a smile. He turns to find Alicia at his door. He was right earlier. So easy. "Alicia...honey. I mentioned it downstairs. Not Clark. Kal," he reminds her what to call him in what could be described as quite a condescending tone of voice.

Alicia is quickly starting to wonder just what she has done to him by placing that meteor rock on him. This was not what she expected at all. Of course she had no idea what to expect really. "Um...Kal?"

"Yes," he says in falsely sweet tone of voice.

"I just wanted to clear up a few things."

Kal suppresses a groan. Women. Along with easy they are also so damn needy. "What Alicia?"

"Are we...are you and I...?"

Yep. Definitely needy. If she wasn't as pretty as she was he wouldn't give her the time of day. "Sure," he says lightly letting her confirm whatever she thinks they are now. Personally he sees her as a way to alleviate some built up frustrations.

Alicia breaks out into a smile. This. This has been her fantasy for years. To be Clark Kent's girlfriend even if he is calling himself Kal.

Kal saunters up to the door where Alicia is standing. "You know as I recall you are long overdue for your spanking." Kal's gaze drifts down to her backside. Oh yeah. That looks like a damn fine ass. He would love to get his hands on that.

Alicia's eyes widen when she realises that he really wants to go through with that. Well she did think it sounded intriguing. Before Kal can even get started though someone making gagging sounds interrupts them. Kal's unamused glare turns to Pietro who is now standing behind Alicia in the hallway. "Something you want to say Pietro?"

"This changes nothing between us Kent," Pietro warns him in spite of what is from Pietro's perspective Clark's apparent conversion. "I still owe you."

Kal almost laughs his ass off right there and then but manages to limit it to a chuckle. Kal finds it so amusing that this little upstart thinks he can challenge him. "Pietro the only reason you still have a head that is attached to your body is that I'm far too nice a guy...or I was before."

Pietro is not intimidated in the least. "One day Kent. When Mystique is not looking," he threatens.

Kal shrugs. "Why wait." He then blurs past Alicia almost knocking her over, grabs Pietro off guard so the silver haired mutant can't react before Kal wraps his hand around Pietro's throat and slams him into opposite wall. Kal then effortlessly lifts Pietro up so he is a few feet off the floor.

Pietro desperately grasps and the hand that is cutting off his oxygen. His face starts to go blue.

"Now what was that about owing me one," Kal mocks Pietro.

Alicia moves and grabs the arm Clark is using to hold Pietro. She has to stop this. "Clark...Kal...please. Let him go."

Kal looks at her and lets out a slightly disinterested sigh. "Fine. He isn't worth my effort anyway." Kal then lets go and Pietro drops the floor desperately gasping for breath. Kal bends down. "Take this as a lesson learned Pietro. Next time you feel like annoying me there may not be a pretty girl around to save your hide."

Kal stands up straight. "Now if you excuse me I have shopping for new clothes to attend to." He then vanishes with a gust of wind and Alicia has to wonder once more just what she has unleashed.

* * *

The next morning Mystique knocks on...Kal's door to see if he is still wishing to attend school or not. Having him around last night had proven difficult. When Haze mentioned the plan to get Kent here Mystique certainly never expected this radically transformed version of him. He was like a petulant child at times and then at other times there was this dangerous darkness just lurking in the corner of his eye or in the corner of one of his little smirks. Even Mystique wasn't quite sure how to handle him. Considering just how powerful he is disciplining him is no easy task. He was also very good at changing subjects whenever Mystique tried to nail him down on things like the unusual nature of his multiple powers. A whole night forward and she had absolutely no answers.

The door opens to reveal Kal dressed only in a towel. He can't have long been out of the shower since his hair is still wet. In fact she watches one single droplet trickle from the tip of one curling lock, meander its way down his cheek, down the side of his jaw, to fall on his broad chest between the loop of the chain which holds the red stone and then wind its way through the defined taut muscles of his abdomen until it is absorbed by the towel. Now Mystique knows he is only 16 but she can't stop herself staring and taking several long moments to appreciate the chiselled physique her eyes are beholding.

Kal meanwhile is smirking smugly. Women. So so easy. "Something I can help you with Mystique?"

Mystique's eyes shoot back up to his face and she can see the arrogant smugness written all over it. Um...err...what?" she says having completely lost her train of thought.

"Something I can help you with? Or out of maybe?" Kal asks while gently fingering the bottom of the top Mystique is 'wearing'. In reality of course her clothes are simply manifestations of her shapeshifting powers

Mystique's eyes narrow as she regains composure and she slaps his hand away. "Don't even try it," she warns him. Her warning doesn't do a thing to stop his smirking at her. "Now are you still going to school?"

"Oh you betcha!" Kal says with genuine enthusiasm. "Personally I can't wait to see the looks on all my former friend's faces when I show up with my new...friends." Although friends is such a loose term. Maybe associates is better.

"Well then get changed," Mystique tells him.

"Sure. No problem."

"Just remember as well that you have to meet Magneto yet."

Kal rolls his eyes. He so has no interest in meeting old bucket-head whatsoever. "Yeah. Yeah. Just you remember what I said last night about having a couple of days to settle in here first," he says back trying to delay the meeting as long as possible. Basically until he has had his fun and leaves so in other words that meeting will be never as far as Kal is concerned. He has no interest in Magneto's stupid cause.

"Then we have an agreement," Mystique states.

"Oh sure. Absolutely."

Mystique eyes him closely unsure whether he means that or not. It is hard to tell through his constant arrogant smugness. Not having time to dwell on it she turns to leave but Kal stops her.

"Oh Mystique one more thing," Kal says.

"What?"

Kal brushes his fingertips down Mystique's exposed arm actually making goosebumps rise up in the wake. "Blue is my favourite colour." Satisfied with the reaction he has managed to illicit Kal turns round and shuts the door in Mystique's face.

Ok was there anything he can't use as an excuse to flirt Mystique wonders about their newest recruit.

In her room Tabby is bending down trying to get her bag from under her bed where she kicked it last night after she got home. It is then she hears someone let out an appreciative whistle from behind her. Tabby straightens up, turns round and finds Clark or Kal leaning against her door frame with what seems to be his permanently plastered smug grin. "What?" she asks him.

"Oh I'm just admiring the view," he says in reply because all he got to see when he passed by was Tabby bent over with her butt in the air. Not a bad looking butt either.

Tabby actually frowns. Normally she would be so totally thrilled to have a guy like Clark look at her the way he is now but he is suppose to be dating Rogue from what Amara tells her and then last night he was playing kissy face with Alicia and now he is flirting with her. Another thing Tabby notices is that his attire has certainly changed. He is wearing this all black assemble of a shirt and jeans and Tabby knows enough to know that what he is wearing is real high quality and expensive stuff. "Where did you get the clothes?" she asks him.

The smirk returns and Kal raises a hand and waggles his fingers. "5 fingered discount."

Tabby's eyebrows rise a little. "You stole them?"

"Now stealing is such a harsh term. I prefer to think of it as I liberated them. After all anything but for these clothes to be on my body is a waste."

Sheesh and Tabby thought Pietro had an ego but Clark is putting him to shame. What in the hell is going on Tabby wonders because while she may not be bestest buds with Clark she knows him well enough to know this is not Clark as she knows him. It is like...he is on something.

Kal stands up straight away from the door frame. "Well come on. Wouldn't want to be late and miss the x-geeks' expressions when they see me would we." Kal walks off but then comes back and sticks his head round the corner. "Oh by the way do you remember on my first day how you asked if I liked what I saw when you found out I have x-ray vision?"

"Yeah," Tabby says somewhat cautiously as where this is heading.

Kal blatantly looks Tabby up and down checking her out. A little lecherous grin appears on his face. "I really, really do like it."

Tabby is a little flustered and caught off guard by that one and her cheeks redden slightly of their own accord. Kal chuckles deep from within his chest completely amused by the reaction he managed to illicit as he walks off.

* * *

At school that day the students of the Xavier Institute unload from the van. Rogue is the last one off. For anyone who knows her it is not hard to see just how hurt and bruised her heart is by the last couple of days. Clark...

Clark hasn't even bothered to try and explain himself. In fact her most probably ex-boyfriend has not been seen since yesterday which left Mr and Mrs Kent in a state. Jackass is the word that instantly springs to Rogue's mind to describe Clark.

It is like she doesn't know Clark at all suddenly. She thought he was a caring person except he does this vanishing trick without any thought it seems to how it affects his parents and really don't get her started on the sight of him in his bed half naked with an almost equally half naked Alicia sprawled atop of him.

That sight...it felt like someone stabbed a knife right into her heart.

"I don't believe it!" Scott says breaking Rogue out of her 'woe is me' tangent. Rogue looks at him and then looks in the direction he and everyone else seems to be looking in. What she sees she can barely believe. It is the Brotherhood and walking beside them with his arm draped across Alicia's shoulders is Clark and there is just something different about even the way Clark is walking. There is just this dangerous smooth grace to his movements.

The Brotherhood soon make their way over to them.

"Hey guys!" Kal greets them cheerfully. He has so been looking forward to this.

"Clark what are you doing with them?" Scott asks him.

Kal's lips curl up into that annoying little smirk of his. "I thought it would be fairly obvious Scotty," he says saying Scott's name with as much disrespect as he can manage. "But then again you were never very bright when the obvious is staring you in the face." Kal's gaze drifts to Jean to indicate what he means and then back to Scott. "I have no idea how you got to be leader but to answer your question Scott and so you can understand I'll use small words," he says his tone moved onto being condescending now. "I have quit the school of ingrates and joined a new group."

"You've joined them!" Jean says not quite able to believe what she is hearing.

"Why yes I have Jeannie. Your ability to state the obvious is astounding," Clark says with every word dripping with sarcasm. "But then again like Scotty here you are not quite as bright as you like to think you are especially when something is staring you in the face," he insults her giving a veiled hint at her feelings for Scott and her inability to see what type of person Duncan Matthews really is.

Jean frowns at Clark. She can't help but think from his tone that he is implying something there.

"Man what is your problem?" Evan asks.

Kal looks at Evan annoyed at being interrupted just when he was about to break into full flow. "What is my problem...man? I'll tell you Evan after you answer me this. How did you manage to get on the X-Men because seriously you are a joke. You spend half your time goofing off and the other half doing it really half-assed. I mean does it even bother you in the slightest what you do to your aunt."

"What do you mean?" Evan asks him.

"I mean Evan that you must know what a disappointment you are to her. You have to know about all the nights she cries herself to sleep because of you."

Evan's face turns ashen at this revelation but it can't be true can it? He doesn't make his aunt cry right?

Kal's smirk just gets all the larger at Evan's expression. "Oh come on Evan. You had to know. I mean I know you can't hear her the way I can but it is so obvious just how badly you let her down. I have to say that Storm is a much better person than I. If I was your aunt the shame would have forced me to disown you by now."

Right here Pietro is caught between two differing feelings. He frankly hates Kent, a fact reinforced by the bruises on his neck where Kent grabbed him last night, but this is actually kind of amusing the way he is tearing Daniels down. Pietro wishes he had thought of this attack to use on Daniels.

"Clark. Like what has gotten into you?" Kitty demands to know of him.

Kal turns his attentions to her. "Ah pretty Kitty. Nothing has gotten into me but if you want you and I can find some place and some _thing_ can get into you."

Kitty's jaw, along with just about everyone's there, hangs open at what Clark is suggesting.

Kal is amused. Of course on red kryptonite he is as easily amused as he is soon easily bored but shocking the hell out of his former friends is amusing and he has so much more to say about them. Unfortunately he doesn't get the chance.

"What is going on here?" Principal Kelly asks at what he sees as an unwelcome sight of like two gangs squaring up to each other.

"Nothing," Scott answers staring daggers at Clark.

Principal Kelly looks at Clark. "That true Mr Kent?"

Kal turns his head. "It sure is Principal Smelly," he says with complete disrespect.

Kelly's face darkens. "What did you say?"

"On come on. Are you saying no-one has ever made the oh so obvious link that your name rhymes with smelly. I mean it is not very original I grant you but it is accurate. You know there is this wonderful invention called a shower. Maybe you should try using one sometime."

"Mr Kent you are aware you are heading for detention," Kelly warns him.

"Is that suppose to be a threat?" Kal asks him. "Because seriously it isn't. Besides what are you going to do? Tell on me to mom and dad? Ooh I'm so scared," he says with mock fear.

Principal Kelly is actually kind of confused. Mr Kent was one of the better pupils. Polite and respectful. Nothing like this arrogant, insolent person he is talking to now. If he didn't know better he might suspect Kent was on something. "I do not know what is with your sudden change in attitude Mr Kent but I am going to do something about it. Detention."

"Sure. Whatever," he says disrespectfully, sounding bored. With Kelly having ruined the moment with his old friends Kal makes his way inside the school with Alicia by his side. He notes how silent Rogue was during all that. Probably stunned to silence by just how good looking he is when he puts the proper effort in. Doesn't make any difference right now as he plans to talk to Rogue later when he can get her alone.

Alicia, meanwhile, has even more doubts starting to cross her mind. This had started off as a dream and last night Clark had been really almost sweet and affectionate if a little smug and cocky. They had made out for a lot of the evening but this little display has started to make her wonder just what she has done and what she has gotten herself into.

Inside the school Kal spots someone else he needs to have words with in the form of Duncan Matthews. "Hey Matthews!" he yells out.

Duncan turns to find Kent with his arm round the new girl as he hangs out with those others from the Boarding House as they come up to him. "What do you want Kent...and I thought you were dating Rogue?"

"Well Rogue and I are going through a rough patch. In fact I've moved out. Besides I shouldn't be limiting myself to only one girl. I've got a lot of oats to seed. I'm sure it's something you understand. A great big star footballer like yourself probably has girls eating out of the palm of his hand. Am I right?"

Duncan muses on his answer for a second before he grins. "Oh they do more than eat out of my hand," he says lecherously.

Kal laughs. "I knew it. You stallion you," he says boosting Duncan's ego. Kal leans forward and picks up the whiff of perfume on Duncan that is definitely not Jean's brand along with a particular other scent indicating that Duncan has been spreading his oats very recently. "I'm guessing you've been seeding your oats regularly." Duncan hesitates to confirm that. "Oh come on. You can tell me," Kal tries to coax him. "I mean like I said I've moved out. Jean isn't even talking to me so it is not like I'm going to tell her."

"Well it isn't like Jean has been putting out..." Duncan shrugs his shoulders, "And I have needs and there are lots of girls who are willing to meet them," Duncan finds himself admitting.

"Oh I hear that. I'm with you there but if Jean isn't satisfying you why are you still dating her?"

"Because she's a babe. Not my fault she isn't a very bright one and I think it is rather obvious why I'm still dating her," he says with a leering look.

Kal chuckles. "Oh yeah she is dumb," he says in agreement. Definitely a babe though and remember Kal has seen her in her nightwear so he knows. Duncan is most likely just waiting until she puts out and then once he has gotten what he wanted Kal guesses that will be the end of the great Jean and Duncan romance.

Duncan joins in chuckling with Kent. "I don't know what it is Kent but I like this new you."

"I like this new me too."

Duncan then heads off with his friends. After he is gone Kal pulls a small rectangular object from his pocket.

"What's that?" Alicia asks him.

"Miniature digital voice recorder," Kal tells her as he hits the play button and his whole conversation with Duncan replays itself. "So how much do you think Matthews will pay so that Jean never hears this?" he asks the other members of the Brotherhood.

In response to that Fred pats him on the back so hard that if Kal was a normal person he would flat down face first on the ground by now. "Ha! You know what you're not so bad," Fred says to Kal. At first he had not been at all sure about him but that little trick there was just brilliant.

"Thanks Fred. I deeply appreciate your opinion," Kal flat out lies. Fred was alright Kal supposes if you ignore he is a slob and a dim one at that. "Nothing to say Lance?" Kal queries.

Lance has no idea what is going on. Like everyone else he has no idea what has happened to Kent that has transformed his personality so radically. One moment like just now he does something that Lance finds funny and makes him like Kent a little bit. Earlier when he insinuated what he wanted to do with Kitty...with his Kitty Lance had to restrain himself from trying to knock Kent's head off. Not that Lance thinks he can. From what he knows Kent is supposedly invulnerable.

"Guess not," Kal remarks at Lance's silence and Lance is suppose to be the leader of these guys. Well he isn't Kal's leader. Kal doesn't have a leader. Kal won't be staying long anyway. He'll have his fun, get some money and be out of this place soon enough.

* * *

Lunchtime comes and Kal's boredom levels are rapidly rising. Coming here to mock his former friends is fun he will admit. Having to sit through dull classes he could pass in his sleep is not. At the moment Kal is slowly swaggering would be the description towards the dining hall when he runs across Jubilee, Bobby, Ray and Kurt who Clark can tell is telling them all about the big bad Clark from this morning. "Now Kurt you aren't telling tales about me are you?"

Kurt turns to look at his...he wants to say friend but problem is he sees so little of his friend in the person he is looking at. "Clark. Vhat is going on? Seriously."

"Seriously huh? Since when do you take anything seriously and why should I tell you anything Kurt? As I recall you took Rogue's side over mine. Some friend you are," Kal says with a little bitterness.

"Friends are honest with each other," Kurt points out.

"Is that a fact?" Kal says as his lips curl back up into his smirk. "That's really kind of rich coming from you Kurt."

"Vhat do you mean?"

"I mean that you aren't exactly the poster child for honesty considering that you stand there a complete lie." Kurt along with the other 3 look on completely lost. Kal sighs. Were they always this slow? Kal zips forward at inhumanly fast speed, unconcerned if anyone sees him, and grabs Kurt's arm, the one with the holowatch. "What I mean Kurt is that you stand here pretending to be something you're not. I wonder what everyone would think if I showed them the real you." Kal then takes his thumb and hovers it over the off switch. He finds his arm grabbed by Jubilee of all people.

"That's enough Clark," Jubilee says sternly.

Kal turns his gaze to her. Lucky for her he is amused by her show of bravery. "Jubes. I'm in a good mood so I'll give you 5 seconds to move your hand before I break it. 1."

Jubilee doesn't let go.

"2," Clark continues to count. "3...4..."

"It's alright Jubilee," Kurt tells her to protect her. "Let him go."

Jubilee reluctantly does so. Kurt looks up into his Clark's eyes. "Go ahead Clark," Kurt dares him. "If zhat is vhat you vant to do. Go ahead and press it."

Kal debates with himself for a few seconds before...well call it the good natured farm boy in him wins out and decides it really isn't worth it so he lets Kurt's arm go. He gives them all a sneering look before he walks off but has to just stop next to Bobby. "Oh Bobby. If you ever play another joke on me I will melt you down into a puddle." Kal's then focuses his glare onto Bobby who visibly gulps at the red glowing glare he is getting. Normally Bobby wouldn't be that intimidated but for whatever reason Clark's look is just that intimidating.

"Have a nice day!" Kal says cheerfully in a sudden and complete mood shift before he walks off whistling to himself leaving his completely befuddled friends standing there.

* * *

At the end of the day Rogue is just finishing closing up her locker. This day has been crazy and that is saying something. Clark...what the hell has gotten into him. That's not the Clark she knows. It is like he has been replaced by his irritating, cocky, arrogant, smug twin brother. Despite how mad she is at him she needs to figure out what has happened to him. She turns to leave and doesn't notice another person there and walks right into him.

"Hey watch it skunkhead!"

Oh great. It is one of Duncan's posse. Rogue so does not need this. Rogue tries to just get round him but finds he grabs her arm. "Hey. I was talking to you," he says aggressively.

"Get your dang hands off meh!" Rogue warns him.

"Not until you apologise weirdo!" he insults her referring to her being a Goth.

Rogue is so not in the mood for this. She glares at him right in is eye. "Last chance. Then ah am kicking your ass."

The boy snorts and tightens his hold on Rogue's arm. "Not until you..._compensate _me," he says making the suggestive offer.

Rogue is about to kick his ass when the hand holding her arm is pried away...by Clark.

Kal grips the arm by the wrist and wrenches it back. "Now correct me if I'm wrong but did you call her a skunkhead?"

"Let me go!" the boy demands and in response Clark simply wrenches the arm back further making the boy cry out in pain.

"Did you call her a skunkhead?" Kal repeats his question with a little anger in his tone of voice and increases the pressure of his grip on the wrist.

The boy drops to his knees at the force being exerted on him. "Y-Yes," he admits.

"I see. Apologise," Kal orders and wrenches the arm back to almost the breaking point.

The boy cries out in pain. "Ah! Ah!...I'm sorry!"

"Good boy. Now I'm going to let you go and you are going to get out of my sight before I really lose my temper and break every bone in your miserable little body. Ok?"

The boy nods and Kal lets him go. He gets up rubbing his arm wondering just how the hell Kent is that strong. It felt like he was fighting against a truck or something for all the good it did.

Kal watches the boy leave with a satisfied grin. That felt good. Also serves the little punk right. No-one insults Rogue. Despite their little tiff Kal will not stand for it. He turns his gaze to Rogue to find her with her arms across her chest looking utterly pissed. He wonders if she realises that makes her look more attractive. "What? No thank you?"

Rogue snorts. "Ah told ya before ah don't need ya ta protect meh."

"Yes and that is what I like so much about you Rogue. You aren't needy like all the others."

Rogue blinks. That is not the answer she expected. She soon gets her mind back on track. "Ok Clark. Ah know we had a fight but just what tha hell is wrong with ya?"

"Nothing is wrong with me Rogue. I've never felt better."

Rogue eyes him suspiciously. "Clark. Ah am not that dumb. Ah know something is going on with ya."

Kal grins at her. "Another thing I like about you Rogue. Your blunt honesty. I tell you it gets so tiresome dating women who are constantly keeping secrets. I mean Alicia doesn't think I'm onto her but I am onto her."

"What do ya mean?" Rogue asks him slightly confused by his cryptic statement.

Kal waves her off. "Oh it's nothing important. Lets get back onto your question. You remember what I told you about what happened to me last summer?"

"Yeah," Rogue says not sure how that is relevant.

Kal reaches under his shirt and pulls out a chain attached to which is a red stone. He swings it back and forth a few times. "Take a guess what this is," he sing songs. As soon as Rogue realises what it is she tries to grab it but Clark is way ahead of her and stuffs it back under his shirt. "Ut uh. Now that is a no no Rogue," he tells her off.

"Clark give meh tha stone," Rogue commands.

"Nope," he says with that infuriating smug grin.

Rogue has only heard the stories she will admit but Clark told her how the longer he is on red kryptonite the worse he gets so mad as hell at him she may be but she has to get that stone off of him. "Clark. Ya know what it does," she tries to reason with him.

"Yes. It makes me feel good and I needed to feel good because before I wasn't feeling good at all. Before my so-called friends decided to make me feel bad by not believing me. They made me feel guilt when I was the innocent party. It is kind of saying something how little trust I seem to have earned. Not even dear old mom and dad believed me but then again they are not my real parents."

"Clark that's not true. They love ya. Ya should see how upset and worried they are about ya."

Kal snorts derisively. "Yeah sure they are."

Rogue shakes her head. They are way off topic. "Clark..."

He interrupts her. "Call me Kal."

"Clark," Rogue repeats more forcibly. "Ah'm not indulging ya in this and ah am certainly not discussing what has happened while ya are drugged. Ya say everyone has gotten tha wrong end of tha stick."

"No what I said is that I was telling the whole truth and not a single one of my so-called friends believed me."

"Fahne then. We'll talk about it after ya give meh tha stone," Rogue makes the offer to him.

"How about I make you a counter offer?"

"What?"

"That you and the X-Men met me at that new construction site on the edge of town and if you can beat me in a fight I'll give you the stone."

"Clark ah am not goin ta fight ya."

"Oh I think you are," he says with what Rogue would call dark foreboding present in his tone.

"What do ya mean by that?"

"What I mean is that I'm planning to skip town tonight and I guarantee you will never find me. I'm giving you and all the others a chance to show that you do actually care...that you really are my friends with this one chance to stop me. Now you either show up and try or you don't and I leave. The choice is yours. I'll be at the construction site at 8." And before Rogue can say anything in response to that Clark is gone with his usual gust of wind blowing her hair about.

* * *

_Author's Note: So Kal is flirting and insulting his way through just about everyone as per usual. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The showdown between Kal and the X-Men leads to the reveal of what Kal is really up to._


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"How did he get red kryptonite?" Martha asks more rhetorically than anything else because she knows it is unlikely she will get an answer right now. Right now she is Charles' office along with Jonathan and Charles as Rogue tells them about what happened at school

Jonathan doesn't say anything. He too has that question. He also is thinking about what it took last time to stop Clark. As he does his chest seems to tighten slightly.

"Does he mean what he says about running away?" Charles asks Jonathan and Martha since they know Clark better under these circumstances than he does.

Jonathan and Martha share a look. That would be a nightmare...the nightmare of this summer past all over again. Jonathan looks at Charles sitting behind his desk. "Truthfully it is hard to be sure. Clark becomes wildly unpredictable. However if he feels we have turned our back on him then yes he might well do that."

"We didn't do that did we?" Martha asks her husband. "We didn't turn our back on him?"

Jonathan moves and rubs his wife's arms. "Of course not Martha but...we all saw the position he was in with Alicia and his explanation was lacking." Jonathan lets out a sigh. "And as much as Clark can do extraordinary things he is still a teenage boy and sometimes teenage boys act before they think."

Martha's lips manage to curve up into a teasing knowing smile. "The voice of experience Jonathan."

"Unfortunately," Jonathan mutters.

Rogue hates to interrupt this but feels she must. "So what do we do?" she asks Clark's parents.

Jonathan and Martha share another look. From experience they knew that the longer Clark is on red kryptonite the worse he will get so therefore they have to get that necklace off of him. Jonathan address Rogue in answer to her question. "You do Rogue whatever you have to to stop him."

* * *

At the Bayville Boarding House Kal was getting ready for his big fight debut. He smiles to himself as he thinks of what is about to take place. The great X-Men are about to be brought down a peg or 4. Although that is just a bonus on the way to getting what he really wants.

Kal had gone through the effort of 'liberating' some appropriate clothes for this showdown. Clothes he had made sure were as different as possible from the suit his mother made for him because he wasn't Clark Kent or Superboy. He was only Kal.

His new 'uniform' hanged from his wardrobe and Kal frowned as he looked at it. It wasn't enough. It was missing something. Something that would show who he was now so no-one would mistake him for the farm boy ever again.

His mind searches for an answer as he sorts through everything he knows. Then it strikes him. He could use something from his Kryptonian heritage. What better way to show who he is not now by embracing the part of himself he rejected once upon a time. Oh it was perfect. He knows exactly what to do. He could place it on the shirt. All he needs is some silver spray paint.

* * *

As the X-Men gather to board the Velocity Kitty airs the thought that has been troubling her ever since they got briefed about their mission. "Does anyone else feel like this is totally wrong that we have to fight our friend?"

"At the moment half-pint he is not our friend. He is the enemy," Logan harshly tells her. Not to upset her but to get her mind on the game. Space Boy was perhaps second only to the Juggernaut in terms of power and that fighting him means not holding back. Fine in theory of course except Logan has no real wish to hurt the kid.

Charles looks up at Logan from his quiet contemplation. "The aim Logan is simply to restrain Clark long enough to remove the necklace."

"Oh yeah and I can see him just lying down and taking that," Logan mutters with sarcasm, his opinion formed from what Jonathan and Martha had said in the briefing. Yeah they were there talking about all the chaos and damage the kid caused. It was almost like they were talking about another person or a split personality or something Chuck knows way more about than Logan does.

Jonathan and Martha approach Scott.

"Mr and Mrs Kent I promise you that we'll get Clark back," Scott vows.

"Then you'll need this," Jonathan says as he holds over a lead box.

Scott tentatively takes it and opens the lid to reveal a green rock inside. He is a little taken aback that Mr and Mrs Kent would give him this considering what this can do to Clark. "I'm not sure I understand," he says.

"Scott," Martha says in a gentle tone. "You are a good person and Clark's friend so you are seeing him in the best light. Now Jonathan and I do the same but through experience we've seen the flip side of the coin." She looks at her husband to continue.

"Clark is dangerous in a way you can't imagine," Jonathan says in brutal honesty about his son. "You must do whatever it takes to stop him Scott."

* * *

Having parked the Velocity the X-Men make their way onto the construction site of the partially built building which is about 3 stories high. Scott checks the time. 8 o'clock. "Ok Clark! We're here!" he shouts out.

"Why indeed you are Scotty!" Clark's voice booms out.

Jean focuses on sensing where he is and her head snaps upward. "He's there," she says pointing at the figure standing atop the partially built building.

Clark then steps off the edge and drops to the cement floor which cracks under the force of the impact. On impact he had bent his knees to absorb the impact. Now he stands up straight which allows everyone to get a good look at how he is dressed. In reality despite Kal's thinking on trying to make it different it is similar to what Mrs Kent made for him except it is all black. Long black coat, black boots, black jeans, black shirt, all of it black apart from this symbol on his chest spray painted on in silver which looks like a S inside a diamond. The same self-satisfied smug grin from earlier in the day still adorns his face while his hair is slicked back expect for the one curly lock which flops over his forehead. This dark look, almost the complete opposite of what Clark normally wears, does not give any of the X-Men any feeling that this is going to end well.

"And the gang is all here," Kal says as he eyes Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, Evan and Rogue.

Scott steps forward along with everyone else but Kitty who lingers behind them just out of direct sight. "Clark we know what has happened to you. No-one is going to hold what you have done or said against you. Just throw the stone away and lets go home," Scott proposes trying to be reasonable.

Kal adopts this mock pose like he is thinking about it where he actually is tapping his chin with his finger. "Lets not." He then smiles with a hint of darkness creeping around the edges. He leans forward suddenly and shouts "Boo!" making everyone jump. Kal laughs. "Oh man the look on your faces is great."

Rogue scowls at him. "Ya are being an ass Clark," she tells him with forthright certainty.

Kal shrugs. "Your point being?"

"Mah point being is that this is solving nothing. Wearing that stone is not going ta solve anything. This is ya running away from your problems."

"Maybe but at least I'm looking good doing it."

"And I thought Pietro was bad," Evan mutters at the sheer egotism.

"Evan I can hear you you know," Kal feels he needs to remind him. "Also don't think that I don't know what you guys are doing."

"What do you mean?" Jean asks.

"Why you haven't tried to take me down yet," Kal elaborates. "It is because Kitty is phasing up behind me." Kal spins round at superspeed and snatches the lead box right out of Kitty's hand just as she re-solidifies herself. He quickly uses his heat vision to seal it permanently before tossing it into the air and catching it a few times. "Really? This is the best you could come up with?" he says sounding sorely disappointed in them. Hello! X-ray vision! Did they not think he could see Kitty phase down into the ground and try to sneak up behind him while they tried to distract him.

Scott acts quickly seeing how that plan has failed and unleashes a blast hitting Clark between the shoulder blades making Clark stumble forward a few steps which forces Kitty to phase out of his way.

Kal turns back round with a surprising neutral expression on his face. He cracks his neck. "Not bad Scott. I almost felt that." Clark throws the lead box into the sky as hard and as far as he can throw it. His best guess considering the direction he threw it in is that it will land in the sea so goodbye chunk of kryptonite. "Well I guess it's time we get to the clichéd fight scene. By the way I am still honouring our deal. You take me down and I take off the stone."

Kal and the X-Men tense themselves ready for the fight. "Oh one small amendment," Kal feels he should mention.

"What?" Scott asks him.

"When I said you had to beat me I never said I would come alone."

The answer to what Clark is on about comes in the form of the ground shaking violently shifting everyone off balance. By the time they have regained it standing next to Clark is Avalanche, Quicksilver, Toad, Blob and Haze in her green uniform. It had taken a little effort on Kal's part, Alicia aside, to persuade them to be here. Alicia came because she wanted to support who she considers her boyfriend. Kal has said it before and he'll say it again. Women are so easy. As for the others basically in the end he just appealed to their egos by promising that for once with his help they would beat and humiliate the X-Men for a change. That and he managed to talk Mystique into ordering them to do it. Kal mentally snorts. Woman are so easy and that is starting to become clichéd. Well all except Tabby who professed to not feeling well. Kal knew she was lying but he wasn't that bothered about it that she didn't want to do this.

"That's funny," Rogue says back to him. "Because ah never agreed ta anything...full stop."

In the corner of his eye Kal can see the 3 adults of Logan, Storm and Beast approaching. Kal chuckles actually amused because Rogue is right. She never agreed to anything. "Oh this is going to be better than I thought."

"Are you whacked yo?" Toad asks in response to Kal's remark. All he sees is a future where he gets beat up...again.

"Oh come on Toad. We can take them," Kal tries to encourage the gangly teen. "Tell you what I'll go take down the adults while you handle the children. Think you can handle that?" he says sounding extremely condescending. "Good," Kal says without waiting for a reply before he zips off to confront the 3 adults.

Kal zips to a stop in front of them. "Well, well now. Have the grown-ups come to give me a spanking." Kal then gives Storm a leering look as an electric blue flashes across his eyes. "Damn. You really are a goddess."

Storm's whole face flushes as she realises what Clark is doing. Wolverine snarls. "Uh oh," Kal says. "I think the mean old dog wants to bite me."

"Clark. Don't do this," Beast requests of him wishing he had had more time to study this variety of red kryptonite and its effects on Clark. Although how you do that when he becomes like he is is a good question. He, Storm and Wolverine had stayed out of sight hoping Clark would be less aggressive to his friends but when the Brotherhood showed up it became obvious that a fight was the most likely possibility forcing them now to intervene.

"Why not? Because I think it is well beyond time you all understood just who and what it is you are really dealing with." Kal then zips forward and in a second his fist has connected with Logan's jaw with enough force to shatter a normal person's jawbone. Luckily Wolverine's is made of adamantium but the force of the blow sends him flying and even with his healing factor is going to knock him out for at least several minutes. Kal looks at Beat and Storm. "Who's next?" he asks them.

Meanwhile the battle between the X-Men and the Brotherhood breaks out following its usual pattern with one exception this time. Haze teleports near Kurt. "So you're Mystique's son," she remarks as she looks him over. Alicia can see the resemblance.

Kurt is caught by the way she said that. "Yes. I am."

Alicia smiles in a way that creeps Kurt out. "My parents are dead."

Ok Kurt is definitely creeped out as to how she is smiling as she says that. "I'm sorry," he tells her.

Alicia shrugs like it doesn't really matter because to her it doesn't. "What it means is that for legal purposes so I could attend school I needed to be adopted. Legally my guardian is now your mother." Kurt's brain quickly tries to process that. Alicia clarifies what that means. "Legally that means I can now say 'Hello my brother'."

Kurt's eyes widen and his jaw hangs open. Mystique had abandoned him so it is a complete shock to find out she had done this. He had never seen her as the motherly type because of it. Though since he found out who she was his mother his mind has been plagued with questions as to why? Why did she never come for him? He loved the Wagners make no mistake about that but the question as to why would always haunt him until Mystique answered it. Now on top of that he has this bombshell dropped on him. 'Mein Gott,' he mentally mutters. He has a sister...foster sister...but still family.

Alicia can see she has shocked him. Good. First thing about any fight. Get your opponent's mind off focus. ""Mystique is also my mentor," she tells him. "She has been teaching me to fight. Want a demonstration!" She then attacks Kurt who has to use all his agility and instincts built up by many a DR session to avoid the blows. The aggressive style she is using he can definitely see comes from his mother. When he sees a blow coming he can't block or avoid he teleports and Haze's blow hits nothing but a a puff of blue smoke. Kurt materialises behind her mid air and delivers a kick to her back. Haze stumbles forward. He tries to follow it up but this time it's his turn to hit nothing but a green mist. "Oh man," he mutters to himself. He has never had to fight another teleporter before.

An arm suddenly wraps around his neck and tries to choke him. Kurt teleports trying to shake her loose but this time it feels weird and he can tell she is trying to teleport too. The two figures appear and disappear in puffs of blue smoke and green mists in different holds all across the construction sight as they vie for superiority.

Back with Kal he lets out a grunt as Storm hits him in the chest with a bolt of lightning. Beast lies on the ground now unconscious having been unable to avoid a blow Clark delivered at superspeed.

"Please Clark," Storm pleads of him. "I don't want to hurt you."

"What makes you think you can!" he shouts at her with no respect. "You may control the weather but I am a force of nature by myself. Just try and control me Storm!"

Storm summons up the strongest winds she can and directs them against Clark who raises his arms in front of his face. Storm makes the winds icy cold and ice starts to form around Clark's body until he is encased. Storm walks up to his imprisoned form. As she does the ice starts to crack as Clark shatters his icy prison. A large chunk hits Storm on the head knocking her out cold.

Kal dusts his hands off. "Wow and I thought you would be tougher than that," he remarks glibly at his 3 teachers.

Behind Kal a figure stealthily sneaks up on him having gotten away from the fight. A figure who is right now peeling her glove off because this is the only way to stop this. She reaches forward to grab the hand by his side when in a blur of motion Rogue finds herself pinned back against a pile of bricks taller than her as just as wide. Her ungloved hand is now being held above her head by her arm in an iron grip. Rogue looks up at the cerulean blue eyes piercing right through her.

"You know it's funny how people think because my back is turned that somehow stops my hearing from working and I know your heartbeat from a mile away Rogue," Kal calmly points out. His gaze then turns to her ungloved hand. "Now Rogue. Honeybun. You weren't trying to absorb me were you?"

"Clark. Please stop this," she requests of him.

Kal's lips turn up into yet another of his smirks. Rogue has to really wonder what it is he finds so damn funny all the time. "Rogue if you wanted a piece of me inside you all you had to do was ask."

Rogue's eyes widen at what Clark is suggesting.

"I'm sure you must have thought about it because I sure have." Kal then cocks his head to the side for a few moments while he thinks. "But then again I guess we all know what would actually happen if you touch me...or do we? I mean I'm not the usual kind of thing you use your powers on am I. I'm not even from this planet. Has it ever occurred to you Rogue that maybe just maybe your powers might not work on me. I know it has occurred to me but then I thought better safe than sorry. Of course on red kryptonite I tend to do a lot of things I wouldn't dream of normally."

Kal tilts his head down to look Rogue right in the eye. "Have I ever told you what beautiful eyes you have," he says in a soft genuine tone absent of the arrogance that had previously been lacing it. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are," he continues as he moves to dip his head towards hers.

Rogue can feel her heart pounding against her ribcage as Clark's lips move closer and closer to her own and then there is no more distance as his surprisingly soft lips touch hers. The kiss is sweet, gentle as Clark almost tentatively feels the way forward. When he pulls back he speaks in a breathy soft whisper. "You have no idea how long I have been wanting to do that...Anna."

Rogue almost melts into a puddle at the way he said her real name there. He also sounds so Clark-like. No arrogance, no smugness. Even the look in his eyes is softer...full of caring like the Clark she knows...and wait a dang second! Why isn't her head full of his memories and her body flowing with his power?

Kal can see the startling realisation dawn in Rogue's eyes and he gently brushes his hand across her cheek. Rogue's breath hitches at the feeling of Clark's hand on her skin. It had been so long since the last time she had felt another's person's touch. Clark has released her hand by now and in response she takes it and touches Clark's cheek feeling the smooth warm skin under her fingers. She was actually feeling the warmth...the smoothness. People don't realise how precious a gift that is until you can't do it anymore. This was almost like a dream.

"It's not a dream Rogue," Kal says as if he is reading her thoughts. "I'll prove it."

Kal places his finger under her chin and tips her head up and then once more brings his lips in contact with her only this time the kiss is much much deeper. Rogue can't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in while he takes her by the waist and lifts her up to be more at his height as he presses his body right up against hers. While she loses herself in what is only the second kiss of her life there is this little tickling at the corner of her mind like Rogue is forgetting something.

What was it again?

Oh right. Red kryptonite. Fighting the Brotherhood. As much as her body might physically not want this to end Rogue knows that it must and she shoves Clark in the chest who relents and gives way a little. "Clark. Stop," she tells him.

Kal strokes some of that hair that he loves off her face. "I don't want to stop Rogue," he tells her his true feelings. "I've been wanting this for far too long to stop now."

Rogue pushes again at his chest knowing she can't move Clark unless he wants to move but as she shoves what she notices is missing is any lump under his shirt where the stone would be. "Clark where is tha stone?" she asks him.

Kal groans. Oh they are back onto that are they. Mood killer if there was ever one. "I don't know where people get this impression I'm dumb because I'm not."

"Ah have nevah thought that," Rogue tells him genuinely.

"Well you aside. Anyway I was certainly never going to leave it around my neck was I? That would have made it too easy for Jean to snap it off of me with that telekinesis of hers."

"So where is it?"

"Oh somewhere. Maybe you could strip search me and see if you can find it," he suggests as a cocky smile creeps back onto his face.

Rogue rolls her eyes. The arrogant cocky jackass was back.

Both their attentions are caught by a thumping sound as something lands atop the brick pile. Kal steps back and allows Rogue some breathing space. She pushes the thought aside of how bereft she feels without Clark's body pressed up against hers.

Kal looks up to see Alicia standing there over a defeated Nightcrawler. Alicia had finally gotten a hold on him allowing her to choke him out which she did in the ruthless manner Mystique had taught her. "Alicia honey! I knew you had it in you!" he says in praise of her.

"Oh now she is your honey. Funny how it was meh a few moments ago," Rogue mutters angrily at his ever changing attitude.

Kal scoffs. "Ignore her Alicia. She is just jealous."

Alicia teleports herself to Clark's side. Yes. That is what most probably it is. The Goth is just jealous of her and Clark.

"In fact," Kal continues. "She was just saying how she is a better choice for me because she could kick your ass."

Rogue scowls. Clark is just flat out lying. Well except for the kicking Alicia's ass bit. Rogue could certainly do that.

"Did she?" Alicia asks him to confirm sounding most unhappy at that.

"Oh yeah. Well actually she also muttered some other stuff in French that is best not translated."

'What the hell!' Rogue thinks to herself. Why yes it is true when she is extremely angry she will mutter a few insults in French, she comes from a part of Mississippi which is essentially bi-lingual, she did no such thing. What is Clark up to?

Kal pats Alicia on her bottom. "Go get her honey!" he encourages Alicia.

Rogue is getting a little tired of this. She yanks her other glove off and takes the stance and readies herself. Rogue may not like using her powers but with it obvious Clark is up to something the quicker she puts an end to this the better.

Alicia cautiously circles around Rogue. She knows that one touch and this fight is over. She must get the first blow in and make it count. Alicia vanishes in her haze of green mist.

Rogue slowly turns on the spot looking for any sign of her opponent. Where is she?

"7 o'clock," Kal says suddenly.

Rogue spins round to that position just as Alicia materialises and swings a kick which Rogue ducks under by rolling out of the way. Alicia frowns. She hadn't heard Clark calling out as she hadn't materialised yet so she doesn't know how Rogue managed to dodge that.

Of course what Alicia should have been doing is paying way more attention to where Rogue rolled to as Rogue sweeps her leg around into the back of Alicia's legs knocking the blond girl on her back. Haze's uniform covers everything but her hands and her face. Rogue makes the attempt to touch her face but Alicia rolls out of the way before vanishing in another green haze.

Rogue stands up and eyes Clark standing there looking on and looking terribly amused by the whole thing. She wonders why he is helping her.

"6 o'clock," Kal tells her.

Rogue swings round with her fist leading this time and manages to clock Alicia right in the face just as the blond haired girl materialises. Alicia stumbles back but manages to stay on her feet. The contact is brief but Rogue feels a trickle of power flow into her and this time it is she that vanishes in a green haze.

"Oh now that is kinda cool," Kal has to say. With that ability Rogue has the potential to be immensely powerful. Second only to him.

Alicia shoots Clark a glare. Whose side is he on anyway. The answer if she was to ask is that Kal is on only one side. His own.

Rogue meanwhile had teleported herself next to Kurt. Her light tap from Alicia will only last a minute at most so she needs to do this quickly. She touches Kurt's forehead. "Sorry Kurt. Need to borrow your power," she mumbles quietly to his unconscious form. Rogue then does something only she is capable of doing and combining two different powers at once and they are different. Rogue can tell.

Rogue vanishes in a **bamf! **Her reappearance is signalled by the same noise alerting Alicia who throws a punch as hard as she can at the puff of smoke and hits...a green haze?

Next thing Alicia knows is two hands from behind on her face. Rogue had used Haze's power to teleport from within the puff of smoke to behind Alicia. Alicia cries out as Rogue drains her power to the point Alicia slumps to the ground unconscious.

Rogue bends over breathing hard as Alicia's memories pour into her head and she sees it. Sees it from the first moment how Alicia planned this whole thing with Mystique's help. Sees all the lies she spewed. Sees how she planned to separate Clark from his friends. Planned the incident in Clark's bedroom. Planned to place the red kryptonite on him in the, what Rogue knows to be foolish, belief that Clark would join Magneto's side but it is more than that. Rogue can feel that Alicia has genuine feelings of attraction for Clark and she wanted to do something that would allow them to be together. It had to be this way because Alicia doesn't have any doubts about Magneto. Rogue can see that Alicia is a 100% signed up convert to the cause.

Kal moves to Rogue' side giving her a round of applause. "Way to go sweetheart. I knew you could take her."

Rogue looks at him and frowns at his tone of voice. "What are ya on about?"

"I told you Rogue. I was onto Alicia's little game. All I didn't know was how much she knew about me."

It all falls into place in Rogue's mind including why he helped her there. "Ya set this whole thing up so ah would absorb her."

Kal grins proudly at his achievement. "Bingo!" He looks down at Alicia. "It is amazing how she never found it weird that I didn't ask how she knew about red kryptonite but I did wonder and the answer is..." he looks at Rogue expectantly.

Rogue searches through Alicia's memories. "She overheard you talking to your parents where you made the joke about how if the earring was made of red kryptonite you would be joining up with the Brotherhood."

"I knew I heard something," he chastises himself for letting it go so easily. "Where did she get the stone from?" he asks Rogue.

"Smallville. She...took it from a...class ring I think it was that she stole."

Kal nods. He figured there were probably some of those still lying about that people kept even after the school supposedly recalled them all. He looks at Rogue once more. "What about Magneto? What does he know?"

Rogue's brow furrows as she concentrates. The memories are starting to slip away. "Nothing beyond what we think he knows. That you are vulnerable to the meteor rocks."

"Oh well. I knew that already."

"She was never interested in joining the institute. It was all about getting you," Rogue adds.

"Well I can't blame her for that. After all who wouldn't want me."

Rogue rolls her eyes again at that remark. "I mean getting you to join up with the Brotherhood and Magneto Clark," she corrects him bluntly although there she knows for Alicia personally it was more than that but Clark doesn't need his ego boosted any further.

Kal shrugs utterly unbothered and gently runs his fingers down Rogue's arm. "So now we know that I can touch you how about you and me blow this place," he suggests to her. "It's way past time I was leaving this dump anyway and I was thinking you could come with me."

Rogue pulls away from him so as not to be even slightly tempted. "Clark. What it is way past tahme for is that ya give up tha stone."

"Nope," he says simply.

"Why not? You've got what ya wanted?"

"Gee do I have to spell it out for you Rogue. It's like a drug. It makes me feel good. Why would I want to give it up? Besides I like being like this. Allows me to air my thoughts. Speaking of which I have a few more to get off my chest before I leave." He then zips away towards where the X-Men and Brotherhood are still fighting acting on his sudden impulse.

Rogue suppresses a groan. Clark is obviously not going to make this easy. She uses Alicia's power to teleport herself away since Alicia's power has a bigger range. She needs to get something if she is going to stop Clark.

Back with the fight Jean has found herself gotten separated from the others. Not good. On the plus side she has her tormentor off the ground in a telekinetic vice grip.

"Put me down!" Pietro demands of her.

Jean actually smirks. "Sure Pietro. Anything you ask." She then flings him so he impacts into some timbers which bury him. He doesn't get back up.

"Ooh. Nicely done Jeannie."

Jean turns round to find Clark standing there, arms folded across his chest with the smirk. That smirk is starting to annoy her.

"Let me ask you a question Jean. How dumb are you?"

"What?"

"I mean seriously. Just exactly on a scale of 1 to 100 how dumb are you? 95? 96?"

"Clark. Where is this coming from?" she asks him because from what his parents said red kryptonite tends to allow Clark to air views he would otherwise keep to himself so therefore she reasons that this must be coming from somewhere inside him.

"It comes from having to watch you prostitute yourself for Duncan Matthews for 3 long months."

Jean's jaw drops at Clark's coarse language. It is also starting to raise her ire. "I would never prostitute myself. Duncan and I have never..." she trails off not wishing to go into her personal life.

"I was referring to your dignity Jean!" Kal shouts out totally exasperated at how dense she is being. "I mean why the hell are you dating him. You're a telepath for crying out loud! How can you not know what he is like."

"What are you on about?" Jean asks still as clueless as when this conversation started.

"He is an obnoxious bully and that is just for starters."

Jean is slightly offended by that on behalf of her boyfriend. "Clark I don't know where you are getting this..."

Kal cuts her off. "How about 3 months of being bullied by him and yeah before you say it I could have beaten him to a pulp at any time I wanted but my problem is I'm too nice. Thankfully my little red friend allows me to give the nice guy the shove which allows me to do this." He then pulls out the miniature recorder from his pocket and presses play.

Jean listens on in horror as the whole conversation plays out. Her face turns ashen as Duncan admits cheating on her. She raises her hand to her mouth as tears well up.

Kal lets out a sigh and moves beside her where he puts his arm around her. "I'm sorry I had to do that Jean," he says with sympathy. "But if you want I can promise to make you forget all about Matthews." His hand then slides down to her bottom where he proceeds to cop a feel.

Jean's head whips round and she glares at him full of hurt and anger and she lashes out with her powers giving Clark a telekinetic shove hard enough that it would probably cave in a normal person's chest. In response Clark goes flying through the air before he slides across the ground to a halt.

Kal picks himself up and dusts himself down. "Touchy," he callously remarks. He tries to be nice, do the right thing and what does he get for his troubles. Kal's attention is caught by a bang which is Fred still trying and failing to hit Scott with things. Ooh. Next person he needs to say something too. He zips to Fred's side. "How's it going Freddy?" Kal asks.

"I'll get him," Fred says sounding a little breathless. "If he would just hold still."

Kal looks at Fred. He looks like he is about to keel over. Mystique needs to ease down on those training sessions otherwise Kal thinks Fred here might not last much longer. He pats Fred on the back. "You take a breather. I'll deal with him."

Fred collapses at this point and lies flat out in his back on the ground.

Kal turns his attentions to Scott. "Well here we are Scotty." Just the two of them. Kitty was...he listens...huh seems she and Lance were trying to make up again and Evan was still trying to take Toad down. Just like Kal said Evan was a joke if he couldn't even take Toad down. "I have to ask before we get down to this. What exactly is that stick up your butt made of?"

Scott is taken aback by that question. Kal continues. "I mean seriously. What is it? Steel? Adamantium? Because you just don't seem to have any idea how to relax and have fun? Me on the other hand...I've been having a ball for over a day now."

"Clark is there any way this is ending without us fighting?" Scott asks him.

"Not a chance. I'm having way too much fun."

Scott was afraid Clark would say something like that.

"Tell you what Scott. I'll give you a free shot," Kal says with his full cockiness present. He holds his arms out giving Scott an open target. "Hit me with your best shot Scott!" Kal challenges him.

Scott's hand goes up to his visor and he unleashes a maximum blast. It hits Clark dead on and he tumbles head over heels.

Kal pushes himself back up to his feet feeling if anything slightly weaker but he thinks he must be imagining it. More likely he just underestimated how powerful Scott's blasts are. "Not bad," he remarks. "My turn!"

Kal's eyes glow and he unleashes his own heat vision back at Scott who reacts instantly and unleashes another blast. The two energies collide head on battling for dominance. They seem to be at a stalemate when a sudden nausea and weakness hit Clark. His heat vision falters and Scott's blast hits him on his shoulder twisting him over and he hits the ground face first. Kal groans in discomfort. It feels like...and he looks up to see Rogue standing over him holding a chunk of green kryptonite.

When Rogue had teleported off it had been back to the mansion to get another piece. Beast kept a couple around for his studies. "Ah'm sorry Clark. Ya left meh no choice," she says with regret.

Kal manages to laugh through his pain. "You always have a choice Rogue."

"Scott!" Rogue shouts at him. "Get over here and help meh find tha stone!"

Scott rushes over and turns Clark over as Rogue holds the chunk of green kryptonite near enough to keep Clark subdued. Scott looks through Clark's pockets and pats Clark down trying to find it. Rogue then spots a red gleam off the over elaborate belt buckle Clark has. She has to reluctantly admire his ingenuity to hide it there. "It's tha belt buckle Scott," she tells him.

Scott undoes the belt, yanks it off and tosses it into the air where he blasts it to pieces. Rogue places the chunk of Kryptonite back in its lead box. By the time she looks back at Clark she can see he is out like a light for some reason.

By now Logan has come back round. Seeing that it is over he orders that they pick up the wounded, walking or otherwise, including Clark and head home.

As Logan and Scott drag Clark towards the Velocity Rogue lingers a bit behind them, her fingers brushing over her lips which even now still tingle slightly from the kiss she and Clark shared. She is caught between her anger at Clark for setting this whole thing up and essentially using her and the sheer amazement at what it felt like to be kissed. Rogue had almost given up hope that she would ever know what it would feel like. It does the beg the one blindingly obvious question though.

How is it possible?

* * *

_Author's Note: So yes I made the choice to have it that Rogue's powers don't work on Clark. I'll write an explanation as to why they don't work on him later. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. __Next up; Dealing with the aftermath of Clark's red K bender._


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Mystique watches as 5 bedraggled figures slowly march into the house. Their appearance and expressions lead to only one unbelievable but undeniable conclusion. "You lost."

Mystique shakes her head. It is unbelievable. Then again she should never have let Kal talk her into allowing this showdown so soon into her training regiment. Speaking of Kal. "Where is Kal?" she asks turning her gaze to Haze who out of all of them looks the worst.

Alicia shakes her head very slowly. "He was gone when I woke up so I don't know."

Mystique frowns. "Woke up?" she queries.

"Rogue," Alicia says simply.

Mystique lets out a small sigh of exasperation. "What did I teach you when battling Rogue? You never ever let her get the upper hand because..."

"One touch and its over," Alicia finishes. "I know. I know. I'll fix this. I promise. I just need to rest."

Mystique places her hands on her hips. Part of her wants to chew Haze out a bit more but having been on the receiving end of Rogue's touch even she doesn't have the heart to make the poor girl feel any worse. "Alright. Wash up and go to sleep. We'll discuss what to do in the morning."

Alicia nods and starts the arduous task of climbing the stairs as do the rest of them. As Lance walks by Mystique notices he doesn't look quite as bedraggled as the rest of them. That is because he is putting it on mostly for show. He never really fought. Lance couldn't bring himself to fight Kitty. Instead they talked about where he and she stood and he thinks it means they are back together. Lance hopes so. He knows it is awkward with them being on opposing teams but he can't stop thinking about just how pretty she is and when she looks at him with those big beautiful blue eyes of hers...

Lance stops himself going down that road too far or Mystique might notice something is off.

What Lance doesn't realise is that Mystique only allows this relationship of his with the Pryde girl because she sees it as a potential means of gaining information about the X-Men and what they are up to. To Mystique it is nothing more than that and when the day comes she thinks this relationship has outlived its usefulness to her she will put an end to it.

Alicia takes many slow heavy steps up towards her room. Being absorbed by the Rogue is just about the worse thing she has ever felt and worse it meant she has no idea what happened to Clark. Being as he is not here she can only assume that the X-Men defeated him somehow and took him back to the institute. Well she'll do something about it as soon as she has rested. She is not sure what exactly but something because when Magneto hears how badly she has mucked this up...well he is not going to be happy and that is an understatement.

She gets to the room she shares with Tabby to find the blond girl lying on the bed. Alicia manages a small smile. She likes Tabby quite a bit.

Tabby stands up when Alicia enters the room. "Damn girl. You look like hell. What happened?"

Alicia gives Tabby the same answer as she gave Mystique. "Rogue."

"Ah," Tabby says in understanding as she helps Alicia to her bed. "Trust me been there. I know how you're feeling." Tabby lowers Alicia onto her bed.

"What like death warmed up?" Alicia manages to sarcastically quip.

Tabby shrugs. "It could be worse."

"Like how?"

"You still have your boyfriend." Alicia's whole face falls when Tabby says that. "What is it? What did I say? Where is tall, dark and damn he looks gorgeous in black?"

"I don't know," Alicia says wearily as tears sting her eyes. God her first ever boyfriend and she allowed him to be snatched away.

Tabby sits down next to Alicia and wraps her arms around her as she comforts it. Tabby may be a wild child by nature but it doesn't mean that she doesn't care.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

"You can't avoid them forever son," Jonathan tries to tell Clark.

Clark currently sitting on his bed in his room where he went to hide once he had woken up replies "I can try," he stubbornly insists as he prays for something to show him that this is only a nightmare he is having.

Red kryptonite is probably the closest Clark will ever get to knowing what being drunk or high feels like. Unfortunately unlike alcohol he doesn't get the luxury of not being able to remember what he did. Clark gets to remember it all in HD quality. Every insult he laid, every flirtatious comment...and oh dear god he hit on Kurt's mother.

He buries his head in his hands. How the hell is he ever going to explain that one to Kurt?

Jonathan lets out a sigh and moves to sit next to his son. "Clark. No-one is badly hurt," he informs his son as to how everyone else is after the fight.

"No-one should be hurt at all," Clark says with guilt welling up inside him. "I should never have put anyone in that position."

"Then why did you?"

"It was red kryptonite dad!" Clark says in his defence.

"Which doesn't make you do anything you don't want to or at least think deep down," Jonathan reminds Clark. "So I ask you again Clark why did you do what you did?"

Jonathan feels he needs to get Clark to open up. Part of the problem with how Clark reacts on red kryptonite is his tendency to bottle things up until his feelings find a way out via the red meteor rock where everything then explodes out like a volcano.

Clark takes a few moments to consider what to say. "Because I needed to know what Alicia knew and I knew that the Professor would never forcibly look inside her mind and Rogue would never absorb someone unless she had to so I...manipulated them into that fight."

"And everything else you did?" Jonathan asks his son.

Oh god where to start there? Clark is saved for the moment by a knocking on his door. "Come in Professor," he says having used his x-ray vision to glance who it is.

The door opens and Charles rolls in to find father and son sitting next to each other on the bed. "I hope I am not interrupting," he says.

"No not at all," Jonathan tells Charles.

"How are you doing Clark?" Charles asks the guilt ridden teen.

"Depends. Do you know any good holes that could swallow me up?"

Charles can detect the shame and regret in Clark's voice. "Clark from my understanding this red kryptonite simply brings up what could be considered your inner personality...your id to use a term. Now I understand that sometimes it is hard to reconcile the fact we have darkness in our souls when we believe we are basically good."

"No-one else's Mr Hyde gets to take over their body and walk around in it and insults all their friends and uses them though do they," Clark argues.

Charles will admit that one may be unique to Clark although... "Clark as a telepath I can tell you that every day I have to work to keep my more darker urges in check because as a result of my power they have a more direct way to access the outside world."

Clark looks at the Professor in surprise at what he is saying.

"We all have darkness within us Clark. Even myself," Charles admits. "It is how we face these demons within us that defines a person."

Jonathan is surprised too at Charles admission until he figures out that in saying this Charles is hoping to get Clark to open up.

"They are all mad at me aren't they?" Clark asks in reference to his friends.

"Some more than others," Charles tells Clark from what the telepath has sensed from everyone. "Now why did you say those things Clark?" he asks in reference to everything Clark said to people in the hope to get Clark to open up which Charles feels the boy really must need to. The only way to mend all this is to have a honest discussion and not try to sweep it all under the carpet like it didn't happen.

Clark almost automatically snaps 'red kryptonite' in response but that would not be utterly truthful. It only let out some feelings he has had for some time. He takes a deep breath. "I never meant to hurt them Professor. Not really. I just thought they needed to hear some truths."

"Go on," Charles gently encourages Clark.

"People...friends they have characteristics or they do something that annoys you or you think they are wrong or being dumb but you let it slide because you don't think it is your business or simply because they are your friends. When I am on red kryptonite the inhibitions that make me decide to keep silent are swept away and I tend to air what I really think regardless of how crass or upsetting it may be."

"I see. Well Clark sometimes people need a dose of honesty even if it hurts their feelings in the short term."

Clark's gaze drifts down to the floor as he thinks back on everything he said to his friends. Even if the Professor is right it doesn't really ease Clark's guilt very much at his actions. "I would like to be alone for awhile," he tells his dad and the Professor.

Charles respects Clark's wishes and leaves. Jonathan stays behind because he has something else to say to his son. "Clark. I need to apologise on behalf of myself and your mother."

Clark looks up at his dad with a puzzled expression. "For what?"

"For not believing you about Alicia being in your room," Jonathan explains feeling a little shameful after learning the truth.

Clark lets out a sigh and holds a hand to his pounding head. After being on red kryptonite he suffers a sort of...hangover he guesses is the closest description. If it was daytime the sun would soothe it in a few minutes. Since it is night-time he is going to be stuck with it until the sun rises most likely. "It's ok dad," Clark says forgiving him because he guesses he can understand what his parents were thinking and also simply because he is feeling too tired right now to try and stay angry or hold a grudge. Besides it is not really in his nature to stay angry at the people he loves. "Where is mom?"

"She thought you might be more willing to speak to me alone but I'm sure she'll come see you later," Jonathan explains.

Clark nods.

Jonathan moves and places his hand on his son's shoulder. "Son. Are you ok?" he asks at the sight of him.

"I'll be fine. Red K hangover. It'll pass."

"Are we ok?" he asks a different question in relation to their relationship.

Clark manages to look up at his father and smile. "Of course dad," Clark assures him.

Jonathan can detect...disappointment perhaps in Clark's tone despite his son's assurance. Disappointment that he and Martha hadn't trusted Clark more. He doesn't feel great about himself about not trusting Clark more. Maybe he let personal experience cloud his judgement because once upon a time when he was Clark's age he did something regrettable involving kissing a girl when he was dating another. He should not have projected his mistake onto Clark though. Jonathan swears he will make it up to Clark. "You still want to be alone?" he asks Clark making sure that is what his son wants right now.

"Please," Clark requests needing time to think and reflect on everything he has done as he lowers his head back into his hands.

This time Jonathan concedes to the request and leaves Clark be. A few minutes after his father has left while Clark wallows in his guilt he hears footsteps approach and somebody else barge in to his room. "Hello Scott," Clark says without even looking up.

"What the hell did you do to Jean?" Scott demands to know. He had...felt how upset Jean was on the way back here. Sometimes he could feel her emotions particularly when they were strong. Since Jean's power surge last year there had been this...link between them. Now Jean was in her room crying her eyes out and Scott had come to the conclusion, the only one he could reach, that Clark must somehow have something to do with it.

Clark sighs very sadly as he stands up and heads to his wardrobe. He opens it up and inside is that black costume he came up with which really looked better in his head than it did in practice. He reaches into the pocket and pulls out the miniature recorder and tosses it to Scott.

"What's this?" Scott inquires as he catches it.

"The answer to your question. Now you should go, listen to it and then go and be Jean's best friend. She needs you more than you need to be here."

Scott eyes Clark carefully as Clark moves to sit back down on his bed. Scott can almost see the guilt weighing Clark down from the way his shoulders are hunched.

Clark sits back down and looks up at Scott. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Scott. You really are a great leader despite what I said. After all you managed to knock me flat on my face which if it makes you feel better stung a lot more than I let on."

Well secretly Scott will admit that does make him feel better. He looks at Clark back sitting in his bed. "Will you be alright?" he feels he has to ask Clark because Clark doesn't look all that great right now.

"Oh sure. I only insulted half my friends, manipulated you all into a fight, snogged another girl and frankly for that alone I'm amazed Rogue hasn't tried to kill me yet but I seriously doubt she will ever talk to me again. Our relationship could well be over so to sum it up I'm just peachy. Thanks for asking," Clark says sarcastically.

Scott has no idea what to say in reply to that so he instead decides that perhaps Clark would better want to be left alone. He goes back out the room closing the door behind him. He then presses play on the recorder and listens to Clark's conversation with Duncan where Duncan admits cheating on Jean.

That slimy piece of filth. Scott is almost about to explode with anger and is sorely tempted to find Duncan and punch his face in. Scott didn't know he could hate anyone as much as he hates Duncan right now but realises that Jean needs him more than his urge to make Matthews pay.

Scott quickly makes his way to Jean's room and knocks on the door. "Jean. It's me. Scott. Can I come in?"

The door opens and Scott finds Jean on her bed still. She must have used her telekinesis. He finds her trying to wipe a runny nose and he can see her eyes are red and puffy from crying. It is making Scott's heart bleed to see Jean like this.

"What is it Scott?" Jean asks him and in response he holds up the miniature recorder for her to see. "Oh."

Scott moves and sits on the bed next to her. "Jean. I am so so sorry. Duncan...the guy's a moron and an idiot and a whole lot of other unpleasant words I can think of."

"I feel...god I'm suppose to be a telepath and I couldn't even see what my own boyfriend was up to!" The lamp on the bedside table wobbles at her burst of temper. Jean shakes her head. "I am the world's biggest fool."

Scott puts his arm around her and she leans into him without thinking about it. "You're too good for him Jean. If he can't see what a wonderful person you are then he doesn't deserve you. You shouldn't spill a single tear over him. He isn't worth it."

Jean simply leans into Scott and embraces the warmth and comfort he is giving her. Much more than Duncan ever managed to do for her. "Thank you Scott. You're a good friend."

Yeah. Friend. That is what Scott is alright but now she knows the truth about Duncan maybe Scott can start to move it on beyond that. Not right now obviously. She hasn't even broken up with the jerk and he doesn't want to be the catch on the rebound but maybe given a little time.

"Scott?" Jean queries his name.

"Yes."

"Tomorrow when I end it with Duncan will you..."

She doesn't even have to say it. "I'll be there with you if you want Jean. I'm always here for you."

Jean places her arms around Scott's waist and he can feel her squeeze him slightly. It's a small thing really but it's a start in what Scott hopes is a step in the right direction for their relationship.

* * *

"Man...what a night!" Evan expresses his opinion about what they have gone through this evening.

"I have to like totally agree," Kitty says. Although she and Lance managed to avoid fighting each other and perhaps took a step forward in patching up their shaky relationship.

Kitty and Evan were just taking it easy in the lounge before bedtime. The New Mutants are there too as they had been getting caught up on what happened tonight. Kurt is also there and apart from a sore throat when he was choked out he wasn't all that badly hurt in his fight with Alicia although his mind was still trying to catch up on her revelation about being his sister. Rogue was there too a bit cut off from everyone in the corner lost in her own thoughts about this evening's events. Mostly she is really angry as it sinks in more that Clark played her and everyone else like violin strings.

"What's up fuzzy?" Kitty asks Kurt seeing him stare into space.

Kurt's jaw opens and closes a few times before he finally says "I have a sister."

"What!" almost everyone there says in surprise.

Kurt tells them what Alicia told him before they started fighting about Mystique adopting her and now being her legal guardian.

"Huh? Never saw Mystique as the type," Bobby has to honestly comment.

Jubilee tries to sum this up. "So let me get this straight. The girl who as far as we can figure drugged Clark up in an attempt to get him to switch side..." (which is all Rogue would say as to the reasons why) "turns out to be your foster sister."

Kurt nods.

"This is so..." Kitty trails off as she searches for the word to describe this.

"Totally messed up?" Evan offers. "No offence Kurt but seriously..."

"Ja. I know," Kurt says with a sigh. It just added to his hurt and confusion in relation to his biological mother.

Rogue despite her gnawing anger at everything feels for Kurt. Mystique. Who could figure the woman out? Not her certainly and that is really saying something coming from the person who has a part of Mystique's mind in her head. As Kurt said it though a memory of Alicia's flashed into Rogue's mind of Alicia's real parents and her hatred and anger towards them and comparing that to an actual like and respect of Mystique. It was so...twisted really because Rogue now knew what true fate had befallen Alicia's parents and that Alicia was actually glad they were dead. The girl was a borderline psycho in Rogue's opinion. No wonder she joined Magneto. Rogue decides that perhaps tonight is probably not the best time to tell Kurt that though.

* * *

A little later that night Logan is walking down the corridor when the elevator doors to the lower levels open and out walks Storm, small bandage on the right side of her head where the chunk of ice clocked her. She had just left the infirmary after Hank had given her the all clear with the instruction to take it easy.

"You alright Ro?" Logan queries after his friend.

Ororo manages a smile at his show of concern. "Just a bit of a headache. Afraid we are not all blessed with your regenerative powers."

Logan absently rubs his jaw. Despite his regenerative powers it almost still hurt. Could that kid ever hit. He shakes his head as he suddenly remembers something.

"What?" Ororo asks him.

"Nothin."

"Oh no. It's something. I know you Logan. Spill it. What just crossed your mind?"

Logan knows Storm will not let this go until he gives so he gives. "I was just remembering before we left how Jonathan told Cyke that Space Boy was dangerous in a way he couldn't imagine. He was right but not in the way I originally thought."

"What do you mean?" Ororo asks a little lost.

"Stripes said it on the way back. Kent set that whole thing up so Rogue would absorb that Baker girl. He played us Ro. He knew we would not let him leave without a fight. Combine that with the powers he has and that makes him extremely dangerous."

"By the Goddess you are a depressing man Logan!" Ororo says with surprising fury.

"What?" he asks completely lost at that outburst.

"First off Clark was essentially drugged and not in his right mind and second must you always look at the worse case scenario?"

Logan shrugs. "Someone has to. What happens next time the Space Boy gets high on red rocks?"

"What happens if someone ever manages to drug you in any way?" Ororo retorts. "I would consider you a dangerous man under those circumstances."

"Ro you have no idea," Logan warns her darkly. She cannot comprehend how dangerous he is.

"Don't I?" she asks pointedly. "I think I can well imagine just how much damage you could cause with your claws and lets not forget just how much damage I can do."

"Ro. You would never hurt anyone unless they deserved it," he says in total belief in her kindness of spirit.

Ororo is touched by that remark. However that will not sway her from the point she is trying to make. "Logan. I can command the weather to do anything. I can flood out entire countries if I so chose to. All of us here could be considered dangerous but that is exactly the point of this institute. We teach control. We prepare ourselves to deal with mutants who truly are dangerous and must be stopped. That includes each other should the need ever arise. Today we learned something about Clark so if this ever reoccurs we will be better prepared. If anything the blame for my sore head rests on our shoulders because we perhaps did not take Clark as seriously as we should have."

Easy thing to do really. Clark was so good natured and mild-mannered it had never occurred to Ororo she might have to face him as an adversary. As she said an oversight on all their parts.

* * *

It is getting late now, not that far from when they are expected to go to bed. Many already are in their rooms. Clark is wandering the corridors lost in his thoughts still trying to process everything he did and why he did it. So lost is he that even his senses don't see who has just walked around the corner until he almost knocks her over. "Rogue!" he says his voice slightly squeaky.

Rogue fixes Clark one of her infamous glares.

Clark rubs the back of his neck nervously. "How are you?" is all he can think of to say.

"Ya used meh," Rogue says and the anger in her voice is extremely strong.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry!" she spits out in fury. "Sorry ain't goin ta cut this Clark. Ya knew what Mystique did ta meh. How she used meh. Lied ta meh. Manipulated meh and then ya do exactly tha same!"

"I'm sorry," is all he can say again.

"Why Clark? Why did ya do it when ya knew how ah felt?"

There are tears in Rogue's eyes and it is killing Clark that he has caused her pain. "I am so so sorry Rogue. It wasn't that I didn't know how you felt or that it would hurt you. It is just when I am on red kryptonite..."

Rogue's eyes narrow. "It is just what?"

"It is just I don't care about anyone's feelings but my own." He takes one of her hands into his own. "Please. Forgive me."

Rogue pulls her hand back. "Ah'm sorry Clark. Ah can't. It isn't ya using meh either. There was tha last 2 weeks where ya ignored meh in favour of her and then...Ah took Alicia's memories. Ah know what ya and she did together."

Clark closes his eyes and silently mutters an expletive in his head. He and Alicia had done some serious making out. Partly because he needed to keep her sweet so she would accompany him to the construction site. Partly because he wanted to make out with a cute girl. That's Kal for you. "What do you want me to say Rogue? Whatever it is I'll say it."

"There is not anything ta say Clark. Ah know ya were drugged but...ya hurt meh."

Pain like someone punched him in the gut with kryptonite assails Clark. Oh god. How could he? Even under red kryptonite. How could he hurt her?

Rogue turns to leave.

"I meant it."

Rogue stops and she frowns. "What?"

"What I said at the construction site when we kissed. I meant it. I had been wanting to kiss you for ages but I didn't think it was possible. I truly didn't know I could touch you."

Rogue had been doing everything in her power to try and forget that kiss, how it felt, how it made her feel and anything else that might make her forget why she is so damn angry at him. She says nothing in reply and walks off as a tear trickles down her cheek. She leaves a completely defeated Clark behind who can't stop as tears trickle down his cheeks as he faces the reality that the he has just destroyed the first honest and best relationship in his life and as of right now he has no idea how to fix it.

* * *

_Author's Note: I have come to realise that the aftermath of Clark's red K trip is going to take more than one chapter to resolve so it will continue for a little while yet. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Early the next morning Clark drags himself out of bed dreading the day ahead. He has so much apologising and making up to do with his friends. He is making his way to the bathroom to wash up when he bumps into another figure walking towards him in her yellow nightshirt. "Jean."

Jean stops a few feet from Clark. She hadn't seen him since the fight last night. Not surprising considering she spent most of it in her room brooding over her soon to be ex-boyfriend. Although Scott staying with her helped improve her mood slightly. She can't remember the last time she really just hung out with Scott like last night which is odd since he is her best friend. "Clark," she says his name back.

"Jean. I am really sorry about last night. I never meant to hurt you," Clark swears. Open her eyes to the blindingly obvious he meant to do but hurt her no. Unfortunately like he said to Rogue last night Kal doesn't really think about small details like other people's feelings.

Jean then says something which surprises Clark. "You were right."

"What?"

"You were right. I am dumb," she says in chastising herself for not seeing through Duncan.

"No you're not Jean. I mean I'm sure you were just trying to see the good in Duncan." Although what good that is Clark had never seen it. "That is perfectly natural."

Jean smiles slightly at Clark's complement of her. "That's a nice thing to say Clark but it should never blind you to who someone really is."

"I suppose...but still I am sorry."

"Clark you were drugged."

"It doesn't excuse me."

Sheesh Clark really does have this guilt trip thing down doesn't he Jean thinks to herself. "It's alright Clark. I forgive you."

"You do?" Jean nods. "Thank you."

"One question though," Jean requests of him. "Was it really necessary for you to cop a feel?"

Clark's cheeks burn red as he remembers doing that. "Um...well...you see...the thing there was..." he stammers and stutters out.

"Yes?" Jean asks for him to continue.

"The thing is...you are a beautiful girl," he says trying to be honest with her. Clark spent last night thinking and trying to come to an honest assessment of why he did what he did so he reckons he might as well be honest with Jean here. His words make Jean smile once more. "And on red kryptonite my inhibitions are basically stripped away so..."

"So like a typical boy who may have drunk too much you thought it was perfectly alright to grope me," Jean supposes.

Clark cringes slightly. Grope is such a strong word and alcohol intoxication is not exactly the same although it is probably the closest comparison. "I am sorry Jean. That was way over the line for what is acceptable behaviour."

"Yes it was," she confirms for him.

"And well you did put me in my place," he points out in reference to her shoving him away. "By the way you can really...mind punch."

"Mind punch?" Jean repeats finding his description amusing.

Clark shrugs. "I'm not sure what the right term is."

Jean shakes her head. "Clark I think if Freud was still around he would have a field day with you," she jokes.

Clark scratches his head. "Maybe...but I don't think Freud ever had a degree in alien psychology 101."

Jean chuckles. "Clark from what I saw, weird reactions to meteor rocks aside, in many ways you are the typical teenage boy."

"Is that a compliment?"

"No," Jean says laughing as she does so. What she is referring to is the tendency of teenage boys to have only one thing on their minds. Her laughter dies down. "Clark I guess I need to apologise too. We didn't believe you about Alicia and I can't give you a good reason why really."

"Jean I don't blame you. I can see why you could think that but I can't lie and not say that it didn't hurt that you didn't believe me. It would be where some of my anger came from that the red kryptonite unleashed."

Jean bites her lower lip feeling a tad guilty. "Still we should have been more open minded."

"Yes you probably should have but as my father told me from an early age, probably after I broke something accidentally with my strength, we all make mistakes. The key is learning from them."

Jean nods in understanding. The way they treated Clark was a mistake. One he is asking them to learn from.

* * *

As Clark heads down to the kitchen his mood is slightly better after leaving Jean as it seems he has repaired one of his friendships today. He enters the kitchen to find Storm and his mother there. A Storm still with a bandaged head. "Miss Munroe I need to apologise," Clark says taking the opportunity. He is also constantly reminding himself to look her in the eye and not anywhere else. Especially not in the places 'Kal' decided to look at using x-ray vision.

Ororo stops helping Martha makes the varying breakfasts for a moment and turns to look at Clark. She had not forgotten what he did with his x-ray vision but with Martha here perhaps this is not the time or place to mention that. She is certain Clark is embarrassed enough. "You were drugged Clark," she says excusing him from his behaviour.

"I know but I am still sorry for hurting you. That was never my intention."

"What was your intention Clark?" Ororo asks because Clark had taken it upon himself to stop herself, Beast and Wolverine.

"I just needed to keep you out of it until Rogue and Alicia met..."

"so Rogue would absorb Alicia," Ororo finishes. The odd thing about this situation was that in one way Ororo has to admire Clark's cleverness. The way he went about it was of course unacceptable but as she learned more she could understand how he could do it once you stripped away those more moral parts of yourself. If Clark could be guided correctly and his intellect focussed properly Ororo can see potential in him for being a great leader one day.

Clark nods feeling very guilty at his manipulations. Without the red kryptonite he would never have used the people he cares about like that. He looks at his mother who at least is not as angry at him as she could be. In fact she looks kind of sympathetic to his plight. Probably due to the fact Clark knows she feels rather guilty about not believing him about Alicia. She had come to see him last night and apologised and Clark inevitably forgave her. After all she is his mother and he loves her and has no desire to stay mad at her. Besides Clark thinks it may be for the best the quicker he can put this behind him and move on.

* * *

After his breakfast Clark heads back to his room to find Kitty apparently waiting for him. "Um morning Kitty."

"Morning Clark," Kitty says back plainly not revealing anything as to why she is here waiting for him. Although Clark can guess it is to do with his red K antics.

"How are you?"

"Fine."

"How-How's Rogue?"

"Angry and hurt."

Clark visibly winces. "She is never forgiving me is she?"

Kitty slowly rolls her head from one side to the other. "I would give it a few days before you even attempt it and then if you want my advice you grovel, beg and plead for her forgiveness and then do whatever else it takes," she says half-joking.

"Why are you giving me this advice? Aren't you angry at me?"

"Funnily no," Kitty finds herself saying. "Also I have been Rogue's room-mate for awhile now and you know what?"

"What?"

"Since you got here she has been happier than I've ever seen her and if you can get over this I would like to see her that way again."

"I want that too."

"Then take my advice," Kitty tells him.

"Thank you Kitty."

Kitty shrugs and shoots Clark a smile. "It is like totally alright," she says in that Valley Girl accent of hers. "Though I have to know one thing."

"What?"

"About what you suggested you and I do at school."

Clark's eyes widen and his cheeks redden as he remembers his words to her. "Um...well...you see...the thing there was," he finds himself stammering and stuttering again.

"Yes?"

Clark decides like with Jean to go with honesty. "You really are very pretty Kitty."

Kitty visibly beams at that remark.

"And...um...please don't make me continue this conversation," Clark pleads because he really doesn't want to relive what he said or what he was actually thinking when he said it.

Kitty grins evilly. "Oh I don't know. You did imply some things that go beyond friendship Clark."

Clark chews on his response and remembers what Jean said. "Err...I'm a typical teenage boy."

Kitty bursts out into a laugh at that comment because she does get what he means.

"You are enjoying this aren't you," Clark comes to realise that she is gaining enjoyment from putting him on the spot.

"Like immensely!" Kitty tells him.

"You are going to be using this against me for a long time to come aren't you."

"Decades to come," Kitty promises him.

Clark lets out a sigh and then remembers something. "So you and Lance are back together I hear."

"What?" Kitty says caught off-guard by that one. "Where did you hear that?"

Clark points at his ears. "Last night Kitty. I heard."

"Oh." He means the talk she and Lance had instead of trying to fight each other. "Right. Well I guess we are. It would be better if I could persuade him to come here but he is kind of stubborn on that issue but I'm guessing you know that," she says in reference to Clark being at the Boarding House.

"Not really. I wasn't there long Kitty and I was not really interesting in bonding with anyone. When I'm under the influence I don't care all that much about anything but myself. I know that sounds awful but that is the way it is."

"Clark we all like have selfish sides," Kitty argues with him.

"Mine gets to take over my body though."

"Yeah. That is probably unique to you but like hey...if we wanted normal lives we would never have come here right?" Kitty says with some humour.

"Right," Clark agrees with her.

"It'll all work out Clark. You'll see," Kitty tells him a little more seriously.

Clark hopes so.

Kitty moves onto something else. "I like guess also I should say that I'm sorry for not believing you over Alicia being in your room but not for about the couple of weeks before it."

"I know. I know. You and everyone else was right. I ignored Rogue. I know. As for your apology Kitty...it is not in my nature to hold grudges against people...well except Lionel Luthor but that one is justified. I think it may be better if we put this behind us and move on."

"Still I do think I should have had like more faith in you."

"Yes Kitty you should have," Clark says bluntly. While he is not planning to hold a grudge against anyone he does feel they should have known better. "But as I have been telling everyone else we all make mistakes. The key is learning from them."

Kitty nods feeling a little guilty at herself for not having a little more belief in Clark. Hopefully like he said that is a mistake she will learn from.

* * *

Later still that same morning Clark is getting ready for and dreading school. His talks with Jean, Storm and Kitty had improved his mood until he realised that school was coming. He still has to apologise to a few people yet, especially Evan, and then there is the fact he has to see the Brotherhood and especially Alicia and oh yeah lets not forget that because 'Kal' skipped the detention Principal Kelly laid on him he now has an entire week's worth of detention as a result. Kelly phoned his parents to tell them all about it.

Clark picks up his glasses from his bedside table. 'Kal' had not been fond of them for the obvious reason he looks kind of dorky with them on but Clark needs to wear them. He slips them on just as there is a knock on his door. "Come in."

In comes Kurt. "You ready?" Kurt asks him.

"No...but I don't have a choice do I." Clark palms his face for a second. "Are you alright after last night?" he asks Kurt.

Kurt rubs his throat after the choke Alicia put on him last night. "Vell my throat stings but not enough to get me off."

"I'm sorry Kurt," Clark apologises. "I never meant for anyone to get hurt...at least not seriously. I have made a complete mess of everything."

"Not necessarily," Kurt disagrees with Clark's assessment. "I mean I saw Jean and Scott and zhey looked to be a lot closer than I remember zhem. In fact Kitty tells me Jean is breaking up vith Duncan today. You had somezhing to do vith zhat didn't you?"

"Maybe." Clark then tells Kurt how he managed to trick and record Duncan admitting cheating on Jean and then played it back to her.

"Vell good," Kurt says expressing his opinion.

"I hurt her feelings," Clark says guiltily.

"Ja. Maybe but she is vay better off vithout zhat jerk so I zhink it for zhe best in zhe end."

Clark has to admit that he agrees. Jean is massively better off without Duncan. Although Clark will no doubt feel the wrath once Duncan learns why Jean is breaking up with him. Well not like Duncan can actually do anything to him but still...it won't be fun.

"Can I ask you somezhing?" Kurt says.

"You can ask me anything."

"Vhen you vere insulting everyvone," Kurt begins to say and can see Clark visibly cringe at the mention of that. "You never really insulted me. Why?"

"Well I did say some things," Clark shamefully has to remember.

"Vell in vone sense you vere correct. I do hide myself avay but you could have said a lot vorse."

"Like what?"

"You could have called me a freak or a monster or a demon."

Clark shakes his head. "Kurt. I don't think of you like that. Even my obnoxious jerk of an alter ego doesn't think of you like that."

Kurt is genuinely touched by that. That even deep down Clark has no dislike of him simply of how he looks.

"Also I'm sorry for blowing out at you about taking Rogue's side," Clark adds. "I know you were right about me spending too much time with Alicia."

"Yes vell I'm sorry for not being more vocal about believing you over Alicia's appearance in your room," Kurt says back feeling a bit guilty over it.

Clark appreciates that. As Kurt said friends should be honest to each other and Clark had been genuinely annoyed at how everyone seemed to not believe him but he has no wish to hold grudges so he accepts the apology. Clark takes a deep breath. "This is going to the day from hell," he says expressing his opinion on the day ahead.

"Vell yesterday vasn't much fun either," Kurt points out. "Everyvone got to see a side of you zhat I zhink zhey didn't realise existed."

"It exists unfortunately and worse it gets to joyride around in my body from time to time. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Clark Kent, alien."

Kurt smiles at Clark's attempt at humour. Moving on. "Speaking of veird. Alicia said somezhing to me last night and I vondered if you knew anyzhing about it."

"Knew what?"

"Apparently Mystique adopted her and she is mein sister now."

That knocks Clark completely for a loop. "Kurt...I had no idea. Alicia's relationship with anyone was not exactly top of my 'To Do' list and honestly I wouldn't have cared about finding out." As he takes a minute more to think on it Clark now comes to the realisation that along with hitting on Kurt's mother he made out with his sister. Oh yeah. Clark is definitely in hell. "I have no idea how to deal with Alicia," he admits to Kurt.

"Join zhe club because I have no idea either," Kurt says. After all how does he deal with the fact he technically has a sister who since she arrived here was plotting to drug his friend up in some attempt to get Clark to join the Brotherhood or something like that. "Are you mad at her?" Kurt asks Clark.

"She drugged me so to be frank..yes! But what to do about it...I mean what can I do?"

Kurt agrees it is a pickle because what can you do considering the lives they all live short of them taking matters into his own hands somehow which is not something they can do or would ever considering doing.

* * *

Lunchtime that day had allowed the realisation of a couple of things. One; Alicia didn't show up. Clark wishes he could be surprised. From Kitty via Lance apparently she is still feeling drained from Rogue's touch. Clark only wishes he could feel more sympathy. Two; apparently you are either in the Brotherhood or you're not and Clark is not so they are back to their usual annoying selves although Pietro is a little more subdued than normal. Could have something to do with the bruises on his neck Clark left. Pietro had been the most reluctant one to join in the fight. It was only Mystique's order that made him do it.

Clark sits at his table and pokes at his food. Truthfully he is not really hungry. His gaze transfers to Rogue who is sitting away from him and his heart pinches painfully. He really hopes she can find it to forgive him once her anger at him simmers down.

"She still not talking to you huh?"

Clark looks up to see it is Evan who is sitting down next to him. "No." Clark then takes this opportunity to do what he hadn't found a good time to do so far today and apologise. "Evan. What I said to you...that was wrong. I'm sorry."

Truth be told Evan was sitting down next to Clark to sort that very thing out. After Clark had said it Evan had actually asked his aunt that very thing about whether she was disappointed in him. She assured him that she was always proud of him. "Look Clark I thought on it and you know I could spend days being mad at you but lets face facts you weren't yourself. So lets just let bygones be bygones."

Evan just didn't see the point really of holding some long term grudge against Clark when he was drugged and not in his right mind.

"Thank you and I'll say I said it more because I was mad at you for interrupting me than anything." That is in fact the truth. Evan interrupted him, he was annoyed so he decided to say something as hurtful as he could think of even if part of Clark really does think Evan takes things too lightly and goofs off but you know everyone is different and those differences are what you should appreciate about life.

"Man. I should have known my big mouth was responsible," Evan jokes.

Clark manages a very small chuckle. "I am sorry Evan," he repeats his apology.

"Yeah. I believe you. It's fine. Just as long as we don't have to fight you again."

"Evan I never want to do that again either," Clark assures him.

With that settled Clark's gaze turns back to the main thing on his mind; Rogue. It is not the only thing on his mind though. Alicia is the other thing. What the hell he does in relation to her Clark still has no idea.

* * *

At the end of the day and Clark finds himself alone in the corridor as he finishes putting away things in his locker. He had had the fun of staying for detention and now was just looking forward to going home as weird as that sounds. He had missed the Jean/Duncan break-up although he had heard her yelling. Hell half the school heard her yelling. He is certain he'll get the details from someone when he gets home.

Suddenly Clark feels two hands grab his shoulders from behind and a green mist fills his vision before he finds himself standing in the park. "So I see you've added kidnapping to your repertoire," he dryly comments as he turns round to find Alicia standing there. "What? Drugging me not enough for you?"

"Clark I can explain," Alicia says looking not as pathetic and apologetic as Clark wished she would. Not very wholesome thoughts he knows but he is angry at her.

Clark folds his arms across this chest. "This ought to be good," he says with unrestrained sarcasm. "Go ahead Alicia. Explain."

"It was for the greater good."

"The greater good. I see," he says very dryly. "Alicia remember Rogue took your memories as well as your powers so I know the truth," he points out to her so she doesn't bother trying to concoct a whole new web of lies.

"I know I lied Clark but Xavier's dream is a fantasy and I thought..."

"That I would somehow magically think that if you place a substance on me when you don't even know what it really does."

"I heard you..."

"Yes. I know. You heard me speaking to my parents. Alicia I was making a joke!"

"But...but you came with me..." she reminds him.

"So I did," he has to admit with a sigh. Not his best decision even under the influence.

Alicia reaches into her pocket and pulls out another necklace with another red stone attached. When she was stealing the first one she thought it a good idea to get a second one as a back-up just in case. This is her attempt to fix things and she has to fix it before Magneto finds out so she is doing this on her own initiative. She had not discussed this with Mystique because she needs to prove she can correct her own mistakes.

All Clark can do is laugh at her naivety. "You really think that is the solution Alicia?"

"Yes," she says. "Put it on Clark and then-then everything will be alright."

She has no idea Clark realises. No idea at all what the stone really does to him. Well then Clark will just have to show her. "Ok then Alicia. Lets find out shall we. Lets find out if everything will be alright." Clark then snatches the rock from Alicia's grasp and wraps the chain around his hand a few times. His eyes glow a ruby red and the arrogant smirk returns. "Hello Honey. I'm back. Now go ahead and ask me what it is I want."

Alicia isn't sure where that question comes from but she asks it. "What do you want?"

"Whatever is in **my **best interest because you see Kal has only one rule. He does whatever is in Kal's best interest. Magneto can go suck on a magnet for all I care. Mystique needs to get laid or at least get a half decent haircut and don't get me started on those losers you live with."

Alicia is taken aback by the venom in Clark's voice. "B-but what about you and I?"

Kal twists his lips into the most mocking irritating smile he can manage. "Here's a newsflash sweetie. I was using you."

"W-what?"

"Oh come on Alicia. You place a rock on me you shouldn't know a thing about and you didn't think I would be at least curious. Sheesh. I've heard of dumb blondes. Made out with quite a few of them. I can see you are the archetype."

"B-but..."

"B-b-but," he makes a mock impression of her. "But what?"

"But you and I..." she tries to say again. She and him. They were a couple weren't they. He and she...made out on the couch. It was great or at least it was for her. "What we did together...?"

Kal laughs at her stupidity. "I needed to keep you sweet until I could set up that fight."

"Y-You what?"

"Set it up," he repeats. "So Rogue would absorb you and I could learn all your dirty little secrets and ooh boy were they dirty. You bad bad girl and while I do like bad girls not ones who are working for a Grade A asshole like Magneto."

Alicia sniffles as she tries not to cry and show weakness like Mystique said she should never do.

"Aw. What's the matter Alicia? Did I bweak your whittle heart?" His smile is now the snidest one he can mange. "Did you think you and I would be a couple? Get down to the down and dirty? Newsflash! Rogue managed to turn me on more with a couple of kisses than you could manage in a whole night of making out on the couch."

Tears start to roll down Alicia's face as she can no longer hold them back as Clark shatters her delusions.

Alicia's tears don't affect Kal because he is just a heartless bastard and proud of it. "Go home Alicia. I have no interest in Magneto's cause or in being with you," he tells her bluntly and quite callously. It was why he needed the red kryptonite. He could never had done this otherwise.

Alicia vanishes in her haze of green mist and Kal looks down at the red stone in his hand. It makes him feel so good but it is also responsible for why Rogue is not even talking to him now and he wants Rogue to talk to him. He wants to be able to hold her, kiss her now that he knows that he can and this chunk of his home is not going to help him. He debates with himself for several minutes before he unwraps the necklace from around his hand and drops it to the ground where he proceeds to crush it under his boot. In the next moment Clark is gone leaving only the crushed remains behind.

* * *

Later that night Logan enters Cerebro to find Chuck with the helmet on doing whatever it is he is doing.

"Something I can help you with Logan?" Charles asks without looking round.

"One small detail. What do we do now that we know for certain Magneto has a teleporter on his side?" Logan queries because that makes security damn near impossible. Also Chuck had held out more hope than Logan that the girl was more conflicted than it turns out she was.

"First we come up with a method of tracking her which I have finally succeeded in doing."

Logan steps right up to the Professor's back and peers over his shoulder at the display. "You finally managed to get a reading on her?"

"With Alicia using her powers so frequently since she arrived combined with an impression of her mind I got off Rogue I have managed to alter Cerebro to detect her yes," Charles explains to Logan.

Logan looks at the display as it zooms in to the Boarding House. On this display humans are white dots and mutants are red dots. What Logan sees is the red dots of the Brotherhood and one green dot. "The green one her?"

"Yes. Her brainwaves are different from x-gene mutants and considering the colour of the meteor rocks I thought green would be an appropriate colour." Charles re-directs the scan to Kansas.

"What are you doing?"

"Now that I can detect Alicia I have a basis with which to perhaps detect all the meteor mutants. In theory."

Charles zooms in on Smallville and makes tiny adjustments to Cerebro. At first there is nothing then a green dot pops up. Then another and another until there are dozens of them.

Logan lets out a whistle. "There sure are a lot of them."

"Indeed. In a town the size of Smallville normal law of averages would only produce 2 x-gene mutants."

"That's a few more than two Chuck."

Charles looks at the readout. "Yes I know. If I am reading this right I would say there are about 200-300 of them." Which means that the meteor rock has increased the rate of mutation in Smallville by at least 100 times from 1 in 25,000 to 1 in less than 250.

Logan sums up this situation thusly. "We're going to need a bigger boat."

* * *

_Author's Note: I felt like I needed that Clark/Alicia scene where he had to dispel once and for all any illusions she might have had about them. Oh in case you were wondering the Jean/Duncan break-up will be told as a flashback in the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

_It may not have been Rogue's best idea ever but it was all she could think of to try and stop her boyfriend who was drugged up on a space rock. She was going to sneak up on him and use her powers to take his. One problem. He heard her coming and now she finds herself pinned up against this pile of bricks with Clark hovering over her, his body pressed up so close to hers that it is probably illegal in some states._

_The next thing Rogue knows is that he dips his head and that his lips are moving closer to hers. Then they are touching hers. Rogue braces herself for the inevitable but it never comes. Her powers for whatever reason aren't working. Clark deepens the kiss and Rogue finds her hands moving to wrap around his neck while his hands take her by her the waist and lift her up slightly because he is so tall._

_She feels Clark's tongue gently probe at her lips which open as she invites him in. Her tongue meets his. The feeling of pleasure shoots through her entire body so much more intense than she ever dreamed. Clark moves on to her jaw and kisses his way down to her throat. Her body feels incredibly hot. "Oh God Clark!" she can't help but moan out as Clark works what seems like magic on her neck. His hands are exploring her body and despite her uniform it feels incredible. She feels like she is going to spontaneously combust right here and right now and hell a part of her would welcome it._

_Clark then blows in her ear and Rogue shivers in response. "What do you want Rogue?" he asks her, his voice so incredibly husky and sexy._

"_You," Rogue finds herself saying. "Ah want ya."_

_Clark's hands move to start to remove her uniform, sliding the zipper on the back down. His hands slip onto her back and slide across her skin leaving scorching burning trails of fire running up and down her spine. He moves to slip the top of her uniform off..._

**BANG!**

Rogue shoots up in bed breathing hard, her body flushed with heat. She takes a moment to regain her senses and finds Kitty standing there with one of her magazines rolled up which she must have used to create the banging sound. "What tha hell Kitty?" Rogue asks her room-mate very annoyed at being woken up.

"Rogue. You talk in your sleep," Kitty tells Rogue with this rather amused expression on the Illinois native's face.

Rogue realises what it is Kitty must have heard and places her hands over her face to cover her embarrassment. "Ah can explain."

"Oh. This is like going to be good," Kitty says in anticipation at what Rogue is going to offer up.

"On second thoughts no ah can't," Rogue changes her mind.

"Do the words 'Oh God Clark!' whispered in a desperate moan like ring a bell?"

"Kitty. Please," Rogue pleads of her friend.

Kitty rolls her eyes. "Like ok. Don't get all worked up. Everyone has _those_ kind of dreams." Kitty herself has had one or two with Lance in a staring roll. "Although I thought you were like still totally angry at Clark," she adds.

It had been a few days since the whole thing had passed and Rogue herself wasn't as angry as she was. The few days had allowed her temper to cool off but still it hurt to think on how Clark had used her. On a related topic Rogue had noticed that at school Alicia had been looking terribly depressed moping around and avoiding Clark as best she could. In return Clark had barely given Alicia a glance of even modicum interest. She had heard from Kitty who had gotten it from Kurt that Clark despite normally being a very nice guy was extremely angry at Alicia for what she did like Rogue is similarly angry at him which explained Clark's disinterest in the blonde teleporter.

Kitty sits down on the edge of Rogue's bed. "Are you like ever going to forgive him? He was drugged you know."

Rogue lets out a sigh. "Ah know and that ah can forgive him for. It was tha 2 weeks before that that ah can't...just yet."

"Yeah. Ok there you know I like totally agree with you but you can't resolve that if you don't talk to him Rogue. Boys, even Clark, are pretty thick at things like this. You would need to talk to him and remind him and then I'm sure he'll like totally grovel on his knees and stuff and beg your forgiveness. Or you don't talk to him and you stay Miss Miserable and Broody."

Kitty is saying this because otherwise Rogue may never get around to it. Rogue could really hold a grudge or be angry at someone for a really long time so some prompting on Kitty's part is needed to move this along.

Truth was Rogue did feel miserable. She did miss Clark. "Ya know Kitty ya do always seem ta defend Clark a lot," Rogue points out.

Kitty shrugs. "He's my friend. He's a nice guy and well with him it is probably the closest I have ever felt to having a big brother," she says in an honest appraisal of her feelings towards Clark. "On the flip side I told you before how I think he is good for you."

Kitty saying that reminds Rogue of how Clark manages to make her smile, laugh, safe in his arms. The way he makes her feel good about herself. She misses that.

"Also you could look at it this way," Kitty argues. "You get the best of both worlds. You have on one side the great sweet upstanding guy yet underneath is this bad boy trying to get out and lets like face facts everyone loves a bad boy. I'm betting even you."

Ok Rogue won't say that Clark didn't look gorgeous dressed in all black but it is the sweet guy she really likes. She makes a decision. "Alright ah'll talk to him but ah make no promises about anything else," she tells Kitty.

Kitty brightens up. "OK. Then. That's like totally great." Kitty then yawns. "Well back to bed."

"Kitty," Rogue stops her.

Kitty looks at Rogue. "Yes?"

"There is something else. Something ah haven't told anybody. Something ah need ta talk ta somebody about but ya have ta promise ta keep it a secret."

Kitty could hear the very serious tone in Rogue's voice. "Of course Rogue. If it's something personal you know I would like keep it secret."

"Yes. Ah know," Rogue confirms to her friend. She takes a breath. "It was during the fight. Ah was tryin ta sneak up on Clark so ah could use mah powers on him and end it."

Kitty nods. "I assume that didn't go as planned," she says from the fact as to how it actually ended.

"Clark heard meh with those ears of his and grabbed mah arm before ah could touch him."

Kitty frowns. "Rogue. Did he hurt you?"

Rogue shakes her head and dispels that idea quickly. "No. Ah mean when ah think on it ah guess he could have easily but no he didn't."

"Oh. Ok," Kitty says with some relief. "So like what did happen?"

"Clark kissed meh...and nothing happened."

It doesn't quite click in Kitty's mind what Rogue means. "What do you mean nothing?"

"With mah powers Kitty. They didn't work on him."

Kitty's eyes widen in surprise as the revelation sinks in. "But that's like...impossible. Isn't it?"

Rogue shrugs. "How do ah know? Ah mean there is nothing on Earth ah can't absorb."

"But Clark's not from Earth."

"Do ya...do ya think it could be that simple? They don't work on him because of what he is?"

Kitty shrugs. "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one but I am no expert on your powers Rogue. You would really need to like ask the Professor or Mr McCoy."

"When things between meh and Clark are straightened out ah will," Rogue decides to wait until.

Kitty decides to just accept that and since she is tired she goes back to her bed and back to sleep.

Rogue stays awake and brings her knees up to her chest as she thinks on things. She finally finds a guy she can touch but she only finds this out after they have had a fight and are not talking to each other. Her life can just never be normal can it?

Well she'll talk to Clark but as for forgiving him...well his grovelling better be really good because if she does forgive him and that is still an if at the moment she is sure as hell going to make him work for it.

* * *

Talking to Clark was going to involve small steps Rogue decided in the morning. Start with a simple 'Good Morning' at breakfast. She hadn't even given him that for the last couple of days.

When Rogue says that to him Clark just blinks at her in almost total astonishment. It takes even his brain quite a few seconds to formulate the reciprocal response. "G-Good Morning. How are you?"

Rogue stops and looks at Clark while she ponders her reply. She doesn't want him to think everything is fine and back to the way it was just yet. "Mostly fahne."

The glimmer of hope in Clark's eyes fades slightly. "Only mostly?"

Rogue shrugs. "Still some...issues that need resolving. Ya know about these last few weeks," she adds as a not so subtle hint about his behaviour.

Clark nods in understanding. "I'm working on that," he says as a promise and he is. He hasn't spent the last few days moping around. Well not completely. He is working on making it up to Rogue.

Rogue sits herself down at the table a deliberate distance away form Clark with several people between them. The tension between Rogue and Clark had not been all that fun to live with but it had been great gossip material. Apart from Rogue most of the students had let go of any lingering anger at Clark. They all understood he was drugged and not quite in a right state of mind.

Two of the people between him and Rogue were Scott and Jean sitting next to each other. Ever since she broke up with Duncan they always seemed to be together. Pools had already broken out about which one would ask who out first and when Scott and Jean's first date would be.

Jean's break-up with Duncan had been a sight to behold as he first tried to deny everything only for Jean to pull out the recording Clark had made and play it in ear-shot of what must have been at least 50 other people.

**Flashback.**

"_J-Jean I don't know who has been feeding you these lies but I would never cheat on you," Duncan swears to his red-headed girlfriend. They were standing in the middle of the corridor with scores of other students walking by and this was the last place he wanted to have a discussion where Jean accused him of cheating on her. Ok so he had but how the hell did she find out. Duncan bets Summers is probably behind it. Feeding her lies. He knows that Summers keeps sniffing around her._

"_Is that so?" Jean says back her voice icy cold. Duncan had never heard her use such a voice. It was...scary._

_Jean pulls out the small rectangular recorder and presses play. Duncan's eyes widen in horror as he listens to his words._

"_Jean...Jeannie. I-I can explain that," Duncan stutters out while he desperately tries to think of an excuse._

"_Don't bother Duncan because read my lips; WE ARE THROUGH!" Jean yells causing virtually half the school by now to stop and eavesdrop in on this drama. "And oh before you even think about blaming this on someone and trying to get them back let me make another thing perfectly clear. If I hear you harmed one hair on any of my friends..." Jean's smiles turns cold and calculating. "Well remember how hard I kicked the ball with that free-kick in the game last week?" she asks Duncan in reference to her last soccer game where she scored with this belter of a free-kick._

_Duncan nods._

"_Well if I find out you have done anything to my friends I will repeat that on your two...balls."_

_Every male in hearing distance of Jean visibly winces and Duncan visibly pales at the visual Jean is describing. Even Scott who was off to the side giving her moral support like he promised visibly winces at that visual. Who knew Jean could even think of anything that malicious?_

_Scott makes a mental note to never ever piss Jean off._

Back at the table everyone continues to tuck into their breakfasts and they chat about everyday stuff. Duncan must have taken Jean's advice to heart because Duncan has not tried a thing on Clark...yet anyway. Duncan could just be waiting until he thinks Jean has calmed down past the point she won't carry out her threat.

The morning news comes on the radio reporting how some robbers had been found tied up in front of the police station along with several other reports about someone stopping all sorts of other crimes and saving people although no-one ever saw the person responsible. The explanation the guy on the radio comes up with is speculation that Bayville has some kind of vigilante stalking the streets.

* * *

At the Bayville Boarding House Haze is pacing nervously outside of Mystique's room. Right now Mystique is on the phone to Magneto telling him how basically Alicia blew it with Clark. Mystique had put off telling him as long as she could but he had to be told. Told that what Alicia thought would happen with Clark hadn't happened at all. That she had completely misjudged the whole thing. Not to mention how much it had hurt the callous way he rejected her in the park. Ok so that part Mystique won't tell him but it did hurt...a lot and it still does. Alicia had cried herself to sleep that night.

Alicia had liked Clark as well. She really did but he...used her. Some small voice at the back of her head points out that she was doing the same to him but that was totally different Alicia told herself. Clark shouldn't be left with Xavier and his fantasy. Only Magneto can ensure the future of mutantkind and Clark with all his powers would have been a valuable asset in the war to come.

The door opens and Alicia's heart rate increases as Mystique exits the room. "Well?" she queries.

"He is...disappointed," Mystique chooses as the way to describe it.

Alicia's shoulders droop and she bows her head. "Does he want me to return?"

"He did...but I don't want you to go and I told him so." Mystique has become somewhat fond of Haze and having her around has triggered some long dormant parental feelings. She failed with Kurt. She failed with Rogue. She won't even mention her other son. What a disappointment he is. Pathetic flat-scan human but she won't waste any more thought on him. In a strange way fate has given her another chance and Mystique wants to take it so she argued with Magneto over the phone and he reluctantly agreed to let Haze stay with some conditions attached. "When he needs you for something you will have to go no questions asked," Mystique tells Alicia one of Magneto's conditions.

Alicia nods. "Thank you," she says at whisper touched deeply that Mystique went out on a limb for her. "What does he want done about Clark?"

"Nothing...for the moment. He is busy with other...plans," Mystique answers vaguely. Vaguely because Magneto did not tell her what he is up to so no change there then. She would think she had done enough to deserve some trust by now but apparently not. Mystique places her hands on Alicia's shoulders in a friendly reassuring gesture. "Now. You should get ready or you'll be late for school," she tells her adopted daughter.

Alicia nods and heads to her room. Mystique may have adopted Alicia for technical legal reasons but she has to say she is probably closer to Haze than to any of her actual children. Well Mystique has to get these bunch of misfits out of here and off to school. Keeping up appearances is a must until Magneto's plans reach their fruition. Then she has to go to work to her new job. Not that she is thrilled about doing what she has to do. It is for Magneto so she can keep an eye on certain people for him.

* * *

That day at school Clark is getting his books from his locker when a voice speaks to him.

"Can I speak to you?"

Clark turns his attention from his locker to his side where Tabby is standing, her arms folded across her chest looking...angry Clark would guess the expression to be. He slams his locker shut and pushes his glasses up his nose. "Sure Tabby."

"Alright I know that it has been a couple of days but what the hell was all that about when you came and then left and you know Alicia spent a whole night crying on my shoulder after I guess meeting up with you. So spill it and no I don't know crap because I am not as dumb as people think."

"Tabby. Firstly I don't think you are dumb in anyway," Clark feels he should say. Ok he doesn't quite get why she is at the Brotherhood house. I mean he knows the whole story about her father and stuff but Tabby doesn't exactly sound like a signed up member of Magneto's vision. "Second what that was about was that Alicia discovered a substance that acts on me like a drug and changes my personality. She then drugged me in the belief I would somehow suddenly believe in Magneto's cause which by the way I never did for a second. Inevitably once I was off the drug I was a tad peeved at her and I told her that I was and that I had no interest in her." He says that in such a way to indicate he was way more than peeved at Alicia. He also is telling Tabby this...because how else can he explain it except with as much of the truth as he can get away with.

"I...didn't know," Tabby says a little sheepishly which is completely out of character for her. Though it does explain why he was acting so weirdly. "She really drugged you?" Tabby asks for him to confirm.

"Yes."

Tabby can't believe that. Alicia seemed so nice most of the time and not capable of that. Tabby may not be a saint but she certainly would never go around drugging someone. "I don't know if you want to hear this but she really does like you."

"Problem is I really like Rogue and...Alicia had my friendship and how did she repay it?"

"Yeah. I can see why you would be pissed. I would be to...but she is still my friend."

"Tabby I am not telling you who to have as your friend or what to do with your life but just be careful around Alicia," Clark feels he should caution her. "From what Rogue absorbed she is completely signed up to Magneto's agenda."

Something Tabby is not and recently, since Mystique returned, she really hasn't been loving living at the Boarding House all that much but she...returning to the institute is not an option either so she'll stick it out...for now.

* * *

Across town Lionel Luthor is reading through Colonel's Stryker's choices for his elite unit. They would be brought here during the next week or so and those that required it placed in Dr Essex's genetic stabiliser. So far he sees no reason to object to what Stryker is requesting which includes requests for funds and equipment to refurbish one of Weapon X's old facilities. Yes a second base of operations away from an urban area would make sense.

The more Lionel reads and learns about mutants the more possibilities present themselves in front of his eyes. Weapon X may have failed in its objectives but it didn't have his resources or ambition. His number one ambition being that in one of these mutants a cure is found for his disease but beyond that...

Lionel had tried before to create living weapons with his experiments. He discontinued them because they had not succeeded as he hoped but the breakthroughs Essex was making meant that perhaps it was time to pull that project out of its mothballs. The potential was limitless. Not to mention it would give him an advantage over Lex. His son was still trying desperately to pry into his affairs.

Lionel looks at a report sitting on his desk to his left and frowns slightly annoyed. It was a completely useless report on that school of Charles'. Lionel thought enough time had passed since the last time to try again. To summarise the report it said that the school was exactly as it claimed to be. Bah! Lionel didn't believe a word of it. His investigator had changed. Lionel didn't know what it was exactly but there had been this strange vacant look in his eyes when he talked about the school. It was like someone had gotten into his mind or something.

Then on top of all that there are the new rumours of some kind of vigilante patrolling Bayville's streets and Lionel thought Smallville was a strange place. Bayville, as it turns out, seems to be giving Smallville a run for its money in the weirdness stakes.

Lionel's attention is caught by a cup of tea being placed down on his desk. He breaks away from his work to gaze up at the person who brought it. A conservatively dressed brunette woman with black rimmed glasses and her hair in an unfashionable bun. "Oh yes you are covering for my secretary while she is away on maternity leave aren't you?" he suddenly remembers as this is not his usual secretary.

"Yes Mr Luthor," the woman says politely.

"What was your name again?"

"Darkholme Mr Luthor. Raven Darkholme."

* * *

_Author's Note: I will explain Magneto's sudden disinterest in Clark soon in case you were wondering. So Bayville has its own vigilante now. I wonder who that could be? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Lots of Clark/Rogue as they attempt to patch up their relationship._


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

It had been a couple of days since Rogue had begun talking to Clark again. A couple of days where she had dropped hints subtle and not so subtle about what she wanted from him. She had wanted him to make the first move because simply in her view he had been in the wrong. Yes he was drugged. She knows that. She means before that when he ignored her and spent more time hanging out with Alicia than he did with her.

Problem now was that he had still not made a move to apologise so now she was caught. She does want them to talk yet she is not going to be the one to make the first move. Worse part is who does she ask for advice?

Kitty is no expert with her on-again off-again on-again relationship with Lance. Jean had just broken up with Duncan and wasn't together with Scott yet. Mr and Mrs Kent...nice as they were happen to be Clark's parents so that's out. Everyone else here is single so she is lacking options.

After the X-Men's DR after school session Rogue heads back to her room to find a change of clothes. When she opens the door she finds lying on her bed this bouquet of violets in deep purple. Her favourite flower in her favourite colour but where did these come from. She can guess Clark she supposes but where did he get them from at this time of year.

There is a note attached to the flowers. Rogue picks them up and smells them for a moment before detaching the note and unfolding it.

_Rogue,_

_I decided to write this because I knew if I tried to say this I would completely mess it up. For all my powers it seems my mouth is as prone to verbal diarrhoea as they next guy's._

_I guess the most obvious place to start is by offering the most humble grovelling apology I can manage. You were right...heck everyone was right about the amount of time I was spending with Alicia. I could offer some excuse about having something in common with a fellow Smallvillian but the truth is that my basic ignoring you was unacceptable and inexcusable._

_I don't know how you'll react to this but I had come to that conclusion that night Alicia materialised in my room. I was planning to apologise to you the next morning but then Alicia showed up and you know how it went from there._

"Typical," Rogue can't help but mutter out-loud. If he had apologised then she would probably have been more inclined to forgive him but then all the craziness had to happen with Alicia and red kryptonite and Clark's alter ego who she still can't believe gives himself a different name. Rogue gets back to reading.

_So lets move onto to my time under red kryptonite. I wish I could offer an excuse but I can't really. I already told you how I could do what I did. I told you why I did it but nothing excuses the methods I used. All I can do is apologise which is completely inadequate. To summarise I messed up and badly. _

_This was and hopefully still is the best relationship I have ever had. Perhaps because it is the first one I have been able to be completely honest with someone about who and what I am._

_These last few days I've been thinking about everything a lot and I realised a few things I had never said to you although I can't think of a single reason why not. I really like you Rogue. You are warm and funny. I love when you uncork the sass. That's definitely a highlight._

"Uncork tha sass?" Rogue can't help but chuckle at. Only Clark could even write something like that. She reads on.

_You are smart and last but not least beautiful. That one I definitely cannot believe I never said to you before that night at the construction sight because you are beautiful Rogue, both inside and out._

Rogue realises that he is right. He had never called her beautiful until that night. She isn't sure anyone ever has before. The fact he wrote it here brings a warm feeling to her stomach. Back to the letter.

_So I think that's everything I can think of except that if you are even the slightest bit inclined to forgive me then meet me in the kitchen at 7 o'clock sharp so I can give you the other part of my gift to go with the flowers._

_Caring for you deeply, apologising grovellingly,_

_Clark._

"So he is finally making his move huh?"

Rogue turns round to find Kitty standing behind her. "Ah guess..."

"Took him long enough," Kitty has to remark. She had just gotten back from the DR session to find Rogue reading a letter and she noticed the flowers and concluded that Clark was finally making his move. That and Clark has been secretly planning something for a couple of days she knows. Kitty moves and sits on Rogue's bed. "So what will you do now?" she asks.

Rogue thinks on it for a moment. "He asked meh to meet him down in tha kitchen. Ah guess ah'll go meet him and see where we go from there."

* * *

When 7 o'clock comes and Rogue makes her way to the kitchen she can sense something is off. She had dressed in a pair of black jeans and a purple top. The mansion is too...quiet she realises. It almost sounds like no-one is here. When she reaches the kitchen door she can smell cooking and hear someone humming. Not sure what is going on she decides to knock.

"Come in Rogue," Clark's voice from inside permits her.

Rogue pushes the door open to find Clark placing cutlery on the table. A table adorned with a nice clean white tablecloth. There is an unlit candle placed in the middle. When her gaze turns to Clark she finds him in a dress blue shirt with the top button undone and dress black pants. "Um...hi," she says unsure what is going on.

Clark flashes her one of those award winning smiles. "Hi Rogue."

"What are ya doing?"

"Making you dinner," Clark says like he is stating the obvious.

"But what about everyone else?" she wonders since it is dinner time.

"I managed to talk them into ordering in," Clark tells her.

Rogue blinks at that. "Everyone? Ya managed..."

"To arrange...well an hour to ourselves." Clark pulls a chair back and gestures for her to sit. "Come on sit."

Rogue sits herself down. "How did ya persuade everyone ta go along with this?" she has to know.

"Oh it wasn't so hard really. Only had to sell my soul a few times over," he jokes. It had not been entirely easy. He had had to make varying promises to people but if it gets him and Rogue back together Clark won't be sorry about that.

Rogue can't believe he did all this for her. It leaves her fighting off the smile that is threatening to pull the corner of her lips up. "So ya are cooking me dinner as an apology?"

"Yes. I know it is not that much."

"Did ya really do tha cooking?"

"Well to be honest mom helped because I didn't want to mess this up. Like I said in my letter Rogue I am really sorry."

Rogue looks up into his blue eyes that were always incredible expressive and she can see the guilt and remorse in them. "Ya do know why ah was angry right?"

Clark nods. "I know. I know. I completely screwed up. I know how much it pains you when people try to use you. As I said before I knew that then but did it anyway because under red kryptonite I just don't care about other people's feelings. I only wish I could say it will never happen again but I can never be sure what I'll do if I'm ever exposed to red kryptonite again. I guess that is not an argument for keeping me around is it?" Clark bends down to be at Rogue's height. "What I can say...what I can tell you is that...Alicia tried it again."

"What?" Rogue's voice is incredulous with rage. "When?"

"A few days ago. She...abducted me and tried to persuade me to put another piece on."

"Ya refused," Rogue assumes from the fact he is here.

Clark shakes his head. "No. I said if she wanted to know the truth then I would give it to her so I took the rock and told her what I really thought of her. I was quite...callous in telling her that I was not interested in her in any way and that I was using her. It would be why she has been avoiding me."

"Ah wish ah could say ah was sorry or felt something for her but ah don't. Ah've seen inside her mind and take it from meh it is not tha nicest place. Did ya know she knew exactly what happened to her parents but doesn't give a damn. In fact she is kind of glad they're gone."

Clark's brow furrows slightly. "I had my suspicions. I was hoping I was wrong," he says sadly.

"Ya really do like ta see tha best in people don't ya?"

"If I can. With some people that's harder than others."

"What happened with the rock?" Rogue asks him.

"Oh I weighed up how good it made me feel against trying to make things up to you, decided that I wanted you back more and then crushed the rock to dust under my boot. I do genuinely care about you Rogue. Red kryptonite can't make me feel something that isn't there so I can tell you that even if it does happen again do know I really do care for you." This is why he started telling her this so she can see he really does care for her a lot.

The fact that Clark chose her over a feel good drug means a great deal to Rogue.

Clark stands up straight. "Well I better get on with dinner before our hour runs out." Clark then looks at the candle for a second and uses his heat vision to light it.

As Clark goes to lay the dinner out on plates Rogue asks "How long have ya had that heat vision of yours?" It had suddenly occurred to her she didn't know if he had always had it or whether his heat vision manifested suddenly like his superhearing.

"Oh a couple of years. The candle is a funny sort of tribute. When it first manifested I practised to control it by lighting dozens of candles. Spent hours doing it." He brings Rogue's plate to the table and places it down.

"Hours?" she queries.

Clark moves to the other end of the table where he is going to sit. "I had to get control of it before I hurt someone. I had already set the school on fire."

A smile comes to Rogue's face at that as she finds that image amusing. "Really?"

Clark nods. "Yeah. We were watching a film," (he isn't saying it was a sex-ed one), "and I suddenly felt incredibly hot. My eyes started to burn and itch and then my heat vision shot off setting the screen on fire. Lucky no-one noticed I did it and it wasn't a serious fire so no-one got hurt but it was...well terrifying to be honest."

"Terrifying?"

"That I suddenly developed a power which meant I could kill with merely a look."

Considering her own power to kill with a touch Rogue can understand what it was Clark must have felt. She turns her attention to her meal. It's gorgeous and as the hour passes she and Clark slowly slip back into having an easy conversation like they use to before.

About halfway through Rogue has to ask about some stuff she took from Alicia's head. "Clark. Ah have to know...what ah saw in Alicia's head...what ya and she did?"

Clark nods very sadly. He guessed that that would come up sooner or later and he had decided he was going to be as honest as possible with his reply. "I wish I could give you a good explanation. Part of it was keeping her on side but part of it was because despite appearances and the fact I am from another planet I do suffer from the same impulses as your average teenage boy...and she is pretty. I know you probably don't want to hear that but it is the honest truth. Red kryptonite strips me of my inhibitions so I made out with her as you saw from her memories."

Rogue swallows a small lump in her throat. "It is also because you knew you could touch her wasn't it?"

This is paining Clark a great deal. He knows how much her powers isolate and pain Rogue. "Rogue I..."

Rogue cuts him off. "It's ok Clark. Ya can say it."

"I don't want to. What I can say is that the whole time a part of me was thinking that you are so much prettier than Alicia and that I was wishing it was you I was kissing."

"Really?" Rogue asks hopefully.

"Really," he assures her. "Rogue honestly of course a part of me wanted to have that physical aspect of a relationship where I could kiss and hold someone. However I can promise you that the far in the way largest part of me only wanted you to be that person I could kiss and hold. Kal is a shallow jerk who lives off cheap thrills."

"Clark ya just referred ta yourself in tha 3rd person," Rogue points out.

"Yes well I don't want to admit that deep down there is a part of me that is that shallow and insensitive. I don't want to admit that there is a side of me that would ever hurt you like that..." Clark lets out a sigh. "But there is."

There is a moment of silence. "Ah remember when ya first told me about red kryptonite ah made a joke about it. Ah guess ah never really thought about what it was it really did ta ya," Rogue says.

"What it brings out of me Rogue," he has to correct her. "It is not easy to admit this but after the first time I was exposed I had to try and reconcile with myself that there was this darker side to me. It is something I am still trying to do. It is something you will have to learn to accept if you want to try this again."

With that said the two of them resume their meal while Rogue thinks about what Clark said. When the hour is almost over they stand close together at the kitchen door. "The meal was lovely Clark and ah loved the flowers too," Rogue tells him honestly. "By tha way where did ya get them?"

"Ok I know you hate secrets but can I keep that one?" he asks of her.

Rogue thinks about it. No guy had ever gotten her flowers before. She was not the type of girl who went into that kind of thing but she had found it a nice gesture and well... "Alright," she concedes. "Ya can keep that one."

Clark smiles. "Thanks." He then runs his had through his hair nervously. "So what about you and I?"

Rogue sighs. She has to make a choice. Forgive him or stay mad at him and truth be told Clark is really hard to stay mad at. Also she had basically already decided that she couldn't really hold over him the period when he was drugged. He did give her some honest appraisals of his actions at least. That she appreciates. It basically leaves the period leading up to it. Is she willing to forgive him for that. Is she willing to put up with him knowing he has a slightly darker side that can escape every so often?

"Before ah decide ah have ta say ah know ah went too far with accusing ya of cheating on meh," she says solemnly in reference to their initial fight. She knows that Clark didn't from Alicia's memories.

"But I did spend too much time with her at the expense of us. That was wrong," Clark says basically repeating what he said in his letter.

"Ah do think ah should say sorry for that and some of tha stuff ah said ta ya. Ah went a little overboard."

"No more than me and I'm sorry for what I said too."

Ok then. They've said their apologies. This is it Rogue guesses. Time to make her choice. She does so and decides to show Clark what it is by doing something she has been thinking about ever since the fight. She takes her gloves off and tucks them in the waistband of her jeans. She looks straight into his eyes so he can see what she means to do. She then places her hands on Clark's chest and as she does so she can feel his heart start to beat faster and harder. She steps forward to close the distance between them and moves her hands to his shoulders.

In response she can feel Clark gently place his hands on her hips and he lowers his head slightly. She stands up on her tiptoes and their lips meet softly. Rogue had not been lying about thinking about this. She has been denied touch for so long that now she knows she can touch him she has been craving his touch. Clark wraps her arms around her waist and pulls her even closer while her hands wrap around his neck where she can feel the skin and his hair at its nape as their kiss deepens.

Part of Rogue would love to go further but they are only just back together so she reluctantly takes her hands and pushes at Clark's chest gently and he pulls his head back and lets her go. When his eyes open Rogue catches a slight amber glow fade away. She guesses that is a response to his emotions.

"Wow," Clark says in a breathy whisper which makes Rogue smile.

"Ya are not so bad yourself sugah," she says with some sass.

That makes Clark smile in response. "So...um...does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asks.

Rogue arches an eyebrow. "You have to ask?" she says a little surprised that he didn't get it from that kiss.

Clark shrugs struggling to think of what to say in explanation. "I...well I am kind of bad at this if you recall me mentioning Lana," he comes up with.

Rogue laughs a little bit. She finds his admission funny. "Yes Clark. Ah forgive ya." Then to emphasise this she places a little kiss on his chin. "Just don't do it again," she says softly.

Clark raises a hand. "Scout's honour," he swears. He then takes Rogue's ungloved hand into his own and for the first time since he has met her takes some time to get to know what her skin feels like to touch. He looks into her eyes. "We are going to need to talk about this aren't we?" he asks in reference to the ability of himself to touch her with seemingly no side effects.

Rogue nods. "And tell the Professor and Mr McCoy," she says going with what Kitty said that they might be able to explain how she can touch Clark.

Clark shakes his head slightly. "There is no privacy here is there," he comments at something he has noticed since he arrived.

"Fraid not," Rogue says with a resigned sigh as she takes her hand back and puts her gloves back on. "Well we better get this over with," she decides.

"Yeah."

Clark makes a step to leave but Rogue stops him. "Clark."

"What?"

She points at his lips. "Lipstick," she tells him in reference to the faint purplish stains she left behind on his lips and his chin from her purple lipstick.

Clark quickly wipes it off before he takes Rogue by the hand. Her hand which feels so right in his and he is so happy he can hold again as they go off to talk to the Professor and Mr McCoy about the touching development. Both of them with smiles plastered on their faces.

* * *

"So what is it you wanted to see us about?" Charles asks Clark and Rogue. He was sitting behind his desk while Hank was in the chair to the side. The two teens had made a request that they needed to talk to him and Hank about something that sounded quite urgent.

Clark and Rogue had not really figured out how to approach this really. Rouge decides to just get it out there. "Clark can touch meh."

Charles' eyebrows rise noticeably. "What do you mean?" he asks them to clarify.

Rogue takes one of her gloves off, takes Clark by his hand and raises them both into the air where the Professor can quite clearly see Rogue's bare hand touching Clark's. "Ah mean we can touch and mah powers don't affect him."

Hank leans forward in his chair. "Fascinating," he remarks. Rogue's powers alone were a bit of a mystery. He and Charles had not entirely discovered how they worked exactly and Clark was nearly as much as a mystery as when he first arrived. Hank then looks to Charles and the two have a quick telepathic discussion.

"Do you know how this is possible?" Clark asks either of them.

By now Hank and Charles have worked up a theory. Charles explains it. "While you know Rogue that we haven't gotten a complete understanding of your powers what we suppose happens is that when you absorb another mutant your x-gene in a sense mimics their x-gene and their powers for a short period of time although that is a simplification of the process."

"But how does that explain this?" Rogue asks.

"I don't have an x-gene," Clark points out.

Hank nods. "Precisely. Rogue your abilities evolved to work on humans and mutants. Clark is by far and above the most evolved lifeform I have ever come across. His DNA is immensely complex. In fact what may be happening is that Clark's DNA is so complex your powers simply can't locate what it is they normally latch onto. To put it simply your powers have no idea what Clark is, can't figure him out so they can't absorb him. Well that is my best guess without doing a study."

"Or in other words it is because I'm an alien," Clark simplifies it more.

"Essentially yes," Hank confirms.

Kitty was right Rogue realises. "Occam's Razor," she ends up saying out-loud.

"That could be applied to this yes," Charles says.

"What about Alicia? I absorbed her," Rogue asks wondering why when the source of her powers is different.

"Hank and I have yet to discover exactly how those affected by the meteors gain their powers but Alicia is still human and therefore as with any other human susceptible to your powers," Charles says.

"Well one person is better than none right," Rogue says trying to be positive yet still a little sad that she can never be as close to her friends or any other people as she would like.

Clark gives her hand a squeeze. "Rogue just because you can touch me doesn't mean we are going to stop looking for a way so you can control your powers. Right Professor?"

"Of course," Charles says in agreement with Clark. "Hank and I shall not give up looking for a solution Rogue and you must never give up believing that you will gain control."

Rogue nods. She won't give up believing. She has come close once or twice before but the fact she can touch Clark at least has renewed her belief. She will find a way to overcome her powers one way or another.

* * *

After leaving the Professor's office Clark and Rogue walk through the mansion hand in hand. Rogue's bare hand that is. She is planning to enjoy every second she can of being able to touch Clark since he is the only person she can touch. The first person she has touched in 2 long years. They pass Jubilee along the way.

"Hey Rogue. Hey Clark...OH MY GOD!" she suddenly shouts out.

"What?" Clark asks.

Jubilee points at their joined hands and stammers "You are touching Rogue...she is touching you...how are you standing?...how?"

Before either Clark or Rogue can answer that...**bamf!**

Kurt appears having heard Jubilee's yelling. "Jubilee. Vhat is it?" he asks her. Jubilee just points at Clark and Rogue. Kurt turns to look at them. It takes him a moment but he spots the same thing Jubilee noticed. His eyes widen. "How are you touching?"

Rogue groans. She knows how this is going escalate from here.

"Rogue's powers don't work on me because I'm an alien," Clark explains.

"Really?"

Jubilee moves past her shock and smiles. "That's really really great. I mean you two get to have a normal relationship..." Jubilee leans forward and asks at a whisper, her eyes full of keen curiosity, "I'm assuming you got back together right?"

Rogue rolls her eyes at Jubilee fishing for gossip. "Yes Jubes. We got back together."

"Alright!" Kurt says happy for his two friends. "Oh man ve have to tell everyvone!"

"I'll get the girls. You get the boys," Jubilee tells Kurt who nods and vanishes in a puff of blue smoke while Jubilee runs off.

"Well it was a good 3 minutes while it lasted," Clark jokes with a sigh at how long his and Rogue's moment lasted.

* * *

"So what is this about?" Jean asks Scott while they wait for whatever is about to happened. Jubilee had come running up to her like an hyperactive imp, grabbed her hand and dragged her all the time babbling about something great that she needed to show Jean. Jean would have read Jubilee's mind to try and understand what it is this is about except Jubilee's thoughts were babbling along at the same incomprehensible speed as what she was saying.

Scott shrugs in response to Jean's question. One moment he is in his room. The next Kurt is teleporting him down here. "I have no idea," he tells her.

Jean frowns slightly and flicks some of her hair back and Scott can only watch on mesmerised. Gee does he have it bad when he finds Jean doing a simple thing like flicking her hair back interesting. He has always loved her red hair though. He would love to run his hands through it and see if it is as soft as he thinks it is but he dampens down that urge. He and Jean are not dating...yet. He is taking it slow. Allowing enough time to pass from her break-up with Duncan before he even attempts to move their relationship on.

Jean glances at Scott while she waits. Since her break-up with Duncan he had been there for her without fail. It had seemed ages since they hanged out which was odd. He was her best friend but when she started dating Duncan she had ended up hanging out with his friends and that crowd instead. Jean has to think that maybe she has been a little neglectful of her friendship with Scott. Well she will fix that she promises herself.

Scott glances around the room to see that just about everyone is here, adults included and Clark's parents on top of that looking as clueless as he is. Then Clark and Rogue enter getting literally cajoled and pushed into the room by Kurt and Jubilee. Kitty meanwhile has a big grin form on her face as she reckons she knows what this is about.

"So is anyone going to explain what is going on?" Evan asks.

No-one says anything and no-one does anything until Jubilee and Kurt prod and poke Clark and Rogue into action.

Rogue shakes her head and lets out a sigh. She slaps Kurt's hand away from prodding her again. "Fahne Kurt. We'll tell them. Stop poking meh. Honestly ah swear ya are like an annoying little brother sometahmes."

Rogue shares a look with Clark and then removes one of her gloves she has put back on in the time since Jubilee found them holding hands and they ended up at this show and tell moment. Rogue holds her hand up and Clark takes it and grasps it in his own.

Everyone who doesn't know actually draws breath waiting for what they expect to be Clark crying out in pain and then collapsing to the floor except that it never happens. Nothing happens.

"H-How?" Amara is the one who asks it.

"Turns out since I am an alien Rogue can't absorb me...but we only discovered that a few days ago."

"When?" Logan asks, his voice having a new deadly seriousness to it. Rogue has a feeling she knows what that is about. Logan had been easy on her and Clark's relationship because everyone assumed she couldn't touch him but now that it turns out they can she guessed Logan would be making their lives more difficult from now on.

"During tha fight when Clark was on red kryptonite. Ah tried ta absorb him and found that ah couldn't," Rogue explains avoiding the details of what actually happened.

"That's great Rogue," Scott says expressing his opinion. Rogue had been his friend for awhile. He had been the one to reach out to her because he saw she was a good person blighted by her powers and that if anyone deserves a great guy in a normal relationship it is Rogue and now she has it.

Logan snorts. "Oh yeah it's great," he mutters sarcastically. Unfortunately for him he is standing next to Martha who hears every word.

"And what is not great about this?" Martha asks Logan sternly. She is delighted. Rogue deserved something like this and well as Clark's mother all she wants is for him to be happy.

Logan turns his head to look at her. "Ya mean you aren't worried what they might get up to now that they can touch?"

Martha frowns slightly and shares a look with her husband. "Maybe we should have a talk with them," Jonathan supposes. He trusts his son up to a point but in many ways Clark is very like any other teenage boy when it comes to girls and relationships and sex.

Logan smirks at that. Before he had left them to their own devices because he assumed they couldn't take their relationship that far. Now that he knows different he will be keeping a very close eye on them. Not that he minded how the Boy Wonder seemed to make Rogue happy the last several days aside. In fact secretly he was as pleased as anyone how Clark had gotten Rogue to come out of her shell a bit.

Well the upcoming 'talk' should keep them in line. In fact having Clark's parents here would probably be enough to make sure they didn't get any inappropriate ideas assuming they keep him away from red space rocks. Too bad it wouldn't work on any of the other kids. Lucky none of them were dating...yet.

Kitty's voice breaks into Logan's train of thought. "Hey. What about you two?" she asks Clark and Rogue. "Did you two like sort everything out?"

Rogue rolls her eyes...again. Privacy...it's a nice dream. It just doesn't exist in this place. "Yes Kitty."

Kitty grins broadly. "That is like totally great!" she says cheerfully. She knew they would sort it out sooner or later.

* * *

That night Clark is getting ready for bed smiling. He doesn't think he has really stopped since he and Rogue shared that kiss in the kitchen. He had not be kidding when he said 'wow' because it was a good word to describe what that felt like. Oh sure he had kissed her at the construction sight but he didn't want to count kisses shared when he is drugged up and acting like a lecherous jerk.

Also the difference this time was that Rogue had initiated the kiss as a sign she had forgiven him. It has felt so good to kiss her and to hold her close. Clark had tried to forget how much he missed holding a girl like that. After Lana and his decision to avoid relationships the only way he could really cope was to try and forget what feelings it invoked.

There is a knock on his door. He quickly pulls his t-shirt on and goes to open it. He smiles widely instantly at seeing who it is. "Rogue."

"Can ah come in?" she requests.

Clark steps back and gestures for her to come in which she does. "So what's up?"

Rogue waits until Clark closes the door and then virtually pounces on him kissing him passionately.

When it stops Clark looks at her blankly wondering what this is about. "Um..."

"Ah wanted ta give ya a goodnight kiss," she explains herself. Really she just wanted to kiss him and to feel it again. She never thought she would experience this and now that she can she wants to take every opportunity she can to do so.

Clark's lips curve up into a slightly mischievous smile. "Oh I see. Well I'm not sure that was...good enough to count. I might need another."

Rogue narrows her eyes slightly at his comments but she can't stop herself smiling like a loon as she pulls her gloves off and throws them on the bed. Clark takes a steps closer and gently cups her face and lowers his head and kisses her gently. Soon like in Rogue's dream the kisses become harder, more passionate. Their mouths open and their tongues intermingle and god Clark tastes good Rogue can't help but think to herself.

For Clark the experience is just as wonderful. More so perhaps because his senses are so much sharper. Lost in the haze of passion all he can hear, smell and taste is Rogue and she tastes and smells so good. His hands of their own accord slip under the bottom of Rogue's shirt and stroke the smooth soft skin of her back.

Rogue can't stop herself moaning at the electric currents that sends up her spine. It had been so long since another person touched her her skin feels like it is almost hypersensitive. In return her hands travel up his arms pushing the sleeves of his t-shirt up as she slides her hands over his warm smooth skin and hard chiselled biceps.

The teens are so caught up they don't hear the door opening. Not until someone coughs loudly.

Clark and Rogue stop what they're doing and turn their gaze to the door.

"Mom! Dad!

"Mr and Mrs Kent!"

Clark and Rogue separate blushing completely embarrassed at being caught like this and desperately try to sort their clothes out.

Jonathan and Martha stand there looking stern. Martha has even arched one of her eyebrows at this scene. Inwardly she is happy for the two of them but they don't need to know that right now.

Clark runs his hand through his hair. "Mom. Dad. What..uh...what is it?"

Jonathan and Martha enter the room and close the door behind them. "Well we decided that like Logan suggested we have a little chat now that we know you two can touch."

Clark's eyes widen in horror as he realises what they mean. "Oh no. Mom...dad...that's really not necessary," he pleads sounding rather pathetic.

"Well son your mother and I think it is," Jonathan says in such a tone that Clark realises that there is no way he is escaping this.

Rogue hasn't quite cottoned on yet. "Clark?" she queries.

"They're here to give us 'The Talk'," he tells her sounding and looking utterly mortified and embarrassed.

It takes a few seconds until Rogue figures out what he means. Rogue covers her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment. 'Oh God. Not this,' she thinks to herself while mentally noting how she swears she is going to kill Logan.

* * *

_Author's Note: In the comics the beings Rogue's powers don't work on come into 3 classes; Robots and mechanical beings obviously since they have no life force for her to absorb. Uber-cosmic beings like Mephisto or magical beings who can shield themselves from her and Aliens. Depends on the type of alien of course because some she has absorbed and some she hasn't. As always it depended on the whim of the writers who were working on the particular storyline. An example of this writer's whim is where Rogue absorbed Thor in one storyline but in another couldn't absorb his brother Loki. Explain to me how that makes any sense? _

_Anyway basically it is up to the whim of the writer and it was my whim to have Clark be an alien lifeform her powers don't work on due to essentially the complexity of his DNA which is a well established fact in the comics. It is why there are so few species in the DC universe he can have children with because his DNA is not compatible with most lifeforms, humans included._

_Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

In the basement lab of the Luthorcorp building Lionel, Dr Essex, Colonel Stryker and a whole bunch of heavily armed MRD personnel stand and await the bringing in of the latest subject to be placed inside Dr Essex's Genetic stabiliser. Only this subject is not here to be stabilised. He is here to test out one Dr Essex's belief about his machine's ability to enhance mutants.

The doors slide open and being brought by half a dozen more MRD soldiers is a young man with a mechanical collar around his neck and with his wrist chained to his ankles by shackles.

"Mr Dean," Lionel greets the boy. "So you have finally agreed to our deal."

Nathan Dean shoots Lionel a small glare. "I work for you and in return you give me a new identity," he states the deal in the subdued voice forced upon him by this infernal collar that blocks his power to generate hypersonic shrieks.

"Quite correct." Lionel picks up a clipboard from the table next to him. "Sign this contract and I will grant you all that you require to start your life over."

Nathan takes the board, signs at the appropriate place and hands it back to Lionel. "Excellent. Well that done I have two things to inform you. First off your new name will be Clement Wilson and second by signing that you have just agreed to be our first test subject."

Dr Essex grins at that. The boy was a fool. He didn't even bother to read it first.

Nathan's face fills with dread and anger. "Test subject?"

"Place him in the machine," Lionel orders Nathan's guards. The previous mutants who had been placed in the machine had all been mutated by the meteors and as promised Dr Essex had stabilised their volatile powers but Mr Dean would be the first subject in possession of the x-gene to see if the accident with Live Wire could be replicated and for his powers to be enhanced.

Nathan tries to get away but they drag him to the machine and throw him in. Dr Essex flicks the switch to close the door and Nathan is trapped. He bangs on the glass yelling. Yelling what can't be heard as with the door shut no sound can escape.

"Activate the machine," Lionel instructs Dr Essex.

"My pleasure," Dr Essex says with much anticipation. Truthfully even he didn't exactly know what was about to happen but whatever did it was bound to be interesting and to produce many strides forward in his research.

The machine activates and a green glow fills the chamber so bright it is blinding. The machine works through its cycle and shuts down. The glow fades and the door slides open. Nathan staggers forward out of the machine. The first thing that is noticeable is that his hair is now much longer, past the shoulder and is pink in colour. That was certainly unexpected.

"Take him to the medical facility so I can run some tests," Essex instructs Mr Dean's guards.

Nathan's mind is a little fuzzy and his vision hazy but he can see men coming for him. He needs to get away and some strange instinct rises up inside him to yell at them which he does and when he does he manages to somehow knock them all flying across the room.

He sees the exit. He makes a dash for it but doesn't get halfway there before a sharp pain pricks his neck. Nathan's gaze flickers across to the middle aged guy with a beard holding a pistol before his vision blacks out and Nathan collapses to the floor.

"Well done Colonel," Lionel says in praise of Stryker's quick reactions to shoot a tranquilliser dart into their attempted escapee. He makes his way over to Mr Dean's unconscious form and then gazes at the guards picking themselves up. "What happened Doctor?" he ask Essex.

Dr Essex moves to stand next to Lionel. "It seems the machine took his power and enhanced it to where he can generate some kind of concussive force from his vocal chords. Unexpected and not what my collar was designed for I might add which is why it couldn't stop him." Although Essex suspected that it still most likely inhibited Mr Dean's new power to some extent meaning he is more powerful than what he demonstrated there.

Lionel has Mr Dean carried out so Dr Essex can run his tests leaving him with Colonel Stryker. "So Colonel think the new Mr Wilson can be part of your team?" Lionel asks Stryker in reference to the mutant strike force Stryker was putting together to hunt down and capture the two mutants groups operating in Bayville. Two mutant groups Lionel still had no solid leads on...yet.

"I am certain I can find some use for him," Stryker replies and he can. The boy's new power could be an asset once he has been properly trained.

In the infirmary as the newly named Clement Wilson is strapped down to the examination table one of the guards who had been knocked over by Mr Wilson's new power has his finger in his ear trying to ring it out and make sure his hearing is still working and he glibly remarks "Man what a ruckus that guy made."

"Ruckus eh?" Essex says intrigued by the name. For a mere human that's not a bad suggestion for a name for Essex to call his newest creation. In fact it is exactly what Essex will call him from now on and now that he knows his machine works Ruckus will only be the first of many of his new creations, of his new children and one day of an entire new race. A perfect race cleansed of all genetic impurity who shall inherit the earth...one day. Not right now but one day. It will take many generations but Essex is in no rush. He has all the time in the world.

* * *

**A few days later at one of Magneto's bases...**

"Essex's machine works," Magneto summarises what it is Mystique has just reported to him. The fact that Essex's device can enhance mutants.

"Yes," Mystique confirms. "But surely Essex already told you that."

"He did."

"You doubt his word?"

"I trust Essex to tell me what what I want to hear as long as it serves his interests. That is not necessarily the whole truth."

"Which is why you are making me work for Luthor," Mystique realises. Magneto does not trust Essex not she blames him. She doesn't trust Essex either.

"Partially. Luthor needs to be watched."

"Why?"

"Because he is dying Mystique and dying men are desperate and dangerous."

"How long are you going to let Luthor continue with his plans?"

"Awhile longer."

"He is creating his own team of mutants," Mystique reminds him.

"Yes and if we wait until they have been trained before we seize them it saves us the time and effort of doing it ourselves."

Except once they are trained it will be harder to seize them. Magneto's logic as always escapes Mystique. "You plan to seize the machine as well I assume."

"That plan has already been conceived. Only the timing of it has yet to be settled."

"There is another matter."

"What?"

"Clark Kent."

"Irrelevant for now."

Mystique eyes Magneto carefully. "Why is that when you seemed so interested in him before?"

"I have other priorities at the moment. Besides on the Day of Reckoning Mystique all mutants will rally to me him included. In the meantime let him remain at Charles' and no more petty attempts at vengeance from you and I expect you to make sure Haze does not attempt any either to soothe her hurt feelings. I will not start an open war with the X-Men at this time. There are too many other matters that need my attention. Am I clear Mystique."

"Crystal."

"Good. Now anything else?"

"Perhaps. It involves Wanda."

Magneto's posture stiffens as he tenses up at the mention of his daughter's name. "What about her?"

"I had an inspiration about a possible way to control that temper of hers. Considering my job it would take quite a few weeks to set up so I need your permission to begin now. If I succeed I think I can make her an asset."

"And if you fail?" Magneto ponders darkly.

"Then you can have Mastermind do what he did to Live Wire on her can't you."

Magneto pondered this. The way events transpired with Wanda...he had not been proud of how he handled that. It had been necessary to have her sanctioned to a mental institution. Her powers were as uncontrollable as that temper of hers was. However if Mystique could conjure up a way to control Wanda he would take it. Having Mastermind alter his own daughter's memories would be a very last option. "Very well. Proceed," he grants his permission. "But once you have freed Wanda make it clear that you and I are not involved in anyway. She will trust you more if you do."

Mystique suppresses a smile that the great Magneto is afraid of his own daughter but then again she can't help but think as she looks at him that something is different...something is off. She doesn't know what but his sudden change of policy over Clark Kent has her woman's intuition working overtime.

Well short of asking him flat out which she won't do she guesses she will just have to be left in the dark. Now she has to find Haze so her adopted daughter can teleport them back to Bayville.

Haze is catching up with Gambit in the lounge area.

"De boy is a fool," Gambit says to Alicia after she tells him about what transpired between her and Clark. "Gambit would never reject a très belle femme such as yourself."

Alicia blushes slightly. Gambit always knew what to say to make her feel better. "So have I missed much?" she asks.

Gambit shrugs. "Nothing beyond de usual."

At this point Colossus stomps by in his metal form carrying a huge metal crate.

"Piotr!" Gambit calls out to him. "We have a visitor!"

Colossus places the crate down, changes back into his human form and makes his way over. "Greetings," he says politely.

Alicia's eyebrows rise slightly. Colossus had barely ever spoken a word to her and certainly not when he didn't have to and right there he didn't have to. "Er...hi...Piotr. How are you?"

"My health is fine," he says in his Russian accent. "It is pleasant to see you again Haze but I must get back to work."

Piotr then turns round, transforms back into his metal form, picks up the crate and walks off with his footsteps echoing around the base.

"Ok...when did he start speaking?" Alicia asks Gambit.

"Shortly after you left. Gambit d'ink de loneliness finally got to him. He is...Gambit would use de phrase 'a nice guy'."

"Where is Miss Brain Lobotomy?"

Gambit chuckles at that one. "De Live Wire is off with Sabretooth. De boss wanted to give her a simple mission to see if she is now loyal to de cause."

Alicia wasn't sure how much she cared. It wasn't exactly that she liked the idea of someone's mind being messed about with but it had made Live Wire very loyal to the cause. Besides they couldn't just let her keep running around threatening to expose them all. Better that she is on their side rather the extremely unpleasant alternative way of making sure she didn't talk.

Alicia decides not to dwell on it anymore and move on to something else. "You know there are rumours of some vigilante running around Bayville stopping criminals. I mean what is up with that?"

"De world can be a very strange place petit," Gambit says from experience.

"Haze!" Mystique's less than dulcet tones then echo through the base.

Alicia gets to her feet as Mystique approaches. As she does so she gives Gambit a severe glare. She knows his type. She won't have him stringing Alicia along as he searches for another conquest. She looks at Alicia. "Time to go," she informs Alicia.

Alicia places her hand on Mystique's shoulder. "Well bye Gambit. Sorry I couldn't stay longer."

"Ah but de time we did share chere Gambit will cherish forever," he says flashing her one of his smiles.

Mystique rolls her eyes at this. Alicia smiles though as she and Mystique vanish in a haze of green mist.

In his quarters Magneto locks his door and moves to the full length mirror before taking his helmet off. His appearance in this mirror is why Clark Kent is no longer a priority. On his face wrinkles are starting to appear. His magnetic powers combined with all the genetic enhancements he had made over the years that have for so long kept his body younger than his actual physical age no longer can. It was a sudden event he had not anticipated. Time is finally catching up with him at the worst possible moment. If his plans come to fruition in a matter of a few months he will be needed to lead mutantkind at the moment of their reveal to the rest of the world. Unfortunately he will also be dead in those very same few months unless he can find the means to arrest his decline.

He must find the means to arrest his decline. Mutantkind needs him.

He had already discussed this with Essex in the hope Essex knew of a way to help. Unfortunately Essex did not and this Genetic Stabiliser/Enhancer he had built could not help Magneto Essex said. However it was not Magneto's only hope. He knew of another. A project long abandoned. The Super Soldier Project and the Rebirth machine. It's very principle and purpose was to enhance a human to their physical peak. On a mutant...on him it would restore his body to its physical prime age.

Now all Magneto had to do was find where it was being stored before it was too late.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Clark and Rogue lie on his bed together on their sides sharing kisses and basically making out. Even though it had been a few days since they got back together the whole thing still seemed almost dream like to Rogue. This kind, gentle guy who as a complete contradiction could lift cars like they were freakin paper clips could also touch her. She was over her anger at him and since they made up he had been almost going overboard in being the attentive boyfriend in what she guesses is his way of making it up to her. Clark could be very sweet when he put his mind to it.

When they finish kissing she snuggles up next to him while a powerful arm wraps around her waist and holds her close.

"Did I ever say thank you," Clark says to her.

"For what?"

"Taking me back."

"No."

"Oh. Then thank you. I know I messed up." More than that he had been utterly miserable at the distance that had been between them which he thinks is a reflection that his feelings for Rogue have gotten pretty strong. They at least rival what he felt for Lana once upon a time not that long ago.

"It's in tha past Clark." She snuggles up a little tighter to him and lets out a little happy sigh as she simply enjoys the feel of Clark's warmth. When she was angry and not talking to him she had been fairly miserable but now that they are back together she feels happy and there are other emotions attached which reflect she thinks that her feelings for Clark have become pretty strong although she can't be sure of that considering this is her first relationship and she has nothing to compare it to. "Ah still can't believe it ya know," she mentions.

"Believe what?"

"That ah found a guy like ya."

"Rogue you deserve so much and more. You are a wonderful person and you don't deserve what your powers do to you and I'm not giving up until we find a way so you can touch everyone...and that sounded so much better in my head."

Rogue giggles and she can feel a deep rumble in Clark's chest as he joins in with her.

Clark smiles and kiss the top of her head while taking a moment to take in its smell before taking a few minutes to stroke it with his hand. "I love your hair you know. When that guy called you a skunkhead I felt like punching his teeth in."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Then I decided it was better to make him apologise to you which is lucky for him because on red kryptonite I would have punched his teeth in without a shred of regret."

Rogue sighs. "Ah've had ta put with stuff like that as long as ah can remember. Mah hair has always been lahke this."

"There is nothing wrong with your hair. In fact you know when we first met the first thought that filtered into my head was how attractive your hair made you look. You are beautiful you know."

"Ya are always doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Saying stuff ta make meh feel better or ta make meh laugh."

Clark shrugs. "I like to see you smile...Anna."

And she does smile more. In fact she is smiling right now at the way he said her name. The unpleasant period around Alicia aside Clark was always the one who was there for her especially after the whole Risty thing. Thinking back on it when they started dating just after that she can see he tried everything he could to try and make her feel better and forget about Mystique. She can't even remember when or how he did it. How he got her to open up her heart to him. "Ah've been meaning ta ask ya something," she mentions.

"What?"

"Why Pietro seems ta be avoiding ya?" Rogue had noticed the very odd thing of Pietro actually being sullen and not his usual cocky egotistical self.

Clark groans slightly. "When I was at the Boarding House he got on my nerves and I may have...choked him half to death."

Rogue can hear and practically feel the guilt pouring off Clark. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Clark lets out a deep sigh. "Not exactly one of my high points."

"He probably deserved it Clark. Ah mean ya weren't actually meaning ta hurt him badly were ya?"

"Well his ego I definitely was but no, not physically. I was just trying to teach him a lesson in respecting me."

Rogue turns her gaze up to him and places her hand flat on his chest and rubs gently. "It's ok Clark. Ya can't blame yourself."

"Well yes I can but somehow I can't feel as sorry as I probably should do. I just don't get where Pietro gets this arrogance from."

"Because he is use ta getting everything his own way. He is so fast that until he met us he could do anything he wanted and get away with it because trust meh Magneto is far from ideal father material." In many ways Clark was the complete opposite to Pietro. He was so down-to-earth despite having powers even some mutants would envy. It was part of him that she liked so much.

Clark briefly wonders where Rogue got that from then it occurs to him. "You get that from his mind?"

Rogue nods. "Yeah."

Clark squeezes her slightly. She had mentioned the voices in her head from all the left over bits of people she had absorbed. He wishes there was something he could do about that as well. He plants a kiss on her forehead.

Rogue closes her eyes and enjoys the lingering sensation of his lips on her skin. "How long do we have?" she asks him.

Clark peers at the clock. "Logan does his rounds in about 10 minutes," he tells her. The rounds Logan does just before bedtime to make sure everyone is where they are suppose to be and when he does that will be the end of this moment as much as Clark is enjoying it but if Rogue stays Clark fears another 'Talk'. The one with his parents had been embarrassing enough thank you very much. There is nothing worse than sitting there with your girlfriend while your parents talk with you about safe sex. They gave him the reminder, like he needed one, that in New York state the age of consent was 17 unlike Kansas where it is 16 and that it wasn't his birthday until the end of February. More precisely it was 29th February, the day he crashed down to Earth and yes it seems unbelievable but it's true he crashed down on that day that only occurs every leap year.

There is a knock on the door and Rogue looks up at Clark slightly worried. Clark focusses his vision on the door and peers through it. "It's Scott," he says with partial relief.

Rogue very reluctantly gets up and tries to find where she put her gloves. Whenever she is alone with Clark she takes them off so she can enjoy to the fullest her ability to touch him. She finds them under the bed. The two teens take a minute to smarten themselves up. Rogue has to wipe some of her lipstick that she left on Clark's neck off. That done Clark opens the door.

Scott spots Rogue. "Oh. If I'm interrupting this can wait until tomorrow," he says having a good guess what they were doing.

Rogue shakes her head. "Ah should go anyway," she decides since they only have a few minutes left before Logan comes round. She then stands on her tiptoes and gives Clark a light goodnight kiss on his chin. "Night sugah."

"Night Rogue," Clark says in return smiling like a goof and not caring in the slightest as Scott steps to the side to let Rogue past. As she does so Scott can swear he spots what looks like a hickey on her neck.

Scott steps into Clark's room. "I guess everything is sorted between you two then," he comments.

"Yes."

Scott nods. "I'm glad. It also means I can talk to you about something I've been putting off until I was sure where you and Rogue stood."

Clark frowns slightly in confusion. "Talk to me about what?"

Scott gestures at the chair next to the desk up against the wall. "Can I sit?"

"Sure."

Scott sits in the chair after turning to face the bed while Clark sits down on the bed. "Clark. Tell me honestly. How do you think your training is going?"

Clark hesitates a little before answering. "Fine. I guess. I mean everyone helped me a lot when my superhearing developed and I've learned a lot about controlling my powers and different ways of using them. More than I could have back in Smallville. If we're being honest I tended to be a bit like a bulldozer before using my strength, speed and invulnerability to essentially smash through everything."

"And what about the lessons you have with the New Mutants? How are you finding them?"

"We still be honest here?"

Scott nods.

"Well I find them a little easy...but I'm not meaning any disrespect to the others. They all do great in their own way."

Scott shakes his head a little. Clark is always the good guy. "Clark back during the holidays the Professor asked me to consider you for joining the X-Men."

"He did?" Clark says in complete surprise...nay shock.

"Yes and he said to take my time and I have especially after you and Rogue fell out."

"Yeah if you asked me then that wouldn't have been good for the team with us arguing and her not talking to me."

"Precisely," Scott says impressed that Clark showed the ability there to step back and assess the situation dispassionately as a leader would have to do. "Now that you and her are ok it meant I decided I had to make a decision one way or the other. I thought about some things like how you managed to beat Beast, Storm and Wolverine by yourself."

Clark winces slightly at that. He still feels terrible about it. "Well to be fair they weren't trying to hurt me so they were holding back."

"True but you still beat them Clark and you seem to be getting more powerful as time passes."

Clark sighs sadly at that. "I know."

"Anyway to cut to the chase Clark I can't say your powers wouldn't make you an asset so I'm making the offer. I want you to join the X-Men."

* * *

The next morning the X-Men stand in the Danger Room waiting for their session to start before they head off to school. Kitty has to stifle a yawn which sets Kurt off on a yawn which sets Evan off and so on.

"I bet that vigilante on the news doesn't have to put up with stuff like this," Evan complains at being awake so early.

"Ja. Tell me about it," Kurt says in agreement. Although vigilante may not be the right term Kurt would say. True he stops criminals but there have also been reports of him saving people from fires and car-jackings and stuff. He sounds more like a hero to Kurt.

"So you ever going to like stop smiling any time soon Rogue?" Kitty asks her room-mate who she swears has been smiling non-stop for the last few days ever since Rogue and Clark got back together. It was unsettling in some ways as Kitty wasn't use to seeing Rogue happy. Broody; yes. Happy; no.

Rogue does not dignify that with an answer. So what she is happy. For once in her life things are going well and if that allows her to smile more often than that's fine. Last night Kitty had spotted the hickey Clark left on Rogue's neck which is being hidden today by a lot of concealer. Kitty had had some fun teasing Rogue about it and even that hadn't been enough to spoil Rogue's good mood.

Meanwhile Jean eyes Scott carefully. He is up to something. She can sense it. "Ok Scott. What's up?"

Scott looks at her with this pretence of total innocence. "I have no idea what you mean Jean."

Jean narrows her eyes at him slightly. She isn't buying it.

"Man!" Evan complains. "What are we waiting for?" he asks wondering what the delay is. They're all here aren't they?

"What ya are waiting for Porcupine is for the newest member to get here," Logan informs them.

"Newest member?" Kurt queries slightly confused.

It suddenly occurs to Rogue what Logan means. No. It couldn't be.

The doors slide open and in he walks dressed in the blue suit with the red boots and coat flowing majestically as he walks. They look at him rather stunned as he comes to a halt next to the group.

"Hey guys!" Clark says. "Um...surprise!" he says with that goofy smile of his.

Rogue places her hands on her hips. "When did this happen?" she asks him.

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Um last night. It was what Scott wanted to see me about."

Kurt moves over and pats Clark on the back. "Vell this is great!" he says with much enthusiasm at seeing his friend join them.

"Thanks Kurt," Clark says modestly.

"Welcome to the team Clark," Jean says.

"Thank you Jean."

Kitty, Scott and Evan all offer a welcome too while Rogue steps up next to Clark. "Guess this means ah get ta watch your back huh," she teases him slightly.

"I guess...or I'll watch yours. I mean I doubt there is anyone alive who wouldn't want to watch your..._rear,_" Clark can't help himself teasing back with a slightly suggestive tone while managing a passing glance at said shapely rear.

Rogue blushes slightly and says "Ditto."

"Stripes! Space Boy!" Logan barks. "Flirt on your own time! Not on mine!" he tells them off.

Kitty giggles at the two of them as they now both blush slightly.

Logan gets the session started. "Right then. Since the Boy Wonder here is new I'll take it slightly easy on you today."

All look at Logan with extreme scepticism since Logan's idea of easy was by most people's standard very very difficult.

* * *

_Author's Note: Not sure where the idea came from to turn Nathan Dean into my own version of Ruckus except for the fact their powers were voice related so enhance Nathan up by kryptonite and there you go. I thought Magneto's sudden ageing would be a way for him to lose interest in Clark for awhile as I don't want Magneto to figure out what Clark really is just quite yet. Finally I realised that with Rogue and Clark back together Scott would have an obstacle to his choice over Clark joining the X-Men out of the way so I had him make it and I had Clark decide to accept. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The identity of Bayville's mysterious vigilante is revealed._


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

For the next couple of weeks as January turns into February things at the Institute are fairly quiet. Lionel sent another one of his little investigators to spy on them but handy thing about having a couple of telepaths living here is that it doesn't take long to realise they are there. On top of that are Logan's senses and extra security he had placed around the perimeter to keep an eye of things. Then of course there is Clark's hearing whose range seemed to be increasing all the time as he practised with it more.

It was currently the weekend and the weather was not too bad. Martha was in the greenhouse assisting Ororo. Gardening was a passion they shared. It is a sudden outburst of laughing from Martha that catches Ororo's attention. "What is so funny?"

"Oh its nothing really," Martha says still half-laughing. "I was just thinking back when we went to see your sister."

Vivian had been pestering Ororo for ages to introduce her to Martha. With things seemingly quiet that had been what they had done last weekend.

"She seems very determined to get you hooked up," Martha says informing Ororo what it is she is finding so funny.

Ororo rolls her eyes. Vivian has been niggling at her for ages to find a man. Ororo had made the point to her sister frequently how difficult that is considering her life. Not that Ororo has any wish to turn into an old spinster or anything but what man would be crazy enough to take on everything that her life entails. It does make her envy what Martha shares with Jonathan. It is easy to see how much they love each other.

As for herself it wasn't like Ororo was faced with overwhelming choice now was it. True there were 3 single men here at the institute. However Charles was her mentor almost surrogate father. Hank was a very nice man. Charming and intelligent yet only her friend. There was no spark there. Logan was also her friend...and well it wasn't like he wasn't an attractive man in that rugged slightly animalistic way of his and she could well imagine just how passionate he could be and...

Ororo shakes her head. That is a train of thought she needs to stop. Logan is her friend and only her friend yet there is just this little voice at the back of her head that asks what if he was more than that.

* * *

Jonathan himself was helping Logan with some work on the van. Logan was currently underneath it with Jonathan passing him tools. He bends down next to Logan. "If I can ask how is Clark doing now he is part of the X-Men?"

Logan pauses for an instant. He is not surprised by the question. Only makes sense for a father to be interested in his son. "Fine," is his simple one word answer.

That is the kind of short answer Jonathan has come to expect from Logan. Not the most talkative person he has ever met but apart from being a little gruff Jonathan could see that he cared a lot about all the children.

"Let me ask you something," Logan says. "You found Clark in a field right?"

"Yes."

"Next to his spaceship?"

"Yes."

"He then righted your truck?"

"Yes," Jonathan says again wondering where this conversation is going.

"A lot of other people would have been a little freaked out," Logan points out.

Jonathan chuckles at that. "We were."

"Yet you still took the kid home."

"You put the ship and Clark's powers aside and what Martha and I saw was a lost little boy all alone. Would you have just left him there?"

"No," Logan admits. If it had been him he probably would have done the same as Jonathan and Martha had done.

"For the first few months we never let him leave the farm," Jonathan tells the story. "He had a tendency to break things and he couldn't speak English. He didn't speak all that much at all...apart from a few odd words which thinking on it may have been his people's language. It was only after the first few months he started to speak any English and once he did he never stopped. It would amaze you to see how fast he picked it up. Six months after we found him he could speak like any other 3 year old. You would never have known the difference."

Yeah the learning fast bit Logan had noticed.

"It was hard," Jonathan then says. "It was hard watching him develop all these powers and not really be able to help him or understand where they kept coming from or how they worked. It is why I'm glad we did decide to come here. Here at least he has people who do understand what he goes through."

Logan notes the very strong emotions in Jonathan's voice. He goes back to work under the van while the radio plays the hourly news starting with another report about the vigilante that is apparently stalking the streets of Bayville. Honestly first those stories about that Spider-Man in New York and now this. The world is going nuts.

"_**In the few weeks since the vigilante showed up Bayville's crime rate has measurably dropped,"**_ the guy on the radio says. **_"He has also rescued many people from varying fates. Some are calling him a godsend. Some are calling him a hero. Yet still no-one can give an accurate description of him beyond being tall because no-one ever seems to manage to see his face. The closest we have come is an eye-witness report that the vigilante has on his chest a strange symbol that he described as like a strange S inside a diamond."_**

That's funny Jonathan thinks to himself. That sounds like that symbol Clark sprayed on that shirt when he was under the influence of red kryptonite. It takes a few seconds but it finally clicks and Jonathan makes 2 + 2 = 4.

"Clark Joseph Kent!" he suddenly yells startling Logan who bangs his head on the bottom of the van with a resounding ringing sound as his metal skull hits the metal bottom of the van along with several muttered curse words.

* * *

Clark finds himself standing in the Professor's office with the Professor and his parents being asked if he is Bayville's vigilante. He pushes his glasses up his nose and answers it simply and truthfully. "Yes. I am."

Martha and Jonathan look at their son astonished. "Clark. Why? How?" Martha asks.

Clark lets out a sigh. He had not been planning for them to find out this way. In fact he had not planned it at all on how to tell them. He knew he should but he couldn't think of a way. "Why? Mom do you know what I hear...what I really hear?"

"Please tell us Clark," Charles requests remaining calm and composed while they try and understand his motives.

"I hear everything," Clark says. "Within Bayville I can hear it all. Every cry of pain. Every scream for help. Everyone crying out to be saved or just trying to desperately hang on just a little longer."

"How does that lead to you becoming a vigilante son?" Jonathan asks.

"That's not how I see myself. That is how I'm labelled," he feels he has to say first off. "I'm just trying to help people. As for how it happened...at first when I started hearing it all I didn't. I didn't think it was any of my business but as the days went by and I lay in my bed at night and had to listen to it night after night after night...I guessed I reached a breaking point. It was a couple of weeks after New Year that I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't just lie there while people cried out and not do something. It's easy to turn a blind eye when you can't see or hear it but I don't get that luxury. Even if all I did was make one of those screams stop it is something. Meeting Warren and seeing what he did and how he helped people probably speeded my decision up but in the end I would still have gotten here eventually."

That makes everyone think for a moment. Clark's words are very true. It is easy to ignore when you don't have to face it head on and certainly none of them can really know what it is Clark hears.

"When did this start...precisely?" Charles asks feeling that needs cleared up.

"It was just after my red K trip. I had decided I was going to start this just before that and I was only debating with myself exactly how to go about doing it when Alicia placed the stone on me. Then as luck would have it I actually come up with my own costume during that. I realised a couple of days after the stone was off that that was what I needed to do this and that it had to be something different from what I wear here at the institute. I'm not wishing to expose anyone." He looks at the Professor. "Please believe that Professor."

"I do believe you Clark but your actions do risk that consequence."

"I know. I try to be careful and not let anyone see my face. If you are going to ask me to stop Professor I have to tell you I can't because you cannot imagine the torture it is to hear what I hear. I can't give this up."

"Clark..." Martha starts to say but Clark cuts her off.

"No mom," he says firmly. He has no wish to defy his parents but feels he has to dig his feet in here. "I know you probably have worries. If this had happened back in Smallville on the farm I'm sure it would have been different. Smallville is smaller for starters and the farm is remote. I would probably not have heard as much there as I do here but I am here and I do hear it."

Martha looks at Jonathan at a lost what to say or do or think even. Her son has taken up being a hero of all things.

Jonathan decides to clear up something. "How have you been doing this Clark?"

"I...sneak out after Logan does his rounds and then sneak back before he is up in the morning. It is not hard when you can move at my speed and I don't really need very much sleep."

"Does anyone else know you are doing this Clark?" Charles asks him.

"Well yes but don't get mad at her. I made her swear not to say anything."

'Her?' "Rogue," Charles assumes.

Clark nods. After last time he sure as hell was not keeping anymore secrets from her so after they made up he told her...everything and she swore not to tell anyone. It was a lot to ask he knows.

"The question is where do we go from here," Charles decides they should move onto.

"Like I said Professor I can't give this up," Clark says. "I know that makes things difficult."

That is an understatement Charles thinks to himself.

Clark continues. "But maybe it can be a good thing."

"What do you mean?" Charles asks with a curious look.

"I mean before Magneto set Warren up people thought he was great. Everyone we talked to when we were searching for him had nothing but praise and maybe if the public see someone using their powers to help then they might not be as hostile when mutants become public." Clark says this knowing that sooner or later someone will get a clear view of him doing something super. It was inevitable if he continued which is what he wishes to do.

Charles rubs his forehead a bit. "Clark what I would like to do is discuss this with your parents in private and then we'll let you know what we will do. Alright?"

Clark nods. "Yes." He can understand why they would need to do that. He leaves the office and heads for the library where he finds Rogue reading one of her books in solitude.

Rogue peers up from her book when Clark enters and smiles at the sight of him. "Hey. What did tha Professor want with ya?

Clark sits down next to her. "They know."

"Know?"

"About my night-time activities," he clarifies.

"Oh." Rogue puts her book down. When Clark first told her of it she was surprised but when he told her of what he has to listen to she found herself being able to understand it to a certain extent and then she teased him mercilessly how she had been right all along about him wanting to be a superhero. "So what happens now?"

"I don't know. They're talking about it but I told them I couldn't stop. If they insist I do...I have no idea what I'll do." Of course he could listen in if he wanted to but he respects people's privacy too much to do that.

Rogue takes her glove off and takes Clark's hand into her own. It was still amazing to her to be able to do this and feel his warm strong hands as everyone else does. Ok not exactly the same. No-one else here knows what Clark's hands feel like as they slide over the skin of her back for example when they make out.

Both of their gazes are drawn to the door as Kitty enters. She marches up to them and places her hands on her hips. "Ok. I don't like to be nosy..."

Rogue scoffs. "Since when?" she asks. Kitty has always been nosy.

Kitty scowls slightly but ignores Rogue and continues. "But you being dragged to the Professor's office does have everyone like totally curious," she says to Clark and he had been dragged. Mr Kent came stomping in and dragged Clark almost literally to the Professor's office. Kind of odd considering red rocks aside that Clark never gets into trouble like that.

No privacy whatsoever. It doesn't exist. It use to be something Clark enjoyed once upon what seems a lifetime ago. Well he might as well just take the plunge. "You know that vigilante that has been on the news?" he asks of Kitty.

"Yeah?" she queries not sure where this is heading.

"It's me."

"What?"

"It's me Kitty. I've been sneaking out at night. I'm the vigilante."

Kitty's eyes widen and she just looks at Clark like she is looking a completely different person. "It's you?"

"He just said that Kitty," Rogue says.

Kitty looks at Rogue. "Why aren't you like more upset unless...you knew."

"Yeah. Like I was going to keep that from my girlfriend," Clark says with sarcasm. "Kitty I don't have a death wish."

"Hey!" Rogue protests with a scowl and elbows him in the side.

"Did I say that out-loud?" Clark says a little sheepishly. Not that it isn't true. Rogue would probably have killed him this time if he kept it secret.

Rogue takes her hand back and folds her arms across her chest looking a little ticked off. "Yes. Ya did."

"Sorry," he apologises to her and gives her a quick kiss. "You look so cute when you are all riled up you know."

A faint blush adorns Rogue's cheeks at that comment which makes Kitty giggle. Rogue just rolls her eyes and sighs a little at that.

Kitty turns her focus back on the matter at hand. "So when did this start and why?" she asks Clark.

Clark takes a breath and tells her what he told Rogue, his parents and the Professor about what it is he really hears.

"I had no idea," Kitty says softly in partial shock. God she can't even imagine what it must be like for Clark to have to listen to all that.

Clark shrugs. There was no reason she would. It is his burden to bear.

* * *

Back in the Professor's office Martha and Jonathan have sat down by now as they discuss with Charles what to do about Clark now. He seemed to have his mind very set on this and when Clark had his mind set on something almost nothing could dissuade him. It wasn't like Jonathan and Martha couldn't see the nobility in what Clark was doing. He was selflessly helping others but there was the issue of what would happen if he got seen or caught on a camera which he almost certainly would at some point.

"He seems very determined," Charles comments his reflection of Clark.

"Clark can be very stubborn when he sets his mind to something," Jonathan comments about his son.

'That's an understatement,' Martha thinks to herself while wondering where Clark gets his stubborn streak from.

"If we said he had to stop would he?" Charles asks Martha and Jonathan since they know their son better than him.

Would Clark out-right defy them? Truthfully neither of them are sure. They always try to be understanding when it comes to Clark. They give their best judgement. "Despite his words to the contrary if we said he could no longer do it he would stop," Martha is the one to phrase it. "However he would be unhappy. I know that for certain."

Charles has no wish to make Clark unhappy. He has no wish to see mutants exposed. Clark may even have had a point about it possibly being a good thing although Charles thinks Clark is looking on the optimistic side. Magneto may have orchestrated it but people did turn against Warren yet he is suppose to believe in the better nature of human beings is he not. It is quite a quandary.

A moment of silence befalls the room while the 3 adults think. It allows them to hear a radio playing from outside, probably the same one Jonathan was listening to with Logan.

"_**Right now we are going to broadcast the words of Miss Tyler Scott whose daughter was saved from a fire by Bayville's resident vigilante last night.**_

_**'You call him a vigilante. I call him a hero. He saved my daughter. Without him she would have died. The Fire-fighters...the fire was so intense they couldn't get in.'**_

_**The interviewer speaks. 'Yet he did. Despite the fire he managed to get in and yet no-one saw anything beyond some mention of a blurred figure. Does that not strike you as odd or raise any concern?'**_

_**'Why would it,' the woman says back sounding a bit miffed and annoyed at the question. 'Surely all that matters is that he saved my daughter. Don't you agree?'**_

_**'Of course,' the interviewer says back sounding a little chastised.**_

_**'If there more people like him and that Spider-Man in New York then the world would be a better place.'"**_

"Maybe," Martha starts to say after listening to that. "Maybe we could let him continue," she proposes. She is proud of the fact he saved that little girl's life. He could save more if they let him. "With conditions," she adds as an amendment.

Jonathan and Charles have come to the same conclusion and the 3 adults discuss what conditions to place.

* * *

While this is going on Clark has been dealing with questions being fired at him from everyone because Kitty had told Kurt and the two of them had told everyone else what he was doing and they had all come pouring into the library.

"That not what we are here for Clark," Scott says with serious concern.

"I know Scott," Clark says in complete acceptance of Scott's point. "But it is something I feel I need to do."

Evan makes the very same point Clark did to the Professor that perhaps it could be a good thing when Clark hears himself being called upon. "I have to go. The Professor is calling me," he tells them as he stands up and zips off. He knocks on the door and enters the room.

"Please sit," Charles says as he gestures a t the chair in front of his desk. Clark does so. "Now Clark your parents and I have reached an agreement. We will allow you to continue to go out but only with certain conditions attached."

Clark can guess he should have expected something like that. "Ok. What conditions?"

Charles lays them down. "Your activities are not to interfere with your school work or your training here at the Institute. If they start to then this will have to stop."

Clark can understand that. "Ok. I agree."

Charles continues with the conditions. "In aid of that Clark we are going to impose a curfew on you for school nights of midnight and 1am at the weekend and holidays."

"This is so you don't ran yourself ragged," Martha explains to her son.

Clark opens his mouth to protest that he doesn't get tired but Jonathan cuts him off. "Clark even you have limits and even you need to sleep. This is non-negotiable Clark," he says in a firm tone.

Well some time out helping people is better than none at all Clark muses. "I agree," he says.

"Now there must be some discussion of a disguise Clark," Charles raises the point.

"Um I'm wearing it now," he points out while gesturing at himself in particular his glasses. "My eyes have actually been healed for awhile." He can thank Kal for him discovering that. When he was on red kryptonite and he threw his glasses away he discovered he didn't actually need them any longer.

"Glasses Clark?" Martha queries.

"It was Rogue that gave me the idea. After helping Warren in New York she mentioned how when I changed into my uniform I looked almost like a different person," he explains.

All 3 adults look at him sceptically despite seeing Clark in his other uniform.

"Perhaps a demonstration is required," Charles suggests.

Clark gets to his feet, blurs out of the room and returns seconds later dressed in the black outfit he made when under the influence of red kryptonite with his hair swept back apart from the one errant lock which flops across his forehead.

The 3 adults look at him and make one assessment. Rogue was right. Clark does almost look like a different person. Perhaps this could work.

* * *

That night Rogue enters Clark's room to find him dressed up and ready to go out. She frowns ever so slightly because while he does look great Rogue can't help but think that black is not really Clark's colour. She gets why he wears it though so he looks as different as possible from his normal. "Going out?"

Clark smiles at the sight of Rogue. "Yeah. For a little while with my new conditions."

Rogue nods in understanding. Clark had told her all about the conditions that had been laid on him. "Ah saw Logan earlier. Ah don't think he is entirely happy," she says to him.

"That's an understatement," Clark says back. "I got the full on Wolverine glare when he was told about what I had been up to."

Rogue mocks shudders. "Ooh. The Wolverine stare. Ya poor thing," she teases him.

"You are asking for trouble you know," Clark lightly warns Rogue with a smile.

Rogue smirks and places her hands on her hips. "Do your worst," she dares him.

Clark arches an eyebrow. Ok. She asked for it. In a blur of motion he has her picked up, thrown down on the bed and is tickling her sides.

"Clark! Stop it! Please!" Rogue gets out between her giggles.

"Apologise," he demands of her.

"A-Ah'm sorry," she says.

Clark stops his assault satisfied that he has won this encounter. Rogue sits herself back up while secretly plotting her revenge on Clark. She takes her gloves off and places them on Clark's cheeks. "Ah know ya are invulnerable but please be careful," she requests of him.

"I will. I promise," he assures her before leaning forward and giving her a kiss.

Rogue lets out a tiny moan of pleasure pretty sure she will never get enough of how wonderful it feels to have one person able to touch her and on top of that that person happens to be her boyfriend.

Clark gently pushes her hair back off her face. "You know I saw an advert for a carnival that is coming to town in a couple of weeks. Want to go?"

Rogue smiles at the idea of the two of them together at the carnival. "Sure. Sounds lahke fun."

"Oh word to the wise if you want to place a bet on when Scott and Jean have their first date make it that."

Rogue looks at Clark carefully. "How can ya be sure?"

Clark smiles lopsidedly. "I heard him practising asking Jean to it in his room in what I am assuming was in front of his mirror."

Rogue covers her mouth with her hand as she attempts to hold back the laugh at that image. Oh god. Only Scott would practice something like that in front of his mirror.

"I should get going," he tells her.

Rogue nods as Clark heads to his window and slides it open. With all his sneaking out before he had gotten quite good at going in and out of his window. Rogue moves to stand next to him and her hand briefly brushes over his chest. "Ah've been meaning to ask. What does that symbol mean?" she asks in reference to the stylised S on his chest.

"Oh. That. It's the family crest."

"What?"

"It is the symbol of the House of El. From what I and Dr Swann discussed Kryptonian society seemed to be dominated by casts and ruling Houses. I mean I always knew the symbol. It was downloaded into my head."

"Why do wear it?" Rogue asks him. "Ah mean from what ya said ya and Jor-El..."

"Don't get on," Clark finishes for her. He takes a breath. "It's hard to explain. When I first did it it was when I was on red kryptonite and I was just trying to make sure I demonstrated I was as different from the person you knew as possible. Afterwards..." he trails off struggling to explain his reasoning. "Jor-El and I may not get on but talking with Dr Swann I've come to see my people were perhaps not so different from humans. It could be why they visited Earth because they saw people who were like them or that they were like in their past. Also this symbol is part of who I am. When I said I came here to accept myself that meant accepting everything of who I am. I am Kal-El of Krypton as much as I am Clark Kent of Kansas so by wearing this symbol it is representing my acceptance of that part of me."

There is silence for a moment before Clark adds "One day I will have to go back to Smallville and confront Jor-El," he tells Rogue in a kind of warning. Also Jor-El is the only one who can give him full answers to his questions about his people.

"Oh," is all Rogue can think of to say. It is also not an entirely pleasant thought because who knows what will happen to him that day.

Clark pulls Rogue into his arms and holds her tight. "I know that's not what you want to hear Rogue but I can't avoid him forever because sooner or later he will come after me and I won't have you or anyone else caught in the crossfire."

"Clark ya don't need ta do it alone," she argues with him.

Clark sighs sadly. "Unfortunately in this case I do," he says because as he said he won't have any of his friends caught in between whatever it is that will transpire the day he confronts Jor-El. He plants a kiss on top of her head. "But I won't be doing it just yet," he promises her. He reluctantly releases his hold on her. "I really do need to get going," he says.

Rogue nods in understanding. "Go get them sugah," she tells him.

That makes Clark smile and he gives her a wink before he drops out of his window. Rogue watches him as he blurs across the grounds and leaps over the wall before he vanishes. She leans against the frame and looks out for a few minutes. She knows she teased him slightly about it before but in reality in some ways Rogue envies Clark and what he is doing. He is a hero in her eyes. Funny thing is that she never thought she would end up falling for one.

* * *

_Author's Note: I have been thinking of doing this for awhile, having Clark start out being a hero, for the reason I had Clark explain. He hears so much that I just can't imagine Clark standing by and doing nothing when he hears people suffering or in pain. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; a certain cat burglar comes into town with a certain web-slinging hero on her trail._


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

A week after his parents caught onto him Clark sits in the kitchen along with several of the other students having a rather later breakfast than normal since it was Saturday. He is currently reading the Daily Bugle which is carrying another Spider-Man sighting although the story is not written all that well and the editor seems to have an extremely strong biased against Spider-Man. Clark may not have an active journalism career right now but he learnt enough from Chloe to see through this and despite this paper's claims to the contrary Clark believes that this Spider-Man, assuming he really exists, is just like him. Someone trying to help out.

Kitty wanders in with a paper of her own. The local one. "Hey guys! Check this out!" she says as she slaps the paper down in the middle of the table. Clark peers over the top of his paper to catch the headline. "The Bayville Blur?" he queries out-loud.

"Someone got a picture of you," Kitty tells him while pointing at it. What she is pointing at is a very blurred black blob essentially.

Clark sighs. He remembers rescuing this lady from being car-jacked last night and that she had a phone in her hand. It must have had a camera in it and she must have snapped him blurring away from the scene. "I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later," he concedes as an inevitability.

"Well as long as all they got was that it is not likely anyone will figure out who Clark is and who we are are they?" Evan argues. Besides he thought what Clark was doing was a good idea. Might get people use to the idea of people with abilities and so make them more tolerant when mutants come out.

Clark goes back to reading his paper.

"What are ya reading about Clark?" Rogue asks him.

"A story about the theft of an ancient Egyptian cat statute in New York a few day ago from a private collector," he says in reply.

"How is that at all interesting?" Bobby asks.

"Because it is one of a set of 3. One was stolen from a Paris museum last month. The one in New York and the third one happens to be here in Bayville at the museum."

"Oh I get it," Jubilee pipes up. "You think this thief is collecting them and so therefore will be paying our museum a visit."

"Basically yes. I think I should probably make a pass or two past the museum when I go out tonight," Clark decides is his best course of action. He has his curfew after all so staking out the museum might be pointless if this thief chooses to try breaking in after 1am. This way he can help others while trying to keep an eye on the museum.

Clark suddenly cocks his head slightly as his hearing picks up something. A slight smile comes to his lips. He folds his paper up and places it down on the table and gets to his feet. "You guys might want to come see this," he tells them all a little mysteriously.

Their curiosity though is sufficiently peaked to follow Clark out of the kitchen and towards the sitting room. Clark gestures for them to be quiet as they gather around the door and can hear inside the room Scott and Jean.

Jean could sense the nervousness from Scott from before he asked to speak to her about something. It was something they had been doing a lot more of lately; speaking and hanging out together. It was only now that Jean had come to realise just how much she been ignoring everyone when she was dating that jerk Duncan and started to hang around him and his friends. Scott most of all she realised she had ignored. Since then they had talked like they did before. She had missed it so much more that she ever realised. Missed hanging out with Scott. Since her break-up with Duncan he had been there for her without fail. He had always been there for her if she thought about it. It had led to stirrings of feelings for Scott that were straying beyond friendship but that was crazy right? Besides it wasn't very likely he returned them in any case. "So Scott what was it you wanted to say to me?" she asks him.

Scott takes a few deep calming breaths. He can do this. He had been waiting for the right moment ever since he saw that advertisement about the carnival. "You know that carnival that is coming next week?" he asks her.

"Yes."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to it...together...with me," he asks her and then nervously awaits her reply.

Jean blinks and wonders if she heard that right. "Do you mean...together...as in a...date?" she seeks to clarify what Scott means.

Scott nods.

Jean stands there in stunned silence. Her best friend was asking her out. One part of her was jumping up and down yelling at her to say yes but the stunned silent part was still in charge until she finally get her mouth to move and give Scott an answer. "Y-Yes. I would like that."

A huge smile becomes plastered to Scott's face and in return a huge smile forms on Jean's face too. Scott tentatively reaches out and takes Jean's hand into his own. Their moment is then utterly ruined by a southern accent demanding "Pay up Drake!"

Jean and Scott turn their heads to the doorway to find most of the others standing there, many of them with these enormous smiles on their faces at what they overheard. Bobby is not one of them as he grumbles at being forced to pay out to Rogue for guessing correctly when Scott and Jean's first date would be.

Of course what Bobby doesn't know is that she didn't guess. It was Clark that told her.

* * *

Across town at the bus station the bus from New York has just pulled in and people get off including a young man aged 16 with brown hair and eyes. His name is Peter Parker and if you look at him you see nothing all that remarkable. However nothing could be further from the truth as due to being bitten by a radioactive spider he was in fact Spider-Man.

What brings him to Bayville is the fact he is on the trail of a certain female thief who calls herself the Black Cat. A few days ago in New York she had pretty much...ok completely and utterly gotten the better of him. To top off Peter's humiliation she managed to tie him up in his own webbing while she made her get away but not before she had rolled up his mask and planted the biggest kiss of his life on him.

The Black Cat if Peter was being honest was possibly the hottest girl he had ever laid eyes on. She has this wonderful white hair and she had been dressed up in this skin-tight black leather outfit that seemed to hug and accentuate every one of her curves and boy did she have curves.

So to sum it up he is chasing a hot thief who seemed to have a thing for him while in his normal life as Peter Parker he was caught between two of his friends at school Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson both of whom he had feelings for.

'My life has just gotten so much easier since I became Spider-Man,' Peter sarcastically thinks to himself.

Anyway after Black Cat gave him the slip in New York he doubted he would get another chance to catch her but when he was doing some research into the statue she stole he discovered it was one of a set and that one of them was here in Bayville only an hour away by public transport. If it had been further away in another city or even another country he could not have thought of doing this but luck, good or bad, had dropped this opportunity on him to catch Black Cat and he was not here because he thought she was hot.

To do this Peter had had to tell his aunt that he was doing this for a class assignment. He hated lying to her but she didn't know about his other life for a couple of reasons. One he didn't want her to worry about him and number two revolved around the reasons he became Spider-Man and the death of his uncle Ben.

Not wishing to dwell on those sad thought Peter decides to get the lay of the land as it was and head off to the museum first to check it out and the surrounding area. As Peter makes his way out of the bus station he notices a vendor selling the local paper. The headline catches his attention and he decides to buy one. He reads it through and discovers that Bayville might have its own hero who is getting a lot better media than Peter does from the Bugle. The Bayville Blur as he was being called. Peter wonders if he'll bump into him or not.

A little later at the museum Peter finds the cat statue still in its case so he wasn't too late. Black Cat had not been here yet. He makes his way back outside and walks all around the museum checking out the surrounding buildings for the best place to stake out the joint to coin a phrase tonight where he will wait for Black Cat to show up. He makes his choice. Now all he has to do is wait.

* * *

After the sun sets a figure swings onto the roof of the museum via a cable. She lands with all the grace of a cat. She is the Black Cat dressed in her tight black leather outfit which has white fur like material on costume above the wrists and below the knees and on the neckline and speaking of the neckline it had a plunging v-shape to show off her cleavage because she believed if you've got it flaunt it and she definitely has it. She also had thin black strips of material around her eyes as a mask.

She makes her way over to the skylight and looks down with a slight grin of anticipation. Once she had the statue she was here for she would have the whole set. Not that she was doing it doing for anything as clichéd as money. She did it because it was exciting and thrilling.

It doesn't take her more than a minute to disable any security around the skylight before using a cable she gently lowers herself inside to the floor. Silently and gracefully she makes her way to the case with the cat statue skilfully avoiding all the cameras and any other security measures she comes across.

Black Cat soon finds herself standing in front of the case ready to cut the glass open and take her prize. What she doesn't notice is the figure dressed in red and blue lowering himself down from the roof directly behind her.

"I can't let you take that."

Black Cat is startled for a second before she turns round and finds there hanging upside down is... "Spider!" she says both surprised and happy to see him. Back in New York she had had so much fun dancing with him not to mention it hadn't escaped her attention what a great body he seemed to have and then to top it off he was a great kisser to boot. "Are you following me?" she asks him.

"It wasn't hard to find out that that statue you stole in New York had a couple of twins. I'm guessing you stole the one in Paris," Spider-Man says explaining how he comes to be here.

Black Cat shrugs. "What can I say? I love Paris."

"You could say 'I give up' and save me the trouble," Spider-Man suggests to her.

Black Cat gives him a pouting look. She walks the few steps between them her hips swaying in a deliberate alluring manner. She runs her finger down from his stomach over his chest. "I don't think you really want that deep down," she says to him.

"Is that so?"

"Yes because deep down Spider you are just like me. That is why you are really here. Don't deny it. There's a connection between us."

Spider-Man does his best to ignore her flirting although that is not easy. "Cat," he begins to say but is cut off by her quickly rolling down his mask and locking his lips with her own. At this all coherent thought goes out of Spider-Man's head due to the fact that Cat is a fantastic kisser and that he is doing this upside down which is a unique experience.

Cat pulls back a little breathless and licks her lips. "Say you don't feel it Spider," she dares him. "Say you don't feel what we could have together if you would just give up this good boy routine. Just think about what we could be together." And she means together in _every _way.

For Peter that might be a tempting offer apart from one thing. The mantra he lives by everyday. The one his uncle taught him that with great power comes great responsibility. He is about to turn her down when his spider-sense, an almost precognitive ability to sense danger, flairs up like the 4th of July. A nearby wall is then blown in knocking Spider-Man from the air and on top of Black Cat in a tangle of limbs leaving the two of them on the floor in an extremely compromising looking position.

Spider-Man turns his head as the dust clears to see two individual standing there. One dressed in a weird yellow and brown costume with gauntlets on both of his wrists and one huge guy in a grey rhino costume. He gets off Cat and back to his feet. "Oh come on. Not the hornhead and walking carpet again," he complains. He had met these two before. There were called Shocker and Rhino and the last encounter had left him black and blue all over for a week.

Shocker charges up his gauntlets which fire out shockwaves. "You just never know when to shut that big mouth of yours do you insect," he hisses extremely annoyed at having to bump into the loudmouth that is Spider-Man.

Peter rolls his eyes under his mask. "Spiders are arachnids padding boy. How difficult is that to remember?"

Rhino punches his fist into his hand in eager anticipation. "I've been looking forward to another meeting with you bug-boy!"

"Wait," Shocker commands Rhino. "We aren't here for him. We're here for her."

'Her?' Peter thinks to himself as he looks at Cat. Why would they be after her...apart from maybe some delusion of a date.

Shocker explains "That statue she stole in New York belonged to the Kingpin and he wants it back and her head on a platter."

Peter shakes his head. "You stole it from the Kingpin?" he asks Cat incredulously.

Cat shrugs. "I like to live dangerously," she replies innocently.

Pete shakes his head some more. The Kingpin was the most powerful crime boss of New York. Story goes that there is almost no crime in New York that takes place that the Kingpin doesn't know about.

"You get this once chance to leave Spider-Man," Shocker offers. "Leave her to us and you won't end up being squashed."

"Well as tempting as that might be," Spider-Man says earning him a look from Black Cat which is a mixture of surprise and fear Peter would go with. "If I did that they would revoke my super-hero licence so I'm going to have to go with no."

"Then prepare to be meet your end wall-crawler." Shocker unleashes a blast at Spider-Man and Black Cat.

Thanks to his spider-sense Peter pushes her out of the way and manages to dodge the blast himself as he shoots off a webline and swings right at Shocker managing to kick the villain in the chest knocking him over. Peter lands on the floor just as his spider-sense flares again and he rolls out of the way to avoid Rhino's fists as they impact the floor cracking it and the vibrations cause a few priceless antiques to fall off their pedestals to the floor where they shatter into pieces.

"Don't you have any respect for our nation's treasured museums?" Peter asks Rhino and then realises who he is talking to do. "On second thoughts don't answer that. I doubt you can even spell museum."

Rhino hates it when people insult him and with a cry of rage he charges at Spider-Man. Peter flips out of the way but as he does so Shocker blasts him in mid-air sending him sliding across the floor. He notices Black Cat has manoeuvred herself to leaning against a wall watching the show. "You could help you know," he points out as he gets back to his feet.

"What and damage my nails? Besides you're doing great. Go get them Spider!" she says giving him encouragement and a thumb's up.

He eyes her for a second because he just knows she is up to something but before he can figure out what his spider-sense flares up again as Shocker tries to blast him again. Peter flips onto the wall and then off of it and fires off a webline as he swings back into the fray because he can't let these two morons have their way with Black Cat no matter how much of a pain she is.

Meanwhile outside the museum a blurred figure comes to a stop and sees...a massive hole in the wall. Wow that is not suspicious or anything. Clark can see he was right to come by this way before he went home. He focusses his eyes and activates his x-ray vision and can barely believe his eyes. It is Spider-Man. He's actually real and he is fighting these two other guys in costumes. He guesses he better help and he zips off inside.

Inside Spider-Man is swinging through the air when Shocker manages to snap his webline and he falls right into Rhino's waiting arms. Ooh boy. This is going to smart Peter knows. Rhino grabs him with one arm and slams him into the floor face first...hard making Peter let out a painful grunt. Rhino then slams his foot down onto Spider-Man's back. Rhino raises his foot to do it again when a black blur slams into him sending Rhino flying.

Black Cat's eyebrows rise with interest as this blur turns into a tall dark-haired young man dressed in a black costume with a silver symbol on the front that resembles a stylised S inside a diamond. She takes several seconds to look him over and in a word; Me-ow!

Clark helps Spider-Man up. "Are you ok?" he asks.

Peter shakes his head to clear it. "Oh sure. Only a few ruptured internal organs. Nothing all that serious," he quips.

Clark smiles slightly before his hearing hears something charging up. He turns to face Shocker.

"I don't know who you are but prepare to face the power of the Shocker!" Shocker tells him threateningly. He then lets off a blast which impacts Clark in the chest causing him to slide back several feet across the floor. Clark's eyes narrow while Shocker looks on mildly in..shock. He charges up his gauntlets to full power but before he can shoot them off Clark has zipped to him, grabbed him and thrown him across the room through a display case.

"Oops," Clark says sheepishly at destroying museum property like that.

"You are going to be saying a little more than oops you little runt when the Rhino gets through with you!" the grey-suited villain threatens.

Clark turns to see his rhino suited foe is back on his feet and charging right at him. Clark braces himself and lets Rhino hit him. He slides back digging his feet in until he brings Rhino to a stop. Rhino pushes Clark back and hits him with a punch across his jaw which is a lot harder than Clark is use to being hit. It catches him a little by surprise so he ends up flying across the room into the wall which cracks under the impact before Clark slides to the floor. Clark is instantly back to his feet as it did not really hurt all that much. It stung a bit certainly but if that is the hardest this guy can hit than Clark can say he is definitely stronger. He zips back in a blur to confront the grey suited giant.

Rhino not noticing how little effect that blow actually had on his opponent tries to hit him again as soon as he has blurred back across the room only to find it blocked...with ease. After all what use is superspeed if Clark doesn't use it to avoid taking unnecessary punishment. Logan taught him that one. Clark retaliates with a blow of his own staggering Rhino back a few paces.

Rhino is surprised by how much he felt that blow but shakes it off. He swings again at Clark only for Clark to blur out of the way as he dodges it and then punches Rhino again. This happens a few times. Rhino tries a punch, Clark dodges and punches him back only with a little more strength each time as he gets a handle on how strong this guy is and what it will take to put him down.

Shocker meanwhile has gotten back to his feet and aims at the new guy's back while he is busy with Rhino only to find his gauntlets webbed up. Spider-Man is above him on the wall waggling his finger at him.

"Ut uh!" Spider-Man says. "You haven't been tagged in yet."

"Why you little...humpf!"

Shocker's tirade is cut off by Spider-man webbing over his mouth before dropping down from the wall landing a kick squarely on Shocker's chest knocking the villain down where Spider-Man webs him to the floor. Peter turns his attention to the new guy who is amazingly not only standing toe-to-toe with Rhino but beating him.

"Hold still you little...," Rhino says to Clark, his speech a little slurred and his movements a little wobbly as Clark's blows start to take their toll.

Clark stands perfectly still. "Sure. All you had to do was ask."

Rhino makes an attempt at a punch that is slow and off target. Clark simply leans back a bit as it misses his face. He then zips in and uppercuts Rhino with more of his strength than before sending the huge man clean into the air by several feet before Rhino crashes down and lays there completely still. Clark shakes his fist out a little. That guy's head was hard. Next thing Clark knows is this strange white substance covers Rhino's body as Spider-Man uses a lot of his very very expensive webbing he might add to make sure Rhino doesn't go anywhere. "Err...thanks," is all Clark can think of to say.

Spider-Man leaps down off the wall and lands next to Clark. "No problem. Us heroes have to stick togeth...aw man! She got away...again!"

"Who? What?" Clark asks rather befuddled.

"The Black Cat," Spider-Man answers jerking his thumb at the spot where she was standing but is no longer and to top it off the cat statue is gone.

Clark quickly focusses his senses around and sees the white haired thief swinging off the museum roof. They can still get her if they hurry.

* * *

Black Cat goes out full tilt for a few blocks before coming to a stop on a rooftop with her prize. She guesses she should have figured Kingpin would try something like that. Well now she has her prize she will lie low for awhile. As for bailing on Spider...well that other guy was there to help wasn't he she tells herself in an attempt to soothe what remains of her conscience.

Black Cat places her prize down on the flat top of a metal vent and takes a moment to admire it. It will look so good when she reunites it with its two siblings. Then there is a sudden gust of wind that blows her hair about.

"I can't let you take that."

That voice was different. Black Cat turns to find the young man in black standing there arms folded across his chest which gives her a chance to spot even under the coat he is wearing the unmistakable sign of defined muscle. She walks over to him, swaying her hips alluringly. "And what do they call you handsome?" she asks, her voice overflowing with silky seduction.

Clark has to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he gets flashbacks on Live Wire calling him that. "Well the papers seem to go for the Bayville Blur," he tells her.

Black Cat arches an eyebrow. "Blur huh?" By now she is standing right in front of him and she trails a finger over one of his biceps feeling the solid mass underneath. She gazes up, yes up, because he was that tall and takes in the handsome features and wonderfully coloured blue eyes staring down at her. "You sure we can't work something out?" she asks him fluttering her eyelids at him.

"You just never quit do ya?"

Cat's lips curve up into a smile at that familiar voice and she turns away from the Blur to face Spider now holding her prized statue. "Spider! The two of you and just little ol' me. I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

Cool things about face masks Peter thinks right now is that no-one can see when you are blushing. Clark unfortunately can't say the same as a red tint reaches his cheeks.

Black Cat then makes a dash for it only for Clark to blur in front of her. Now she gets the name. She hits him which feels like hitting a wall and she ends up unceremoniously landing on her bottom. Next thing she knows is Spider's webbing wrapping around her as she ends up tied up.

Peter moves to stand over her and lets out a sad sigh. She was not a bad person exactly but she was a thief.

"Any chance we could talk about this?" Black Cat inquires.

Clark and Spider-Man share a look and then both simultaneously shake their heads.

* * *

Back at the museum the security guards who had not been stupid enough or paid well enough to get involved in the fight they witnessed stand over the two villains who are all webbed up. Next thing they know a black blur passes them by and dropped in front of them is a tied up white haired woman, the statue that was stolen and a note attached. One of them picks it up and reads it.

_'Here is the renowned thief known as the Black Cat and the statue she stole._

_Courtesy of the Bayville Blur and your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.'_

When the police come to take the 3 away watching it all are the Bayville Blur and Spider-Man from across the street up on the roof.

"Well that'll make my life easier for awhile," Spider-Man remarks at having 3 of his villains locked up.

Clark turns to look at him. "This kind of thing happen often to you?"

Spider-Man shrugs. "Comes part and package of the deal doesn't it. Super-heroes have to have super-villains to battle."

"I suppose...but I haven't been doing this all that long."

"Well if it means anything I think you are doing great. I mean there is not many people I know who can knock out the hornhead."

Clark shrugs and says modestly "I just happen to be stronger."

"And superfast," Spider-Man points out. "Man I need better powers," he laments jokily.

"I don't know. That webbing is cool. Makes it easier to restrain people. Wish I had something like that."

Peter smiles under his mask. For all this guy's power Peter would almost call him shy. "So the Bayville Blur?" he queries at the name.

"The local paper's idea. I...never thought of a name. Didn't seem all that important ahead of helping people."

Peter nods. He would agree. "So if I can ask how did you get your powers?"

"I was kinda born with them," Clark answers vaguely since he isn't about to say that he is an alien form another galaxy. "You?"

"Bitten by a radioactive spider."

Clark looks at Spider-Man sceptically.

"Really," Spider-Man insists. "That is what happened."

Ok. That's a new one on Clark and he comes from a town where meteors create mutants and he lives with over a dozen mutants so that's saying something. Moving on and he really does need to since he is already past his curfew. Logan is not going to be happy. "I need to tell you a story. It's about where I am currently living."

Under his mask Peter arches an eyebrow. He has a feeling he is about to hear something very important.

* * *

A short time later Clark is back in his room.

"You're late," a familiar deep gruff voice says. Clark turns and in the corner sitting in a chair is Logan who has obviously been waiting for Clark to return so he can chew Clark out for coming back past his curfew.

"I have a good reason," Clark says.

"Like what?" Logan asks.

"Well like me," a new voice speaks and Logan's gaze turns up to the roof and sitting there somehow without Logan noticing him come in before now is a guy in a red and blue costume with a black spider on the chest. He gives Logan a little wave. "Hi there," Spider-Man greets him while Logan stares somewhat blankly.

After giving Spider-Man the story of the institute Clark had managed to persuade him to come back with him and at least meet with Professor Xavier. Despite Spider-Man not technically being a mutant if the whole radioactive spider story is true Clark figured with him being an alien the Professor would be more than willing to offer Spider-Man a place.

It is only a short time later Spider-Man is sitting on a wall(Peter just finds it the most comfortable position for him to sit) in Professor Xavier's office after Charles has been woken up and told what was going on and who Clark brought home with him. Clark himself had been a little worried whether he had done the right thing but Charles assured Clark he had. With the meteor mutants as a good example along with Clark Charles had been starting to think that perhaps this institute should be more than about helping x-gene mutants. He had been thinking that this institute should be here to help anyone who manifests extraordinary abilities and Spider-Man seemed to obviously qualify in that regard.

"I must say this is somewhat of a surprise," the Professor says to Spider-Man. There had been stories in the papers but Charles had not been able to pick up anything on Cerebro so it had been a real question if Spider-Man really existed.

Peter shrugs. "Well so is being told about mutants." Although the geekier part of Peter finds it fascinating to learn about a whole new species of human.

"Well I assume you know the basics then."

"Um yeah. The Blur there gave me it. The x-gene, mutants, superpowers, this institute you use to train and help them...which by the way I think is a great idea and I have great respect for your wish for us all to live in peace." It also was nice to know for Peter that he was not alone in the world as the only person with powers.

"Then I wish to make you the offer of joining us."

'Whoa,' is the thought that enters Peter's head. Somehow he had never expected that. "I'm...not sure what to say."

"I understand if you require time to think on it. If you wish we can give you a room to spend the night considering the late hour."

The mention of the late hour makes Peter yawn so he agrees to the offer of the room.

* * *

The next morning Peter is woken up by knocking on his door. When his eyes open it takes him a minute to remember where he is. He gets up, remembering to put his mask back on and opens the door to find a boy in a blue t-shirt and glasses.

"Morning," Clark says. "Just to let you know breakfast is being served if you're hungry."

"Right...um...thanks," Peter says as he stares at the boy and tries to work out why he seems so familiar. Then it strikes him. "Blur?"

"Yes," Clark says. He gestures at himself. "This is sort of my disguise."

And it was actually a really really good one. He looked like one of those guys who got beaten up for their lunch money. He looked a lot like Peter did before that spider bit him. Of course that has not stopped Peter getting beaten up for his lunch money so the benefits of having spider powers currently escapes him.

"And the name's Clark," he says offering his hand. "Clark Kent."

Peter takes it and decides if Clark is willing to share his name and identity then he can do the same. He pulls his mask off. "Peter. Peter Parker," he says back.

"Nice to meet you," Clark says as he takes in the boy with brown hair and eyes.

Peter smiles a little. "Likewise."

* * *

When Kitty enters the kitchen that morning what greets her is the sight of a boy in a red and blue costume sitting on the wall sipping coffee. "What the...?" she trails off.

"What's the matter Kitty?" Clark asks extremely amused by her reaction. "You look like you have never seen a guy stuck to a wall before," he teases her.

Peter looks at the what he would call pretty girl with brown hair and blue eyes and waves at her. "Hi there. I'm..."

Peter is cut off by Kitty squealing...loudly which makes Clark wince. "OH MY GOD! You're Spider-Man!"

Peter nods completely caught out by this reaction. Kitty runs over and throws her arms around him. Peter looks to Clark for an explanation.

"Peter Parker say hello to Spider-Man's number one fan Kitty Pryde."

"I have a fan?" Peter asks completely bemused by that idea since generally Spider-Man doesn't get all that a positive reaction from people. See the Daily Bugle for proof.

Kitty pulls back and literally bobbles on the spot. "Oh my god. I have like all the clippings of you from the Bugle and you are so much cuter then I imagined you were...and oh god I just said that out-loud didn't I. You probably think I'm some psycho stalker or something but I just think it is so cool the way you go around saving people and stuff and..."

Kitty's babble is cut off by Clark laughing and shaking his head. "Wow Kitty. I think that is a record long babble even for you."

Kitty glares at Clark. "Like keep laughing it up farm boy. You're just jealous that Spider-Man is more famous than you are."

"Oh of course I am," Clark says back sarcastically. "That is why I started doing this so I could be more famous than Spider-Man. Thanks for clearing that up Kitty."

Peter looks back and forth between the bickering teens. Well so far this has been an interesting morning. As the rest of the faculty wander in for their breakfasts each and every one stops and stares at Peter for a moment sitting there on the wall. There are introductions before they move on and get stuck into their breakfasts. Well Jubilee made the remark of 'Cool!' but essentially that was it. Peter is surprised at how easily they seem to be taking this...him. It was kind of disconcerting but then again here he wasn't unique here as he has to remind himself that each person in this room with him has powers...well apart from Clark's parents. They were human and seemed like very nice people.

"So ah'm guessing ya had an interesting night," Rogue says to Clark as she nods in Peter's direction.

"Interesting doesn't cover it. I got to fight supervillains and Logan still chews me out for coming home late." Clark shakes his head at the last bit.

"Aw poor baby," Rogue teases him slightly before kissing him on the cheek. She can't help herself because Clark just looks so adorable when he broods. She turns to Scott. "By tha way Scott. Spider-Man doesn't exist?" she reminds Scott of his assertion.

Scott inwardly groans. He should have known this was coming.

"I don't?" Peter queries.

"That's what Scott said," Clark says supporting his girlfriend.

Scott rubs his face with his hand. "I was wrong. Ok. Obviously you do exist," he says to Peter.

"Huh. Good to know," Peter says in a dead-pan style.

At this point Logan walks in. "Hey webhead!" he calls out.

'Webhead?' Peter thinks to himself.

"When you're ready the Prof would like a chat."

Peter shrugs. He is ready now as while sitting here he has been thinking about the Professor's offer to join and has made his decision so he drops off the wall and makes his way back to the Professor's office.

"Have you thought on my offer?" Charles asks pleased that Peter trusts them enough to remove his mask as the young man chooses to stand in front of the desk on this occasion.

"Yes and I have to decline," Peter is forced to say.

Charles is disappointed at that. "May I ask why?"

"Someone once said to me that with great power comes great responsibility. Like I said last night Professor I respect what you are doing here but my home is New York. It is where I am needed. You don't really need me because you have Clark but you can trust me to know that I will keep secret everything I have seen here. Besides who I am going to tell. I don't really exist according to most people."

Charles can sense that and in return says, "And you can trust us to keep your identity a secret. Keeping secrets is something we are good at here."

Peter can sense that is true. "Thanks for letting me stay Professor but it is time I start heading home." Before Aunt May gets too worried about him.

"I understand and Peter should you ever change your mind our door is always open," Charles tells him. He won't force anyone to stay here or do anything against their will. Charles must stick to his principles or they become worthless. Also as Clark said maybe people seeing others using their abilities to help people will help on the day mutants are revealed and on top of that Charles is just going to go with what is a gut instinct here that Peter is a good responsible young man.

Peter appreciates that offer. He leaves the office, heads to the kitchen and asks to speak to Clark on his own as he tells him his decision. The two of them head out into the hallway and Peter informs Clark of his decision.

"Oh," Clark says a little disappointed. Peter is the first person he has met doing what he is doing and going out and helping people. "Well it was nice working with you."

Peter smiles. "Yeah it was and hey maybe one day we can team up again. I hear all sorts of rumours about other people doing what we are doing."

"Really? Well if that's true maybe we could find them and form a bowling team or something."

Peter snorts out a laugh. That is a pretty funny concept and the image it is generating in his head of a whole bunch of them in costume at a bowling alley is hilarious.

"If you want I could run you back to New York. It only takes me like 10 minutes," Clark offers.

Well that would save Peter the bus fare and he did use an awful lot of webbing last night so he agrees. Clark vanishes and reappears a few seconds later dressed in his costume and it is kind of amazing how different he somehow makes himself look. Amazing what a pair of glasses can do. Shame Peter never thought of that. Oh well you live and learn.

Peter says a goodbye to everyone and as Clark promised it only takes 10 minutes until they reach the outskirts of New York. To Peter all the people he met seemed an alright bunch. Clark stops in a secluded secluded spot out of sight as he drop Peter off.

"Should you ever need help don't hesitate to ask," Clark tells Peter. "Because I'm really just down the road."

"Thanks," Peter says at the offer. "And you know what the reverse is true...except for the fact it would take me like an hour to get there."

Clark smiles. Peter was funny. "Well you have our number and I know Kitty would love it if you stay in touch."

Peter guesses he should be flattered at the way Kitty sort of idolises him but he already has enough girl troubles as it is. Although she did call him cute...nah. He better not go there. "If I can ask why do you do this if the Professor wants mutants to stay under the radar?" Peter asks Clark.

Clark tells him about his hearing and how he just can't stand by while all that goes on and how he told the Professor this and how they reached a compromise. Peter can't even imagine what that must be like for Clark. Sure he has seen some awful things but he doesn't have to listen to it constantly.

"Even if all I do is stop one of those cries it is something at least right?"

"Yes. It's something."

"What about you? Why do you do this?" Clark asks Peter.

"Because someone important to me once told me that with great power comes great responsibility. I have the power to help and it is my responsibility to do so."

"That's very profound."

"I always thought so."

The two of them then say their goodbyes and Clark blurs off. Peter shakes his head. He definitely needs better powers. He leaps up into the air fires off a webline and starts to head home.

Peter stops in his usual spot near home to change his clothes before walking the rest of the way. He enters the house. "Aunt May! I'm home!" he announces his return and he finds her in the kitchen making a cup of tea.

The elderly lady's face lights up at the sight of the only family she has left. "Peter!"

The two share a hug and May gestures for Peter to sit down. "So how did your assignment go?" she asks him in reference to his excuse that he gave her.

"Oh great Aunt May. Met some interesting people. In fact..." Peter reaches into his bag and pulls out a brown paper bag and places it on the table. "I made a new friend and his mother gave me some of her cookies." In fact Clark's mother, who was one of the nicest people Peter has ever met, insisted on giving him some when he was saying his goodbyes. He pulls one out and eats it and his eyes widen at just how good it is.

May takes one and tries it herself. It is very good. "Think she would give me the recipe?" May asks him.

"Oh aunt May. They're good but not as good as yours."

"I can see where all your uncle's charm went," she says back and in many ways Peter does remind her of Ben as much as he does his parents.

Peter smiles a little wistfully at the mention of his uncle.

"So a new friend?" she asks him to confirm.

"Yeah." And new allies. Even for Spider-Man that makes this weekend a memorable one.

May pats the back of Peter's hand. "Well that's good. You can never have enough friends."

* * *

An extremely large bald man dressed in a very expensive designer suit stands in an office. His name is Wilson Fisk and right now he is looking out at New York through the windows of his office. Looking down upon his city...his kingdom as he liked to think of it as he was the Kingpin. His power stretched far and wide almost without limit.

Almost.

Lately there had been a few things that had been starting to intrude on his kingdom. On the outside he was calm. On the inside he was seething at it.

On the legitimate business side of his affairs Luthorcorp's move into Bayville was dangerously close to his territory. Fisk knew Lionel Luthor well. A war with him would be a challenge to say the least.

On the less legitimate side of his business there were costumed heroes popping up in his city...HIS city and disrupting his criminal enterprises. These annoyances don't even include his crime boss rivals who would stab him in the back at the first sign of weakness.

Then to top it all off the thief known as the Black Cat dares to steal from him. It wasn't that the statue was really all that valuable when compared to his fortune. It was the principle. No-one steals from the Kingpin and can be allowed to get away with it. It is why in response he sent Shocker and Rhino to get her and his property back. They failed. Instead they are in jail. He should have sent a professional like Bullseye to do this job he now realises. He had made a rare mistake and one he shall not repeat. "What happened?" Fisk asks the man who brought him the news about Shocker and Rhino's fate.

"W-well sir we are not entirely sure," the man stutters in fear of the person whose presence he is in. Fisk turns his head and gives the man a chilling stare. "B-but from the police reports Shocker and Rhino were found tied up in some kind of...webbing."

"Spider-Man!" Fisk grinds out from between his teeth. Of all the heroes popping up Spider-Man was the one causing him the biggest headaches along with another in Hell's Kitchen who according to reports dressed up like a red devil. "And the Black Cat?" he inquires hoping against hope that there might be one piece of good news.

"She was in custody."

"Was?"

"She escaped. Her whereabouts are currently unknown."

So much for any good news. Fisk turns back to looking out of the window and contemplates his next course of action. "I want the Black Cat found. I don't care what it takes but find her." Nothing has changed in regards to her. No-one can be allowed to get away with stealing from the Kingpin.

"Yes sir. And Spider-Man?"

"He has now become more than an annoyance. One I am going to deal with...personally," Fisk says with _sinister_ intent.

* * *

_Author's Note: I was never going to have Spider-Man join the X-Men which is like the comics where he was made the offer to join but turned it down. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Mindbender._


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

So good news, bad news. Good news is that they all have a new ally in Spider-Man. Bad news is that they hear the Black Cat managed to escape from jail. Good news; Clark and Rogue and Scott and Jean had a wonderful time at the carnival being all couply. Bad news; ever since the carnival a few days ago Jean has been having these really weird dreams.

Jean wishes she was having one now as she wanders around the carnival in her nightshirt in the pouring rain. Jean can't remember for the life of her though how she came to be here as she wanders in between the tents and stalls. She comes across what looks like a dummy clown standing behind this game cart. The red-haired dummy then starts to laugh before turning its head to look at her.

Jean steps back with a little cry of fear. She turns to run off only for this giant clown, at least 30 feet tall in green tails and a yellow bow-tie to stand in her way and it is laughing as well. She runs off past the first clown as fast as she can in her bare feet until a giant gloved fist slams down in her path blocking her way forward. Jean slides to a halt as another giant clown in a yellow and purple checked jester outfit and green hair bends down in front of her and it too is laughing.

Jean backs up as the original clown becomes as giant as the other two and they converge on her with all of them laughing this hideously creepy laughter. Jean doesn't notice a fourth giant clown behind her until it is too late. It makes a grab for her just as she turns round...

Jean sits up in bed with a gasp and a cry throwing her covers off as she does so. It takes her a few seconds to notice she is floating above the bed. She crashes back down with a bump. She brings her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them as she tries to gather her emotions back in.

'It was only a dream. It was only a dream,' she repeats in her head over and over.

It is then the jack in box she won as a prize at the carnival that has been sitting on her bedside table starts up. It is orange with yellow stars on 5 of the six sides. On the front is a yellow hand within which is the symbol of the all seeing eye within a triangle. Jean stares at it as the handle turns of its own accord and the music starts playing.

Then as suddenly as it starts it stops. Jean bits her lower lip nervously. She is now officially freaked out. Against her better judgement she picks up the box and places it on the bed in front of her. She pushes a few loose strands of her red hair back.

The jack, the image of a man with green lined tattoos on his face, then suddenly pops out of the box. Jean screams before a sudden blank expression overcomes her face. She gets up off her bed, goes to her closest and takes out her uniform. She puts it on before moving over to her window, sliding it open and floating out into the night.

* * *

When morning comes it doesn't take long to notice that Jean is missing and a full on search breaks out around the mansion grounds with everyone on the task of looking for Jean.

Kurt teleports from place to place. Kitty phases out of the garage and bumps into Rogue. "Cars are all still in the garage," Kitty tells Rogue before she glances up to the mansion roof where Clark is standing with his eyes shut. "Um like what is Clark doing?" Kitty asks Rogue.

Rogue gazes up at her boyfriend. "He's seeing if he can hear her," she informs Kitty.

"Can he?"

In answer to Kitty's question Clark drops down next to them with a weary shake of his head. "No he can't," he has to tell them sadly. Odd thing was he never heard a thing last night.

Up in Jean's room Scott stares out of her window feeling utterly helpless. He and Jean had just gotten together. Their first date at the carnival had gone great or it had in Scott's opinion and now this happens.

The Professor is with him deeply concerned about Jean. His attention is caught by the jack in the box sitting curiously on her bed. "This jack in the box. I wonder if it has any significance," he airs his thoughts.

That brings Scott out of his inner worries and he turns away from the window. "What? That? It's nothing. It's just a toy Jean won at the carnival," he says dismissively unable to see how it could be related.

Hank appears in the doorway to report on the status of the search. "We've combed the mansion. I'm afraid there's no sign of her," Hank has to sadly report.

Charles breaks away from momentarily reaching out with his mind looking for Jean. "Then sometime during the night Jean simply vanished," he summarises the worrying situation.

* * *

A little later after attempting to use Cerebro to find Jean Charles makes his way to see how Hank is getting on. He finds the blue furred mutant in the computer room using the institute's computers to scan through the media with Clark standing behind him.

If you were to look at Clark close up you would see his eyes moving back and forth rapidly as he reads through everything much faster than anyone else can.

"Hank. How's your progress?" Charles inquiries.

"Nothing yet," Hanks says with disappointment. "With Clark's help I've begun scanning news and police sources for the entire east coast." Hank turns his head to look at Charles. "What about Cerebro? Pick anything up?"

"No," Charles says. "It won't detect her until she uses her powers." This is due to the fact she must be outwith Bayville because if she was still within the city limits Charles could sense her which he can't.

"Well lets hope that if she does use them it is not because she is danger."

That is a thought Clark has too as he continues scanning all the media reports on the screen. As they are doing this the others are fanning out across the Bayville looking for Jean at any possible spot she might hang out just in case the Professor is wrong about her not being within the city limits. Besides it gives them all something to focus their minds on rather than sitting around the institute worrying. Scott drives around in his car while phoning Jean's friends. Evan tries the police just in case. Rogue tries the mall. Kurt teleports around town to everywhere he can think of. Kitty even risks trying the Boarding House which doesn't go down at all well. Luckily Kitty's phasing power saves her hide.

* * *

With all the X-Men and the adults distracted the New Mutants see an opportunity to have some fun in the Danger Room...unsupervised. Jubilee voices the point about shouldn't they be looking for Jean too but Bobby dismisses it by arguing back that they are suppose to be having a lesson.

They turn the corner to the door to the Danger Room...only to find Jonathan and Martha blocking their way, their arms folded across the chests, both looking less than pleased.

"Um hi Mr and Mrs Kent!" Bobby says, his voice high-pitched and squeaky.

"And where do you think you are going?" Jonathan asks them in his most authoritarian voice.

"Um...," Ray desperately tries to think of something to say.

"Now you wouldn't be thinking of trying to use the Danger Room unsupervised would you?" Martha asks them. "Because you do know that is not permitted."

Sam shakes his head. "Of course not. We would never do that."

"I'm glad to hear that," Martha says. "Because if you were you know I would be very disappointed in all of you."

All the New Mutants hang their heads a little bit and guilt creeps into their expressions. Disappointing Mrs Kent was like one of the worse thing any of them could think of to do.

Just the Jamie comes barrelling around the corner. "Hey guys I though we were going to use the Danger Room!"

"Shh!" half of the New Mutants shout at Jamie but too late.

Jamie's eyes widen as he spots Mr and Mrs Kent. "Uh oh. Busted," he says out loud.

"Indeed you are James," Jonathan says deliberately using the formal version of Jamie's name. "Now whose idea was this?"

Almost all in unison point at Bobby and Ray as the two most responsible.

"I see," Jonathan says. "Well as you know Martha and I are charged with taking care of you same as your instructors which means we are also able to dish out punishments when rules are broken. Now that leaves the question of what your punishment should be?"

"You know with spring drawing near that parcel of land Charles sat aside to grow food on needs work," Martha points out.

This is one reason why Jonathan loves Martha so much. "Good idea. Ray, Robert you get to spend your spare time with me for the next...I'm thinking two weeks."

"Oh man," Bobby mutters quietly.

"Now as for the rest of you I know Ray and Robert can be quite persuasive but you should have known better."

The others all nod.

"So you'll only get a week with me," Jonathan informs them of his decision. "Now I know we are all worried about Jean so your punishments can keep until she is found but I want you back up in the mansion and out of those uniforms now," he says with a stern voice and a stern expression.

The New Mutants turn around and walk slowly back to the elevator. Jonathan and Martha stand where they are until the teenagers are gone.

"Good thing you overheard them," Jonathan says to his wife as to how they knew what the New Mutants were up to.

Martha shrugs. She had been here long enough to pick up vibes and she could sense that the students were up to something so she may have discreetly eavesdropped on them. She lets out a sigh. "Do you think Jean is alright?" Martha asks expressing her worry over the red-haired girl.

"I'm sure she's fine," Jonathan says because it is the thing to say not that he is 100% sure but he hopes Jean will be found and that she is ok. He places his arm across his wife's shoulders and the two of them head upstairs to keep an eye on the students and hope that they find Jean soon.

* * *

Logan returns to the mansion having managed to track Jean to the bus station where she apparently got on board a bus at 4 this morning heading for Boston. The Professor is quickly able to confirm this using Cerebro.

"So she's using her powers," Scott assumes as he stands in Cerebro along with Logan.

"Most decidedly," Charles replies due to the ease he is picking Jean up.

The Professor returns to where Hank and Clark are working while Scott and Logan prep the x-jet. "What have you got?" Charles asks them.

"From our monitoring of the police bands Jean broke into a property and stole an antique ring," Hank informs Charles. "Clark is trying to identify it precisely to see if that gives us any clues."

Charles briefly glances at Clark sifting through information on ancient rings at what he would have previously thought impossible speed as it all flies across the screen in a blur.

Clark doesn't lose his focus even as he listens in on the conversation. When they found Jean his first instinct had been to run off. He could probably cover the distance now in about half an hour or so but he remembered all he had been taught about teamwork. Right now his job is here but if they need him to go he'll go with them. He hopes Jean is alright.

A short time later Scott rushes in saying that the x-jet is ready to go.

"There's no point," Hank has to tell Scott with sad resignation as he and Charles stare at a screen linked to Cerebro and showing what it is detecting on the automatic scanning setting the Professor left it on. "After stealing that ring she obviously left."

Scott walks up to next where Hank and the Professor are. "How do you know?" he asks.

"Because Cerebro detected a fleeting use of her powers near the train tracks," Charles tells him as he points at the screen which shows a flashing dot upon a map of the area which is where Cerebro picked Jean up. He rests his chin in his hand. "I believe she is on the move," he speculates as to why Jean was there. Most likely she hopped aboard a freight car.

"Man what is going on with her?" Scott asks desperately. He places his hand to his head. "This doesn't make any sense," he says unable to figure out what is going on only that he is going out of his mind with worry.

"Scott," Charles says while laying a supportive hand on his arm. "We'll find her. I promise. We simply must wait for another lead."

"I've got something," Clark suddenly announces.

Charles, Hank and Scott make their way over to where Clark is working as he brings up the image of the ring. "I've found the ring," he tells them. "It's Tibetan."

Hank quickly reads over what Clark has found. "Early Hun dynasty if I'm not mistaken," he says as he takes in the style. "There are 3 of them."

"They were originally a set," Clark adds from what he has found out. "But over the years they were broken up and sold to different parties."

"You think she will try to steal the other 2?" Scott asks with some real hope that they have a lead.

Charles doesn't want to assume that but that is a good place to start. "Where are the other 2 rings?"

"Yeah...that's a snag," Clark has to unfortunately mention. "That kind of information is hard to get to and beyond my expertise...but I think I'm right in saying that Kitty is better than me at getting that kind of information." Kitty is a self-confessed former hacker. Then an idea strikes him. "Also if you will permit Professor I could contact Chloe. She is really good at this kind of thing."

Charles gives his permission and Clark vanishes accompanied by his usual gust of wind to get Kitty and then phone Chloe. His blond-haired friend is only too happy to help out when Clark explains the situation to her and then Kitty and Chloe start up a dialogue that frankly goes over even his head as they talk hacker shop.

Clark leaves them to it and goes to get himself a snack as he takes a break. He has been staring at computer screens for hours. As he enters the kitchen he finds Kurt and Rogue.

"How's it going?" Kurt asks Clark.

"Slowly," Clark answers as he rummages around the cupboards for something to eat. "But we may have a lead on Jean," he mentions as a positive.

"Well that's good," Rogue says.

Clark grabs himself some chips and sits himself down. He rubs his eyes.

"Are ya alright?" Rogue asks with some concern.

Clark shakes his head a little bit. "I'm just feeling a little...I don't know off...drained maybe. It's hard to describe. I'm tired certainly. I've been reading screens at superspeed for hours so maybe I've just been overdoing it. I mean even I have limits."

Rogue rubs his arm sympathetically. In fact Clark has looked a bit drained to use the expression since yesterday. If she didn't know it was impossible she would think he was sick or something.

"So vhat lead do you have on Jean?" Kurt asks.

Clark explains all about the ring and its two siblings. He knows Kitty and Chloe will come up with something. Only question is will they come up with it in time.

* * *

That night Scott lies in bed unable to sleep. He is too wound up and too worried about Jean. Kitty and Chloe had not come up with a solid location on the other 2 rings yet so basically they were stuck waiting. He glances at the clock. 1am. He decides to try and get some sleep and rolls over on his side.

A figure moves past his open door. "Jean?"

Scott rushes out of bed and into the hallway. "Jean!"

Scott finds the hallway empty. He could have sworn...

Scott runs down the hallway in the direction he thinks Jean went, turns the corner and almost runs into her as she stands there with her back to him in her green and black uniform. "Jean. What are you..."

Scott's question is cut off as Jean spins round and he feels her force her way inside his mind and commands him to sleep.

When Scott wakes up later he shoots out of bed and runs down the hallway only to notice as he passes Kurt's door that the blue-furred teleporter is gone. Scott runs to the Professor's door and bangs on it. Once Scott has informed the Professor it doesn't take long until half the mansion is up.

Except oddly Clark. Not until Rogue bangs on his door. When she opens it Clark is groggily sitting up. "What is it Rogue?"

Rogue is a little caught out that Clark cannot know what is going on. "Jean was here and now Kurt is missing too."

Genuine surprise forms on Clark's face. "What?" That can't be right. How could he not have heard something although if he thinks on it his senses have seem a little dulled this last day or so. Clark gets out of bed feeling a little drained and even slightly nauseous. Something is very wrong. He takes a few steps away from the bed and the nausea fades away. He takes a few steps back towards the bed and the nausea returns. He takes a few steps back and again it goes away.

"Clark?" Rogue queries at his odd behaviour.

Clark focusses his eyes on the bed and activates his x-ray vision playing on a hunch. His face darkens when he spots what he feared he would. He grabs the mattress and tosses it away and there lying under it is a glowing green shard of kryptonite.

Rogue's eyes widen in horror. "How did that get there?"

Clark shakes his head. "I don't know but it would explain why I never heard Jean. A piece that small dulls my senses without being fatal." He gestures at it. "Could you...?"

Rogue understands his request and goes and picks up the tiny glowing shard. "What do ya want done with it?"

"Personally flushing it would be a good idea to me but you better put it in the safe along with the other pieces Mr McCoy keeps."

* * *

Down in the lower levels Scott now dressed in his uniform along with the Professor catch up with Hank and Kitty in the computer room once more trying to see if they can pick up anything on Jean and now Kurt as well. She too is in her uniform as she helps Mr McCoy while at the same time she is talking to Chloe using a bluetooth having been forced to wake Clark's blonde haired friend up. The two of them earlier had decided to call it a night and get some sleep but they were back at the hard work now.

Kitty notices Scott and the Professor out of the corner of her eye. "Hold on Chloe," she tells the girl on the other end of the line as she addresses Scott and the Professor. "We got a match on one of the face recognition scans," she informs them as she brings up the image of Jean and Kurt.

"Where?" Charles asks.

"Back at the bus station," Kitty informs them. "After she went there last time we thought it a good idea to like monitor the security footage."

"Where were they going?" Scott asks.

Hank is busy looking that up. "Cross referencing ticket sales to the exact time that image was recorded it looks like New York City."

"I think we can narrow it down more," Kitty pipes up. "Uh huh...right Chloe. I'll tell them," she says over the phone. Kitty swings round in her chair to face them. "Chloe found the location of one of the other two rings. It's in the Township Bank in a safety deposit box"

"Scott. You and Logan," Charles decides, now that they have a good idea where Jean and Kurt are going.

"We're already gone," Scott replies as he leaves.

Shortly after they leave Clark comes down with coffee.

"Thank you Clark," Hank says as he takes a cup. "How are you feeling?" he asks having heard about the kryptonite shard under his bed.

Clark shrugs. "Alright although it explains why I was feeling so drained this last day or so."

"Obviously whatever is going on with Jean also wanted to ensure you wouldn't interfere," Charles theorises as Clark hands him a cup of coffee too.

"Any word yet?" Clark asks.

Charles shakes his head. "No. Logan and Scott will just be arriving in New York now."

Clark goes over to Kitty who yawns as he does so. He places his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should go back to sleep," Clark suggests to her.

"No. I'm alright," Kitty insists. "I have to find that other ring just in case Logan and Scott don't manage to stop them."

"I can help Mr McCoy do that," Clark says to her. "I may not be you or Chloe but I think I can manage for a few hours."

Kitty opens her mouth to argue but the Professor intervenes. "Clark is right Kitty. It has been a long day. Go and get some rest."

Kitty reluctantly agrees and heads back off to her room.

"Perhaps you should do the same Clark," Charles suggests to him.

"I'm not sleepy Professor. I really don't need much sleep."

"In fact," Hank decides to add. "Through my study of Clark I have discovered sleep for him is more a mental necessity rather than a physical one. His body seems to process sunlight so efficiently that its energy is all his body needs. I believe this also means Clark doesn't actually need to eat or drink as means of sustenance. It is only his mind that needs rest to process memories like ours do."

Charles arches an eyebrow. That is fascinating. He will really have to catch up on Hank's studies of Clark at some point when he has the time.

Clark moves to help Mr McCoy try and locate that 3rd and final ring. It was true that Mr McCoy had told Clark his belief that Clark did not actually need to eat as long as the sun was there to charge him essentially but that overlooks one issue. Clark likes to eat even if it is more for the tastes than any actual biological requirement.

Some time later as they eliminate copies, fakes and false leads Clark feels they are getting close to locating the 3rd ring when his hearing picks up the x-jet. He gazes upward and uses his x-ray vision to see the jet land in the mansion grounds. "Professor, Mr McCoy the jet is back and Jean is flying it," he tells them which can't be a good thing. It must mean something went badly wrong in New York as there is no sign of Scott and Logan.

Charles reaches out with his mind and tries to contact Jean but as he does so he senses another mind at work controlling her. A face flashes in his mind of a man with green tattoos on his face before Charles is forcibly ejected from Jean's mind. Painfully so as he cries out.

By now Hank has rushed to the door which won't open. "We're sealed in," he says as he bangs on it.

Clark zips over to it. "Allow me," he says as he digs his fingers into the metal to pull the door open. It is then a hand phases through the door. A hand carrying a green glowing rock. Clark staggers back falling over as he does so as the excruciating pain leaches through his body.

"Hank. The rock," Charles says urgently.

Hank grabs it and throws it across the room before helping Clark up. "Are you alright?"

Clark waves him off and fights off the lingering nausea. He decides to be less subtle this time and punches the door sending it flying up the corridor. He then zips off. Clark reaches the outside of the mansion just as the x-jet takes off into the air and roars into the distance.

Dammit!

He heads back inside and they do a head count and find that Kitty and Evan have now joined Jean and Kurt but at least they have a better idea of what is going on. The man the Professor saw in Jean's mind. A telepath that is controlling her and the others.

"Ah can't believe Kitty did that," Rogue says to Clark in reference to the kryptonite as the two of them head for Cerebro. It could only have been Kitty who phased the rock through the door after, as they discovered, Evan had jammed it shut with his spikes.

"It wasn't her fault Rogue," Clark points out. "Her mind is being controlled. What matters now is finding them and helping them."

The two teens enter Cerebro just as the Professor has brought up the image he saw in Jean's mind on the screen.

"Is that tha guy ya saw in Jean's head?" Rogue asks the Professor.

Charles turns his head to look at them. "It is."

Clark gazes at the image. "Rogue isn't that..."

"Yeah. It is," Rogue confirms what it is Clark thinks.

Charles looks at the two of them. "You know this person?"

Rogue and Clark share a look before taking the Professor up to Jean's room where Rouge turns the handle of the jack in the box. "Tha mind bending Mesmero," she tells the Professor as the jack in the box pops up. The jack is in the image of the man the Professor saw.

"He was in Bayville a few days at that Circus of Mystery as the resident fortune teller," Clark adds the details. "Jean and Scott went to see him and had their palms read."

"That's right but ya refused ta do tha same," Rogue remembers.

"He creeped me out," Clark admits honestly and he really did. There was just something about the guy Clark did not like.

The Professor takes the box from Rogue. "And it seems your instincts were good Clark." He examines the toy for a few seconds before deciding, "I think we need to attend their next performance."

Hank then appears at the doorway. "Professor! The last remaining ring. It resides in Washington DC at the museum of Eastern Antiquities," he informs them having finally found it.

They all rush back down to the lower levels just as their scanning picks up police reports of the museum being robbed. Too late. They focus their attention instead on locating where the Circus of Mystery is currently.

* * *

Back in New York Scott and Logan stand onto of a multi-storey car park waiting pick up as the sun rises into the sky. They are trying to stay out of sight since he is in his orange uniform with the mask and Scott is his blue one with the giant yellow X on it. Logan watches Scott pace back and forward and he hardly needed his enhanced senses to tell how worked up the kid was. "We'll get her back Cyke," Logan says as a promise.

Scott feels like screaming or tearing something apart or both. They had their chance at the bank last night and they totally screwed it up. Jean sent them flying and then stole the x-jet leaving them high and dry here. Oh god what he wouldn't give just to to be able to hold Jean's hand like they did almost all the way through their date at the carnival.

Logan's gaze drifts up as he hears the Velocity approach long before Scott does. It descends from the sky and lands. They run over just as the door opens. Inside they spot first Beast, Rogue and Superboy all dressed for the mission.

"About time," Logan complains. "We're not exactly dressed for socialising with the general public," he points out as he climbs in.

"That's ok," Hank says back. "We'll all fit right in at the circus."

* * *

As the Velocity nears the circus they run into dark heavy clouds. A storm is brewing. Not an encouraging omen. They would have brought Storm but she was out of the country checking up on a few mutants for the Professor. By now they have brought Logan and Scott up to speed on what they discovered about this Mesmero controlling Jean, Kurt and now Evan and Kitty. As they drop down below the clouds they spot the x-jet and their 4 team-mates.

"There they are," Scott says.

"Try to keep them occupied," Charles tells them as the strategy. "I have an appointment with a mutant named Mesmero."

"Ah don't lahke this," Rogue voices her opinion as she unbuckles. "They're our friends."

Clark shared the exact same sentiment as he gets out of his seat. He didn't like this either. Almost as much as he hates flying but his friends needed him so his phobias be damned.

"We just have to subdue them," Logan says as he leaps from the helicopter having a strong sense of deja-vu since this is not dissimilar to when they had to try and stop Clark when the kid was on red kryptonite. "No-one has to get hurt."

"Yeah. Tell that to them," Scott says back as their 4 team-mates ominously move to confront them.

They line up opposed to each other a few meters apart just as the heavens open and the rain pours down. Clark's red coat blows about in the wind.

It starts with Hank trying to take Kurt down. He chases Kurt up a pole before they wrestle together as Kurt teleports around from place to place.

Evan strides forward, spikes protruding from all over his body. He throws an entire arm full of them at Rogue.

"Watch out!" Scott warns her but Clark is way ahead of him as he dashes in front of Rogue and the bony spikes shatter on impact with his body.

"You can't hurt me Evan and I don't want to hurt you," Clark says. He then finds himself being lifted up off the ground and he spots Jean gesturing with her hand.

'Oh crap. This can't be good,' Clark thinks to himself as he finds himself thrown away flying through the air a long way crashing through tents and stalls until he impacts a caravan. It topples onto its side due to the force of his impact as he crashes through one side and lands unceremoniously inside it. "That could have gone better," he mutters to himself as he picks himself up.

With Clark momentarily gone Evan resumes trying to hit Rogue forcing her to use her agility to the limit as she dodges and weaves and leaps through the air trying to avoid getting hit. "Will ya knock that off," she tells Evan as she impacts the side of a trailer hard during one of her leaps and lands in a crouch. Evan moves closer and flings more spikes at her which she ducks under. He fires more but these get shot out of the air by Scott. Scott then aims a blast directly in front of Evan sending him flying through the air until he is stopped by Jean who lowers Evan back to the ground.

With a sweep of her arm Jean sends the muddy ground in a wave at Scott. It picks him up sending him into the air completely at her mercy. His visor is left open so a red beam shoots in all directions as Jean he spins him around a few times. He ends up blasting these barrels which explode when he ignites the substance inside which forces Rogue to dive for cover. Jean then sends Scott flying away with an almost bored looking gesture of her hand. Logan has to duck as Scott sails over his head.

Logan extends his claws a little bit uncertain what to do. He isn't here to hurt them. He then smells her appear behind him as Kitty phases up from the ground. She looks at him, her expression blank. Logan raises his hands and his claws for but a second before lowering them. "Ah, twerp, ya know I could never hurt ya!" He retracts his claws and Kitty kicks him in the shin...hard. _"_Ow!" Logan shouts out in pain. "This is why I don't like to play nice!" he remarks as he holds his sore leg and hops on one leg and Kitty walks right through him and away.

During all this Hank and Kurt have continued their wrestling match as Kurt teleports everywhere until Kurt manages to kick Hank away while in mid-air. Hank falls and lands onto the roof of one of the tents.

Jean moves to the tent with the all seeing eye on it carrying a little pouch with the 3 rings in it.

"_Jean stop!" _is the commanding voice in her mind as the Professor rolls to in front of her. "Fight it Jean," Charles tells her. "I'll deal with Mesmero. Just don't give him what he wants."

For a second Charles wonders if he succeeded in reaching her but his second doesn't last long as Jean raises her arm and the Professor rises off the ground.

By now Clark has gotten out of the caravan run back to the scene where he sees what Jean is doing to the Professor and zips in front of Jean in a blur grabbing her arm. "Jean. Stop this!" he pleads with her. "I don't want to hurt you."

Jean's emotionless eyes focus on him and suddenly this terrible pain strikes Clark. He drops to his knees and clutches at his chest. Pain radiates outward from what feels like his heart being squeezed by a giant vice. He looks up at Jean's emotionless expression as it focusses solely on him and she drops the Professor not so gently to the ground where he topples out of his wheelchair and onto the muddy earth.

"Jean..." Clark painfully groans out his plea to her. Clark's vision starts to grey round the edges as the pressure around his heart inceases. He can barely move. He could use his heat vision. To do what though? Kill her?

Distracted by Clark Jean doesn't see Rogue running up behind her until Rogue's bare hand is on her face.

"This isn't goin' ta be easy on either of us," Rogue tells Jean as she drains Jean's power.

Just before Jean blacks out she thrown the pouch towards the tent where it is caught by a cloaked figure; Mesmero who has finally decided to make his appearance.

"But mostly ya," Rogue finishes, breathing hard, as Jean collapses. She moves to Clark who is still on the ground gasping for breath as the pressure around his heart vanishes as Jean passes out.

Mesmero laughs as he witnesses the scene.

"Mesmero," Charles says the name and the tattooed mutant turns to face the one who said his name. "You may have been able to control their minds," he snarls. "But can you handle mine," Charles lays down as a challenge as he props himself up on his arms.

Mesmero grabs his head in pain as Charles assaults his mental shields. Charles soon comes to realise just how strong they are as Mesmero resists so he raises his hand to his head as he focus all his mental strength on breaking through Mesmero's shields.

Mesmero staggers back a few paces groaning against the effort of keeping Xavier out. He bends over as it looks like the Professor is about to succeed. Then suddenly Mesmero raises his head and gazes at the Professor directly. _"You have no idea who you are messing with Xavier," _Mesmero says telepathically with an distinctive tone of ominous foreboding.

Charles has just about broken through Mesmero's mental shields when...when he senses another mind like none he has ever sensed and an immense wave of mental energy strikes him knocking him down flat.

Mesmero turns and disappears into the tent. As he does so his mental hold on everyone is broken. Kurt, Evan and Kitty blink as they come back to their senses.

"Whoa!" Kitty remarks at the very odd feeling she is having. "What's going on? How did we get here?" she asks having no immediate recall of where she is or how she came to be here.

Nearby Logan sits on some crates rubbing his still sore leg which is taking far too long to heal or it seems like it is. "Yeah. Sure. Now you're all better," he grumpily complains and wonders why they couldn't have done that before Kitty kicked him.

Scott makes his way next to Jean's fallen form as she starts to come round. He kneels down beside her and rolls her on her back. "Easy Jean," he says softly.

"Scott?" Jean queries unsure what is going on. Her mind is a little fuzzy not to mention she feels utterly wiped out.

"Everything's ok," Scott promises her as he gently gathers her into his arms. He feels indescribable relief that she is ok and back with him.

Rogue is kneeling down next to Clark as he finally catches his breath. She is rubbing his back. Clark looks up into her green eyes and sees the deep concern. "I'm alright," Clark tells Rogue as the pain fades away and his body heals itself. "Go help the Professor."

Rogue is a little reluctant. She hasn't seen him hurt like that since he lost his sight but she does what he says and helps the Professor back into his wheelchair as Clark gets back to his feet. Rogue takes a few steps forward. She brings her hands flat together in front of her and closes her eyes as she summons up Jean's power. She gestures flinging her hands forward and she tears the tent Mesmero went into apart to reveal...nothing. "Hey! Where did he go?" she asks in disbelief at the fact Mesmero has vanished.

Clark peers at the where the tent poles alone stand. That was impossible. Clark was aware enough to know that Mesmero went in there and he didn't leave by any method Clark noticed and he can't locate him with any of his senses.

Hank has recovered by now and moves next to the Professor. "Are you alright?" he asks Charles with concern for his friend's health. "Did Mesmero hurt you?"

Charles cups one hand with the other. "Not Mesmero Hank," Charles informs his friend of what he discovered. "Mesmero was just another puppet...like Jean. There was someone else pulling the strings. A mind more powerful than anything I have ever encountered."

"What could he possibly want with those rings?" Logan asks what is the main question now. Mesmero had used Jean and the others for the sole purpose of stealing the rings.

Scott has helped Jean to her feet with her arm across his shoulders propping her up. She would be weak for quite some time which is normal after Rogue absorbs someone. Everyone else gathers around the Professor as he replies to Logan's question. "I don't know," Charles says honestly. "But I doubt we'll like the answer," he says with this ominous feeling.

* * *

In Tibet a hooded figure makes his way up a mountain pass until he enters a cave. Inside he walks through a large chamber with carved columns holding the roof up. On the walls are many carved scripts in many of the Earth's earliest languages. Egyptian hieroglyphs, Sumerian cuneiform, what is referred to as Linear A, the language of the Minoans, ancient Greek and symbols of a language most definitely not of this world. Symbols you find in many other places particularly certain caves near Smallville in Kansas.

The hooded figure walks until he stops in front of a giant carved stone door at the opposite end of the chamber. He removes his hood to reveal his identity. Mesmero.

He pulls out a sceptre from an alcove in a small stone pillar next to him and slides the 3 rings onto the end to reveal what they are. They are part of a key. He them moves forward and slides it into an ancient lock in the stone door and turns it. Great sparks of energy erupt as a seam in what was a perfectly solid looking door appears. The two halves slide back in opposite directions to reveal...another door bearing the crest of a giant spider.

"I have done as commanded," Mesmero speaks. "The first door has been opened." He bows his head slightly in reverence. "I await your instruction on the other 2 keys."

Mesmero grunts in pain as his master telepathically informs him about the next key due to the sheer power of the mind he is communicating with. "Understood," he says. He then pauses for a second. "Master. Another issue. I have seen the Star Child."

"_YOU ARE CERTAIN?" _the immense telepathic voice of his master inquires.

"Yes my Lord. He looks just as you showed me. He is with Xavier." Mesmero knew not why his master shared this image only that the Star Child was important to his master's plans and that he should watch for him.

"_THEN ALL IS PROGRESSING AS IT SHOULD. THE STAR CHILD WILL BE WHERE DESTINY REQUIRES HIM TO BE UPON THAT DAY WHEN THE WORLD WILL BE TRANSFORMED."_

"What is it you require me to do?" Mesmero asks in relation to the Star Child.

"_FOR NOW THE STAR CHILD CAN REMAIN WHERE HE IS. IT MATTERS NOT HE IS WITH XAVIER. CONCERN YOURSELF ONLY WITH FINDING THE OTHER 2 KEYS SO I MAY WALK UPON THE EARTH AGAIN."_

Mesmero bows. "I will find them," he vows. "And the world will once again tremble at the presence of...Apocalypse."

* * *

_Author's Note: The scene at the end is a little hint that Apocalypse knows of Clark and has plans for him which is obviously not a good thing. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; a chapter to deal with the aftermath of this._


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

**At the Boarding House...**

When Alicia comes stomping into their room Tabby can easily tell something is bothering the girl from the extremely unhappy expression on her face. Truth be told Alicia has been looking fairly miserable ever since the incident with Clark that Alicia never talks about. Tabby only still has a part of the picture about exactly what happened but she knows Magneto forbade any kind of retribution which suits her. Tabby has no interest in it.

Another truth is that ever since Clark mentioned what Alicia did to him she has been watching Alicia and the closer she watches her the more concerned Tabby is getting. Alicia spends almost all her free-time working out to the point it is dangerously obsessive. Not to mention all the time she spends hanging out with Mystique. Tabby swears that some days Alicia acts and sounds like Mystique's 'Mini-Me' minus the blue skin and red hair.

"So what's up?" Tabby asks looking up from the magazine she was reading on her bed.

"Apart from the fact the male species is degenerate and we would all be better off without them," Alicia says with some genuine venom. Clark's treatment of her has left her quite bitter at the male species in general and Clark in particular.

"Pietro hit on you again," Tabby assumes.

"He is like...utterly dense. Can't he take a hint. I'm not interested!" Alicia snaps with barely controlled anger that shows how utterly irritated she is at Pietro.

"If you want I could roll one of my bombs into his bed while he is asleep," Tabby offers. "That's what I did last time he tried hitting on me."

Alicia cocks her head for a moment while she gives that some serious consideration. It's not a bad idea.

"Besides not all men are bad."

Alicia snorts derisively at that.

"Oh come on. What about that Gambit fella you mentioned. You sounded pretty sweet on him," Tabby reminds Alicia.

"Gambit is the exception to the rule," Alicia says as she moves to get her workout clothes from her drawer.

"You are working out again?" Tabby asks.

"You could join me," Alicia makes the offer. Tabby only ever joined in in the group sessions Mystique made them do. Otherwise she avoided any extra workout sessions.

Tabby shakes her head. "No thanks."

Alicia looks at Tabby for a moment trying to decide whether Tabby's lack of enthusiasm should be a worry of doubt that Tabby's heart is not really in this. "You should," she says. "One day we will be revealed to the world and we need to be ready to wage war on these flat-scan humans."

Tabby's eyebrows rise at the 'flat-scan' comment. She knows Mystique uses it as a derogative term for normal humans. Seems Alicia has joined in using it. "I'll still have to say no. Not really feeling in the mood."

Alicia eyes Tabby for a few seconds more. Tabby was fun and a friend but if she was not on their side 100% then that would make her the enemy and she would have to be...'dealt' with.

Elsewhere in the Boarding House Pietro is getting a snack in the kitchen. He grabs a few things out of the fridge to make a sandwich, turns round...only to be met with a hand around his throat as he is thrown up against the wall and pinned there, his ingredients dropped and scattered to the kitchen floor in the process. He finds himself staring into Mystique's yellow eyes which are gazing at him with that 'Oh shit he is dead' look.

"Listen and listen well Maximoff because I will only say this once. Haze is not to be another one of your attempts at a notch on your bedpost or whatever it is you use to keep score. That girl is legally my daughter and I am her mother and I will protect her as such so that means if you hurt her not even your father will be able to identify your body after I'm done with you," Mystique promises him. "Are we clear?"

Pietro nods. "Crystal," he chokes out.

"Good."

Mystique releases him and Pietro makes a hasty exit. Mystique walks into the living room where the other 3 of Blob, Toad and Avalanche are sitting and looking at her. "Something you boys want to say?" she queries.

"No."

"Nope."

"Nadda."

Mystique inwardly smiles at the fact they are afraid of her. They should be afraid of her. The only reason Clark Kent is still breathing is because Magneto forbade any retaliation but one day...

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Down in the infirmary Clark is getting checked out by Beast. Clark had insisted he was fine but Hank wanted to be sure after hearing what Jean seemed to do to him. Best guess being she telekinetically tried to squeeze his heart to a stop. Essentially she was trying to give Clark a heart attack.

Hank gazes at the image of the ultrasound of Clark's heart as he moves the probe over Clark chest above his heart. It looked and sounded like it was functioning normally. "You feel no effects at all?" Hank asks Clark.

Clark shakes his head. "No. I feel fine."

Hank turns off the ultrasound and Clark puts his shirt back on. "Well everything seems ok but if you feel anything at all outside normal Clark I want you to tell me," Hank insists upon.

Clark nods in concession. "I will," he promises. "Mr McCoy if I can ask what would have happened if Jean had managed to stop my heart? Would I have died?"

Hank thinks this is an odd question but he does his best to answer it. "Hard to say with absolutely certainty. A normal person would have without intervention to restart the heart but on you...any damage done would have healed I believe as long as your body had enough stored energy. Your healing factor, like Logan's, would have done whatever it needed to to keep you alive therefore I would guess your heart would restart of its own accord."

"So my body would have to be completely run down before there is any chance of me being killed?" Clark tries to clarify.

"Clark as I say I can't be certain. I use the data on Logan as a basis but you are not Logan. Your powers work very differently but from what I have seen your ability to heal is at least as good as his. If you are out in the sunlight it might even be better since it would be recharging you constantly. Also if I may say this is a strange line of questioning."

Clark shrugs. "Not really. We have talked a lot about how my body works. Surely that should include what can make it stop working or essentially what it would take to kill me."

"True," Hank would have to reluctantly agree. "If you want to base it off Logan then the Professor and I's best guess at what would kill him is decapitation. Essentially brain death."

"Except he has that adamantium skeleton that makes that impossible and I'm invulnerable...except to kryptonite and hacked off telekinetic red-heads."

Hank smiles at Clark's humour. Sometimes that is the best way to deal with things.

"So can I go?" Clark asks.

Hank nods. "Yes...but I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day just to be on the safe side. No heroics tonight," he tells Clark.

Clark doesn't entirely like that idea but he was only allowed to go out on certain conditions and one of them is that if Mr McCoy decides Clark is not to go out for health reasons than Clark does not go out. Honestly Clark never thought it would happen because he doesn't get sick normally.

Clark leaves the infirmary to find, A, his parents waiting for him and, B, Jean waiting for him. "Jean? I thought Mr McCoy said for you to get some rest," Clark reminds her. She had been in and gone before him.

Jean looks at Clark, her expression all guilt ridden for a couple of things. Nearly squeezing his heart to a stop for starters which by the way was not easy. It had taken all of her concentration because as she squeezed Clark's heart she could feel it resisting, trying to repair itself against the damage she was inflicting which is why she had dropped the Professor because her focus needed to be solely on stopping Clark. She hates herself for coming up with such a horrible thing to do to someone. Then there was the kryptonite issue on top of that. "Clark. I just, um, need to apologise," she says.

If she wasn't looking so sad and guilty Clark would laugh right here. "Jean. Don't be ridiculous. You have nothing to apologise for."

"Clark is right Jean," Martha says in agreement with her son. She places her hand on Jean's shoulder. "You were being controlled. It was not your fault."

"I know but..." Jean takes a moment to try and come up with the correct phrasing. On the ride back to the mansion she had recalled everything she had done and she needs to explain. "You see Mesmero instructed me to remove anything that would impede his plans but he never went into specific details. In a way it was me...or part of me at least that knew that I needed to inhibit you because of your senses. I was the one who put the kryptonite shard under your bed so you wouldn't hear me leave."

Jean had done it during the day before that night obeying a telepathic command from Mesmero. She had gone down to the safe where Mr McCoy keeps pieces of kryptonite, got a small piece out and then hid it under Clark's mattress.

Clark had pretty much already guessed that it had to have been Jean who did that. It was the only explanation he could come up with that made sense. "Jean look I know from personal experience that that urge to beat yourself up is pretty strong but really don't. I don't hold you responsible so you have nothing to apologise for."

Jonathan joins in. "The only one to blame for this Jean is this Mesmero. You are a good person who would never hurt anyone. You need to let any guilt go," he advises.

Jean nods. "I get what you are saying but I still feel..."

Clark now nods in understanding. "Yeah. Been there every time after I was on red kryptonite but you learn to live with it. Besides I think we all learned a valuable lesson."

"What?" Jean asks Clark.

"To never ever get on the bad side of Jean Grey."

Clark's joke makes Jean smile and she starts to feel a little better.

* * *

When the elevator doors open to the mansion hallway Clark finds Rogue about to enter it most likely coming to check up on him. He knew she had gone to have a shower first to get the several layers of mud off that they had ended up caked in. Stupid rain and stupid mud.

Rogue's face lights up in relief to see Clark. "Hey. What did Beast say?"

Clark, Jean and his parents exit the elevator. Jean and his parents head off to the kitchen because his mom was going to make Jean some comfort food to make her feel better. Lucky Jean is Clark's thought. "Everything's fine," he assures Rogue.

"Really?" she asks just wanting to be sure.

Clark nods. "Yep. My healing factor is just as good as Logan's. Maybe better so my heart is all healed up," he says while patting his chest above his heart.

Rogue moves to wrap her arms around him. She lays her head on his chest and listens to his heart beating slowly away.

Clark wraps his arms around Rogue and breathes in deeply the fresh clean smell. He can pick up the scent of whatever shampoo she used off her hair. "I hate to do this," he reluctantly says to her. "But I still need to shower." Clark had come back and been forced straight down to the infirmary so he hadn't had one yet.

Rogue pulls back. "Ok."

Clark gives her a quick kiss. "Once I'm done we can do whatever you want. Mr McCoy has told me to take the night off so I'm all yours."

Rogue's lips quirk upward. "Ya know ya should be careful saying things lahke that. Ah have a vivid imagination," she jokes.

"If you were Kitty I might actually be scared."

Rogue scowls and hits him. "Are ya saying Kitty is scarier than meh?"

Clark shakes his head. "Nooo," he draws out in a long sarcastic tone. "I would never dream of saying that to you," he teases her.

Rogue's scowl deepens and she tries to hit him again only this time Clark uses his speed to dodge her. "Clark Kent! Ya get back here!" she warns him as she tries in vain to catch him where she moves to get him and he keeps zipping away at the last second.

Clark smirks at the terribly cute expression on Rogue's face when she is annoyed. "Catch me if you can Rogue," he dares her before he zips out of sight with his usual gust of wind.

"Clark!" Rogue shouts warningly knowing perfectly well he can hear her. "Ya are so goin ta get it when ah catch ya!" she promises him.

* * *

It is later that evening Scott makes his way to Jean's room. After dinner she had essentially locked herself away on her own. Scott so desperately wishes he could think of some way to make her feel better after what that Mesmero guy did. Not only to Jean but it was Jean he was feeling the most anger for. If that Mesmero guy ever shows up again a part of Scott swears he'll make the guy sorry he ever dared to mess with the X-Men.

As for Kurt, Kitty and Evan they were all 'bummed out' as Kitty phrased it as the memories of what they had done under Mesmero's control came back to them. Although Kitty kicking Logan and his reaction afterwards was pretty funny. Of course no-one blamed them for what happened and Scott hopes they can get over it soon but for right now his attention is focussed more on Jean.

Scott knocks on Jean's door and enters the room to find Jean sitting crossed legged on her bed meditating. She had taken it up as a way to calm her thoughts and control her powers in order to keep the voices out. "Is this a bad time?" he asks.

Jean smiles at Scott's presence although her eyes are still shut. "Not at all. I'm nearly done. Just take a seat."

Scott sits on the chair next to her desk and waits as Jean just finishes through her meditative routine. Her eyes open and she blinks a few times as they adjust to the light. She had felt she needed to do this after Mesmero's violation. She had already spent some time with the Professor earlier repairing the breaches in her mental shields that Mesmero had managed to create.

Scott simply takes a few seconds to take in Jean's beauty before asking the obvious question. "How are you?"

"That's a question," she dryly remarks. "I am feeling a lot of things."

"No-one blames you Jean," Scott says after picking up on one emotion present in her voice; guilt.

"I know...but I can remember it all Scott. Everything I did to the others...to you." Her voice had dropped to a painful whisper.

Scott stands up and moves onto the bed next to her and gathers her in his arms. "It's alright Jean," he tries to comfort her while he rubs her arm. "Everyone is alright. I'm alright. I'm right here."

Jean sniffles and a solitary tear falls. "It was horrible Scott. I can remember doing everything yet at the same time it was like watching a stranger do it."

Scott moves onto rubbing her back. "Shh. It's ok," he assures her again. He then takes his other hand and gently wipes that fallen tear off her cheek. Jean was such a good person. She didn't deserve this Scott thinks to himself. It had just made him even angrier at Mesmero.

Jean senses the angry waves of emotion coming from Scott and she turns her head to gaze right at him. Under the anger there is something else there...

"Oh Scott. Don't blame yourself," she tells him from what she just sensed.

"Why not?" he asks back rhetorically. "After all it was my idea for us to go see the Fortune Teller," he reminds her about the day of the carnival.

"And there was no way you could have known he was a crazed mutant telepath intent on...whatever it is he wants with those rings."

Scott frowns and Jean can sense how unhappy he is. 'Well this is depressing,' she thinks to herself and why there may be damn good reasons for her feeling depressed she doesn't want the same to be true for Scott. She looks at his face for several seconds before deciding what it is she needs to do. She leans forward and brings her lips to his and slowly, gently kisses him. It only takes a few seconds before she can feel Scott respond and oh god is Scott a way better kisser than Duncan ever was. Duncan was selfish and sloppy. Scott is selfless and giving.

When they break apart Scott blinks several times under his shades. This wasn't their first kiss. They had had that after they got back from the carnival but it was a surprising kiss in the sense he didn't expect it. "What was that for?"

"Girlfriend's prerogative," Jean cryptically answers.

Scott looks at her blankly having no clue what she means. "Er...what?"

"To make sure her boyfriend is happy," she elaborates.

"But I came here to cheer you up," he points out.

"You have."

"I have? How?"

"By being here."

Scott scratches his head looking completely lost and in Jean's opinion extremely adorable. God she was an idiot not to have seen what she could have with Scott before but she has him now and she decides that that is all that matters.

* * *

Outside in the garage Logan is getting a beer from his secret stash in one of the storage cupboards which he can lock. No defence against the half-pint but she doesn't hang out in the garage. She hates all the grease and dirt. After the day he has just had Logan needs one of his good Canadian beers.

"Got a spare?"

Logan sniffs the air as he checks that is who he thinks it is before he grabs a second bottle and then tosses it behind him. "There you go Jon-boy."

Jonathan shakes his head a little. 'Jon-boy? That's a new one.'

Jonathan flips the lid off and takes a sip of the beer. "So this Mesmero got away then?"

Logan takes a deep gulp of his beer. "Fraid so but he'll get his one day," Logan swears and Logan will be the one delivering it. "Heard about what the popsicle and co tried to do. Good on ya for catching them," he congratulates Jonathan.

"Martha was the one who deserves that more than me," Jonathan points out as it was his wife that caught onto them.

Logan makes a mental note of that. There was a lot more to Martha than met the eye Logan had figured out since she arrived here. As well as helping the kids with food and stuff she also assisted Charles with the paperwork and bureaucracy that comes with keeping up the appearance of this place as a school.

"You don't have a problem with the punishment I gave them?" Jonathan queries.

"Nah. A bit softer than what I would have given them. Feel free to remind them of that if they start complaining."

"Oh I'm sure I'll manage to keep them in line. Something along the lines of they can accept my punishment or I'll send them to you. Isn't hard to guess which one they would choose."

Logan smirks at the image that generates in his head. Jonathan was a good man but he was not a pushover and should never be mistaken as one.

* * *

Down in the lower levels Charles rolls into the computer room where Hank is continuing his research on the 3 rings. "Don't overdo it," he gently warns his friend.

"I'll try not to," Hank says back. "I'm just doing some more research into the rings. Apart from being a set we know nothing about them. If I can pin down their precise date and context maybe we can gain some understanding on what Mesmero and whoever is controlling him wants with them."

Charles comes to a stop next to Hank and clasps his hands together. He had been meditating deeply on the mind he sensed that was controlling Mesmero. It had been like no mind he had sensed before. It made even the most powerful he himself had come across and even fought on occasion pale into insignificance.

"Are you alright?" Hank asks after his friend sensing something is troubling Charles.

"Yes. I'm fine," Charles tries to assure Hank.

"You still fear what Mesmero will do," Hank states. It is not a question.

"From what I sensed Hank I doubt that Mesmero's master simply wants the rings to add to a collection. The mind I sensed was cold...malevolent. There is some dark purpose to these rings and I fear what fate will soon befall us all."

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: The x-girls take a Walk on the Wild Side._


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

**At an undisclosed location...**

William Stryker strides into his office in his secret base. Thanks to Lionel's money it's refurbishment was on track and speaking of Lionel his backer was currently on the phone. Stryker sits himself down and picks the phone up. "Good morning Mr Luthor," he greets him.

"Colonel," is Lionel's method of reply.

"What can I help you with?"

"I'm checking up on the progress of the team."

The team Lionel is referring to is the 5 mutants Stryker picked to make up his new elite squad of the MRD. For security reasons their training was taking place here in his base and away from Bayville. "Well for only a few weeks of training I would say that they are progressing as to be expected. They have potential. Unrealised and unfocussed but definite potential."

"Good. That's good."

"I can guess this is not a social call," Stryker gets from Lionel's tone.

"No."

"Still no luck in tracking down this...'Bayville Blur'," Stryker can assume using the name in the papers for what was obviously either a mutant or some type of enhanced human, Stryker had seen both in his life, that was playing hero.

"No," Lionel says his unhappiness all too clear over the line. It wasn't like Lionel hadn't been trying but this vigilante was elusive. By the time his men got to where there was a report this 'Blur' had long lived up to his name and blurred off.

"They are not ready," Stryker informs Lionel knowing what Lionel wants. Lionel wants him to use his new mutant team to capture the Blur.

"My patience is not infinite Colonel," Lionel warns him.

"And if I rush them out and they fail you expose our hand," Stryker calmly argues back defending his case for taking time and doing this properly. He will not have a repeat of the failures that lead to Wolverine's destruction of Weapon X.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

A couple of weeks had gone by since Mesmero. February had turned into March, the signs of Spring are now very abundant, and life had gone on pretty much as usual at the institute. The Brotherhood pretty much shunned them apart from Lance with Kitty and Tabby lately had looked increasingly uncomfortable especially when she was around Alicia. It had also been awhile since the last time they had had a battle. While no-one was complaining about that it did make everyone wonder if something was afoot or being planned. All they could do was wait and see.

It had taken a few days after Mesmero for her but Jean was back to more or less her normal. Scott inevitably had been close at hand to comfort her. It had lead to a deepening of their relationship as it moved past the initial stages. There was almost no point in betting on whom Jean was going to ask to the Sadie Hawkins Dance at school in a few weeks. It was the tradition of the dance that the girls were the ones who asked.

As for Rogue...well dances weren't her thing really but the chance to spend all night close to Clark certainly appealed to her. She had found lately that many feelings and urges seemed to flow through her in relation to Clark. Not the one though Kitty had spent all of Clark's birthday last week teasing and hinting at. Clark was now 17 which meant legally in the state of New York he and Rogue could...

Well Rogue was certainly not ready for that and they had not yet reached that stage of their relationship. Clark was too much of a gentleman to push the issue which is just another part of him she adores so much.

Right now she is sitting next to him in the lounge holding his hand. It was something everyone noticed. Whenever Rogue could she would take her glove off and hold Clark's hand. It seems like a simple thing and for anyone but Rogue it would be. For her she thinks she will never get tired of feeling Clark's skin, Clark's warmth and the curious contradiction of somehow being able to sense the power she knows resides in his hand yet he holds her hand so gently.

There were a few of them in the lounge including Kurt who is flipping through the tv channels. He comes across a news report. "Hey Clark. You're on tv again."

Both Clark and Rogue turn their gaze to it as another blurred picture of him is shown.

"_**Bayville's mysterious Blur was once again seen last night,"**_ the reporter states. _**"But still no-one has seen what he looks like as this blurred picture is the closest anyone has come so the question remains. Who is he and how does he perform his seemingly impossible heroics?"**_

"He is a sun-powered alien from another planet. Zhat is how he does it," Kurt says with a grin aimed at Clark.

Clark just shakes his head. "I'm starting to think I might need another name. I mean 'The Bayville Blur'?"

Rogue sniggers. "Well ya could always tell them its Superboy," she suggests teasingly.

"And that doesn't make me sound all egotistical and superior at all," he says sarcastically.

Rogue leans over and kisses his cheek. "You're cute when y'all are brooding."

Just then Jean walks by the door visibly fuming with Scott following on not far behind her. "Jean. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help out," he says to her.

Jean stops, turns round and fixes Scott a glare that would have most people running in the other direction.

"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise," Kurt mutters quietly at this scene.

"Scott," she says her voice having a dangerous undertone to it. "Just because Amara and I were in a little trouble doesn't mean we need some great big strong egotistical man to swoop in and save us. We could have handled it ourselves!" she snaps in anger before storming off.

Scott sighs at his current predicament before he notices the several pair of eyes on him from the lounge.

"What did ye do tae tick her off?" Rahne asks.

Scott explains how Jean was down in the sub-levels helping Amara with her powers when several rocks started to fall on them and he blasted them. "I don't get why she is so upset," he says at the end.

Rogue crosses her arms. "Was she in any real danger or did ya just charge in without asking if she needed help?" she asks Scott.

Scott coughs uncomfortable and scratches the back of his head. "Well...er...um...you see..."

"Figures," Rogue mutters. "Ah can't believe ah'm saying this but ah agree with Jean."

"Why?" Clark asks.

Rogue looks at her boyfriend like she can't believe he said that...or on second thoughts maybe she can.

Clark continues oblivious to the hole he is about to dig for himself. "I mean I would have done the same."

"Clark," Rogue says.

"Yes Rogue."

"Ya are an idiot!" Rogue snaps before she stands up and storms off with the same fury as Jean had a few moments earlier.

Clark looks at where Rogue vanished from view trying to figure out just what is it he did before he too finds everyone looking at him. "What?" he asks still completely oblivious.

Just then Martha walks in. "It is time for you all to get ready to go to school," she gently informs them.

"Thanks mom," Clark says as he stands up. Everyone else leaves ahead of him leaving him and Scott behind as they walk towards their rooms to pick up their stuff for school. It then suddenly hits him what he said and why Rogue stormed off. "Oh God. I am an idiot," he says out-loud.

"You and me both," Scott says having had the same epiphany as Clark.

Clark shakes his head. 'How stupid am I?' he he asks himself. He not all that long ago just patched things up with Rogue and now he lets that overprotective side of him say something monumentally stupid that has her mad at him again.

Clark shares a look with Scott before both teenagers say together "We're doomed."

* * *

**At Bayville High...**

"You seem unusually eager today," Alicia remarks to Tabby as they arrive in Lance's Jeep that Tabby 'borrowed'. Alicia says this due to the way Tabby had enthusiastically got ready for school today. Not the normal for Tabby.

Tabby shrugs trying to play it off. "Not really. It is just I heard that Amara has finally caught up enough to start attending school." Amara had been Tabby's closest friend when she was at the institute.

Something dark flutters across Alicia's features. "You are aware that she is the enemy."

Tabby catches the look. It is not the first time she has spotted that look on Alicia. It is kind of frightening...like Alicia is heading to some dark place. Probably the same one Mystique lives in considering how Mystique-like Alicia is becoming. "L-Look Alicia I don't want to argue. Amara was my friend before..."

"Before you wised up and joined the correct side," Alicia fills in for Tabby.

"Um..sure," Tabby says humouring Alicia.

"Would Amara be willing to do the same?" Alicia asks.

Tabby knows the answer is no but decides not to say that. "Um...maybe but I would need to talk to her," is what Tabby thinks of to say.

Alicia contemplates this for several seconds. "Ok. You can talk to her," she says like she is giving permission.

"Thanks," Tabby says before she is out of the Jeep and making her way to her 1st period class. She is glad to be away from Alicia. At first Tabby had thought she and Alicia would get on great. They hanged out loads when she first arrived but ever since the incident with Clark, which Tabby still can't get to make complete sense, Alicia has been cold and frankly unnerving. Just like Mystique.

Combined with what Mystique is training them for and Magneto's agenda Tabby is starting to think that maybe it is time she split and go where exactly?

Tabby inwardly groans. How did she end up in this place where it seems like she has zero options.

Tabby's day gets somewhat brighter when she finds Amara is sharing her 1st class. After listening to Amara complain about Jean putting her through a training session Amara felt she wasn't ready for Tabby decides the best answer is for the two of them to go on a mall trawl. Tabby hasn't had a good one of those in weeks since Alicia decided that anything fun was now frivolous and a waste of time. It doesn't take much effort to get Amara to agree.

After school Tabby once more 'borrows' Lance's Jeep before he can get it back. Jean is nearby when she spots Tabby and Amara leaving and she just knows that this is trouble. She spots Scott and runs up to him. "Scott. I need to borrow your car," she tells him and then explains why. "Amara's with Boom Boom and I want to make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

"Gotcha!" Scott says as he gets his keys out his pocket. He then tosses them into the air and catches them while saying "I'll go get her."

Scott then spots the look Jean is giving him and his mind flashes back to this morning. "Uh...not that you aren't capable of doing it yourself...which you are," he says before his face adopts a more apologetic expression. "Look Jean about this morning. I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

Jean gives out a little sigh and palms her face with her hand. "I know you didn't." And deep down she does know that. "It is just..." she turns her back to him while she says this and wraps her arms around herself. "It bugs me to treated as the weaker sex."

Scott looks down to the ground. "I know."

Jean turns back to look at him looking sad and she feels inclined to forgive him.

"I know this may not be the best time to mention this," Scott says. "But the dance is coming up and I know the girls are supposed to ask the guys to it..."

Jean smiles at the thought of her and Scott dancing close. "It's alright. I was going to ask you. I'll get the tickets tomorrow." Jean then notices Scott fidget nervously. "Unless someone else already got them," she says her ire rising again. Of all the chauvinistic...her thoughts become less than PG rated after that. She snatches the car keys from Scott's grasp and leaves in pursuit of Amara and Tabby screeching Scott's tyres as she goes making him visibly wince. His poor poor car.

Scott lets out a deep sigh. He had bought the tickets because he was nervous about the dance and couldn't take the tension. It seems silly he knows since he and Jean are already dating but he is just terrified every day that he is going to screw this up somehow. He had wanted this for so long; to be with Jean. Now that he had it he didn't want to lose it but as he thinks about what just happened one thought repeats over and over in his head. 'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.'

Inside the school Rogue is putting a few things away in her locker.

"I'm sorry."

Rogue turns her head to find Clark standing there.

Clark continues his apology. "What I said this morning Rogue was...well you are right. I am an idiot. I mean I should have known better. I know you can look after yourself and I know Jean can as well." After what she did to him when she was being controlled by Mesmero he definitely knows that Jean can look after herself. "Sometimes even my mouth gets ahead of my brain."

"How long did it take ya ta figure that out?"

"About a minute after you stormed off."

"Took you awhile ta apologise."

Clark rubs the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah. Please don't take this the wrong way but I thought I should give it a few hours."

"Until mah temper cooled off right?"

Clark simply shrugs helplessly in response to that.

Rogue lets out a sigh. "Ah know ah have a temper and ah know it probably seems lahke ah fly off tha handle at tha slightest thing..."

Clark stops her right there. "Rogue you were right to be angry about what I said besides your temper isn't so bad. In fact you I think you are kind of cute when you are all riled up."

Rogue blushes slightly. "Ah doubt anyone else would think so."

"Probably not," Clark says with a half-laugh. He takes Rogue's hand into his own. "I am sorry Rogue," he repeats his apology.

Rogue manages a smile. "It's fahne Clark," she tells him in a way to let him know he is forgiven.

"Hey guys," a shy soft spoken voice breaks into proceedings.

Clark and Rogue both look at where that came from to find it is the source of Kurt's well known crush Amanda Sefton.

"Hi Amanda," both Clark and Rogue greet her.

"Looking forward to the dance?" she asks them. Amanda can guess that these two will be going together.

Clark shakes his head. "Don't ask," he advises Amanda.

"Um why?" Amanda asks.

"Me and dances don't mix."

"What do ya mean?" Rogue asks, her curiosity peaked.

Clark doesn't really want to drag this memory up but he'll answer the question anyway. "I don't know if it made the news here but a couple of years back Smallville was hit by a whole series of twisters."

"I remember that," Amanda comments as it stirs up the memory.

"Right in the middle of the Spring Formal dance," Clark tells them. There is a whole lot more to the story but Clark can't tell it in front of Amanda.

"That's unfortunate but I can't see why you are letting one bad experience put you off," Amanda says.

"You haven't seen me dance," Clark jokes which garners a smile out of Amanda.

"So are ya planning ta ask anyone?" Rogue asks Amanda knowing full well, as it was pretty darn obvious, about the respective crushes Amanda and Kurt had for each other.

"Who? Me?" Amanda asks.

"Yes. Say a certain German boy in your maths class," Rogue says referring to Kurt

Amanda blushes shyly and lets her long dark hair fall in front of her face to try and hide it. She wasn't aware anyone knew about her crush on Kurt. She stutters her response, "Um...w-well...I-I haven't decided yet." She cautiously looks up at Clark and Rogue and asks with a hopeful tone, "Do you think he would say yes?"

Rogue and Clark share a look and say together, "Yes."

"Well...I...maybe I'll ask him," Amanda says unsure whether she can find the courage inside herself to ask Kurt. She liked Kurt a lot but then there is the secret she learned about him. The one she had been keeping to herself for months. "Well I have to go," she says trying to avoid being put on the spot right here and now about asking Kurt. She wants to take some time to think on it. "I'll see you guys later," she says her farewells to Clark and Rogue.

Clark and Rogue says their farewells to Amanda and once she is gone Rogue asks "Clark do ya want ta go ta tha dance?"

"If you want to go Rogue then I'll be more than happy to take the most beautiful girl in the school to the dance."

"A-Ah'm not tha most beautiful," she says in an almost automatic denial.

Clark gently caresses her cheek. "You are to me," he says with soft sincerity.

Rogue blushes once more. "Flatterer," she says as she playfully slaps his hand away all the while smiling. "Seriously from what ya just said..."

"I won't lie and say I'm entirely comfortable with these types of formal affairs and I really am not a great dancer but if it is important to you then it is important to me."

"Well ah wouldn't say it was important. Ah never gave it much thought because..."

"You can't touch anyone," Clark fills in feeling her pain. He still swore one day he would find a way to remedy that. "Rogue I would never force you to do anything you are uncomfortable with."

Rogue looks at him and imagines him in a tux and then remembers how many normal things she has been forced to miss out on due to her powers. Well not this time. "No. Ah want ta go," she decides finally.

Clark smiles as he imagines what she might look like all dressed up. "Great. It's a date...which sounds really cheesy doesn't it?"

Rogue giggles at Clark's expression which as always makes Clark smile more. He loves it when he can make Rogue laugh.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Later that day Scott is in the kitchen at the table eating a sandwich he had made to snack on when a news report comes on about a couple of car-jackers being caught by a small group of good Samaritans. What Scott doesn't know is that 2 of the people responsible are with him sitting by the window.

When Jean had caught up with Tabby and Amara she had found them chasing down the car-jackers. They were about to escape until Jean encased them in bricks that were lying around. She leans over to Amara. "I think we should keep this to ourselves," she whispers to Amara.

"Right," Amara whispers back in agreement. "It's not like we'll be doing anything like that again. I mean Clark kind of has it covered doesn't he?"

Jean nods in agreement and the two girls leave. Scott, meanwhile had had his curiosity pricked by the way the girls reacted to the news. His intuition told him something was going on right up to the moment he realises he is leaning over too far as he watched the girls leave and the chair topples over and he crashes onto the floor.

* * *

**At the mall...**

The next day Jean and Amara are at the mall and by accident bump into Tabby. They end up sitting on a bench talking about what they did the day before.

"I have to tell ya it was so cool," Tabby says as she thinks back on the car chase as she and Amara tried to catch the car-jackers. "I actually felt good," she says and feeling good is not something Tabby has really felt in months.

Amara nods in agreement. "I have never felt so good about my powers."

Jean has to nod in agreement as well. "It was a nice change from using them to fight others to using them constructively to do good."

An idea hits Tabby. "Lets do it again!"

"What?" Jean and Amara exclaim.

"I mean we could dress up differently so no-one would recognise us," Tabby elaborates. "It will be a blast. Think about how we could go out there and clean up this town. I mean this Blur character does it. Why can't we?"

Jean had to admit Tabby had a point. She can remember well when Clark had been forced to admit he was the vigilante but he had never really explained why he did it. Jean suspects that Rogue knows why but had never pressed Rogue on the issue. Clark was out there almost every night using his powers to help people while she and the others were either just learning to control theirs or simply practising in the Danger Room sharpening their skills. It seems to Jean now thinking on it that that was a waste.

It didn't take much more after that for Tabby to persuade the other two girls to go with her idea. They bought some outfits and that very night went out and started. In the papers the next day they would be called the Bayville Sirens.

The day after that the 3 girls felt they needed to get others in on the act. They found Kitty, unsurprisingly for Kitty, at the mall. As soon as they told her what they were doing she agreed to join and then they were 4.

One more day passes and Rogue finds herself sitting in the music store on the stairs thinking. Although her and Clark had made up it still bothered her slightly this protective streak of his. Surely it had to have sunk in by now that she can look after herself. After all she was the one who had stopped Jean when the redhead was being mind controlled. If only there was some way she could prove it conclusively to him.

It was at this precise moment that the group of 4 approached Rogue and let her in on what they were up to and Rogue suddenly had her way to prove it to Clark. Then the Sirens were 5.

That night Kitty and Rogue are getting out of their Siren costumes after a night spent out battling criminals. "I like can't believe we are actually doing this," Kitty says with almost breathless excitement.

"Tell meh about it," Rogue says in agreement. It had felt good though to go out there and use their skills and powers to help people.

"I wonder if this is how Clark feels?" Kitty asks. "And like this is why he does it."

Rogue knows or she thinks she does why Clark does it but after feeling the way she did tonight she is starting to wonder if he does it for another reason.

"I'm like kind of amazed we haven't run into him," Kitty remarks considering how much ground Clark must cover in a night.

Rogue has to agree although part of her wants him to run into them so he can see how she isn't the damsel that needs him to be like some knight swooping in and rescuing her but all 5 of them had agreed not to tell anyone about this due to the fact they weren't suppose to be doing this. If they got caught they would all be in big trouble.

* * *

**At the Bayville Boarding House...**

Tabby waltzes into her room in a happy mood after another night of creaming bad guys. It was so much better than hanging around this place doing Mystique's training sessions and then listen to the boys moan endlessly about it. She had changed out of her Siren outfit before she arrived back since no-one here knew what she was doing every night and Tabby intended to keep it that way because she knows Mystique would not be happy to say the least if the shape-shifter found out what Tabby was up to.

"You're late," a cold voice proclaims.

Tabby finds it is Alicia sitting on her bed her arms folded across her chest looking sour.

"You know if the wind changes direction your face will be stuck like that," Tabby tries to joke.

Alicia is not amused. "Where were you?"

"Out. Having fun. You should try it some time."

Alicia narrows her eyes. Tabby was up to something. She had been having doubts over Tabby's loyalty for awhile now ever since she decided to focus her life completely onto the mutant cause. It was only then she started to dispassionately assess her team-mates. Pietro's loyalty was measured by his wish to impress his father. Todd and Fred were dim but they had no interest in the x-geeks as they called them. Lance like Tabby was an issue. Mystique allowed his relationship with Kitty in the belief he could pry vital info out of her but Alicia suspected he might have genuine feelings for the phasing mutant which would cloud his judgement and raise question to his loyalty.

Alicia herself had decided to put all personal feelings aside. Only the cause mattered.

As for Tabby Alicia feels she will need to keep a closer eye on her room-mate from now on.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Another day passes and Scott finds himself watching the news which is about the Sirens once more. Scott had his suspicions about who they were but he had no conclusive proof. He had asked Clark about them but Clark said he had not bumped into them yet.

The image on the tv switches to outside the police headquarters.

A female reporter goes up to the police Chief. "Chief Rothman what do you have to say about these Sirens? Are you any closer to discovering their identities? Are they connected to the mysterious figure labelled as the Blur?"

Rothman, a middle aged man with receding hair and a moustache replies "We have no leads on these Sirens' identities or of any connection to this Blur. What I will say is that these vigilantes will be apprehended."

"Despite the fact between them they had reduced crime by over 75%?" another reporter poses the question.

"It is the police's job to handle crime. I will not tolerate vigilantism in my city," Rothman says sternly.

Scott looks on with a deep frown. He didn't like where this was headed. It made it an imperative that he prove conclusively once and for all who the Sirens were. At that moment an idea strikes him about what to do. Now all he needs to do is to get Kurt to help him.

* * *

**At an undisclosed location...**

"I must advise against this," Stryker says in no uncertain terms over the phone.

"Your advice is not sought Colonel," Lionel says back in an equally forthright manner. "I want Alpha Squad here immediately," he orders in reference to the team of mutants using the name they now had.

Stryker can tell Lionel isn't letting this one go. "Fine but just remember that I was opposed to this. They are not ready." He then slams down the phone. Lionel wanted the team in Bayville to deal with these 'Sirens' but their training wasn't far enough along for that in Stryker's opinion but he who pays the bills gets whatever he wants. He calls in a subordinate who salutes. "I want Alpha Squad ready to depart for Bayville immediately," Stryker orders.

"Yes sir," the subordinate replies obediently and goes to carry out his orders.

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

Lionel now stands looking out of his office window after ending his phone call with Stryker. Stryker's objections were now an irrelevance. When it was only this Blur character Lionel had been ready to be patient. Now it was these Sirens as well and from the intel Lionel had been able to gather these Sirens all seemed to possess abilities. They must belong to one of these two mutant groups resident in Bayville Lionel reasoned which means he must act. He must capture them now and from them learn everything he needs to know and if luck smiles on him the study of them will lead to the cure for his liver disease.

"Enjoy your moment in the spotlight Sirens," he says to his empty office. "Because I am coming for you."

Outside his office his secretary peers in through a crack as the door is open a tad listening to every word that had been spoken and as she does so her eyes change to resemble the appearance of a cat's eyes. Mystique knows that Magneto is going to want to know about this.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The clash between the Sirens and Lionel's Alpha Squad._


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

A couple of days later and a week since the Sirens appeared Clark is zipping across the lawn on his way out to do his patrol of Bayville. He is pretty sure that if he had stayed in Smallville he would not be doing this but this was not Smallville and he couldn't ignore what his hearing picked up. Not only that he had changed by being here at this institute. He was surrounded by people who accepted him for what he was and in turn Clark had become more accepting of what he was. He was more comfortable in his own skin and more open to seeing how his powers could be used to help people.

Clark leaps over the wall as usual and lands on the other side, his long black coat fluttering as he does so. His mother had made some comments that he didn't really look good in black when he asked her to make a few spare costumes. Clark actually agreed with her but he needed something as different as possible from the outfit he wears as an X-Man.

Upon landing Clark spots Scott and Kurt parked outside the gate in Scott's red convertible. They look like they're waiting for something. Clark had chosen a spot far enough away that he doubted they had spotted him. Clark debates internally with himself about what to do. He has a feeling he might know what Scott and Kurt are doing. After a few moments he decides he'll leave them to it but keep an ear out for trouble. He zips away in a blur.

Shortly after he does Tabby arrives at the gate in Lance's Jeep. Jean, Amara, Kitty and Rogue slip out the gate and into the Jeep and drive off with Scott and Kurt in pursuit.

* * *

Later that night Clark is leaping from rooftop to rooftop on his patrol. It was his way of avoiding cameras especially speed ones which he found he tended to set off. It had also gone a long way to helping him get over his fear of heights. So far the night had been quiet. He stopped a mugger. That was it. The Sirens had been eating into the crime rate making his life easier.

Clark stops at the corner of a roof at a road junction, closes his eyes and listens. If he doesn't hear anything he might call it an early night and see if Rogue is free and wants to do anything. While he did think what he was doing was important he tried to ensure it cut into the time he spent with Rogue as little as possible. When they went out on dates he made sure his attention was focussed on her.

Clark continues to listen and...BOOM!

Oh gee now that isn't a suspicious sound or anything. Clark looks in the direction it came from and can see smoke rising into the night sky. In a blur he is off in that direction. When he reaches the source he discovers it is a chop shop in the midst of a warehouse district. Must belong to that gang of car-jackers. Clark had shut down a few of these but more always seemed to pop up because he hadn't managed to find the leaders of the gang.

Clark activates his x-ray vision and sees inside the Sirens fighting off the car-jackers. Clark could tell instantly that they were the girls. Rogue especially is impossible to miss because of her hair...and her outfit and boy what an outfit. He had never seen her dressed like that in tight leather with a top that exposes her midriff and her hair swept back apart from one white tendril that falls over her face. In a word; WOW!

In a few others; Damn she looks hot!

That aside Clark also spots Scott and Kurt watching on as the girls kick butt. When Kurt is about to help them Scott stops him. Scott has come to the same conclusion Clark had. That this is something the girls need to do themselves. Lesson learned although Clark stays and watches to make sure they don't get into any real trouble.

Once the girls have tied the gang up Clark decides he better not let them see him so he vanishes in a blur.

The girls leave not long afterwards after being caught by a female cop who decided to let them go as long as they stopped the heroics. They all get back in the Jeep and are soon heading home.

"That was like intense," Kitty remarks at the fight. They found that they had walked into a trap that the car-jackers set up but still came out on top. Kitty guesses she can thank all those lessons from Logan.

"Yeah," Tabby says in agreement. "But totally rocking! Did you see the way we kicked their butts!"

"I'm just thankful that cop let us go," Amara says somewhat quietly. She had hated the idea of either being arrested or of fighting the police.

"Yeah. That was lucky," Jean says in agreement with Amara.

Then suddenly the Jeep screeches to a halt throwing them all forward. "What tha hell Tabby?" Rogue demands to know as she picks herself up off the floor.

Tabby shakes her head thankful she was safety conscious enough to remember a seatbelt. "Don't look at me. I didn't do it."

"No. I did it!" a new voice proclaims.

The 5 girls look up to see directly in front of them 5 young people all in matching black uniforms that are vaguely paramilitary in appearance. On patches on the shoulders are the letters MRD.

A boy with black curly hair in the middle of the 5 steps forward a pace. "Now if you will please exit the vehicle we can get to the capturing you part," he calmly informs them.

The 5 girls do get out and line up in front of the Jeep.

"Who are you?" Jean demands to know of them.

"We are employees of a concerned citizen who has sent us to..._escort_ you to a meeting with him," the boy answers and by escort he means use whatever methods necessary to capture them. They are collectively what Stryker had dubbed Alpha Squad. Up the food chain they worked for Lionel Luthor and he had brought them here to capture the Bayville Sirens. They had been scouring the city when they had spotted the smoke rising above the city and by luck or fate spotted the Jeep and the rest is history as they say when he brought them to a halt.

"Now," the boy continues. "Are you going to come quietly?"

Tabby snorts. "In your dreams!" She throws a few of her time bombs at the boy but they stop in mid-air and explode harmlessly like they were contained in a force field or...

Rogue gets it first. "Was that a...?"

"Telekinetic shield?" Jean fills in.

"Uh huh."

"Yep." Which meant the boy was a mutant. Perhaps all 5 of the opponents they now face are mutants.

Rogue recognises one of the 5. It's Nathan Dean, the guy who tried to kill her. She whispers that to Kitty who is standing next to her whose eyes bug out at the fact he has pink hair now.

Nathan smirks as he hears that they have spotted him. He waggles a finger at Rogue and Kitty. "The name's no longer Nathan. It's now Ruckus." He then takes a deep breath and unleashes his now enhanced powers which generate a concussive force from his vocal chords. It impacts the 5 girls who are totally unprepared for it and it knocks them all backwards. Rogue and Kitty slam into the Jeep while the other 3 fall to the ground either side of it.

"Ok I think I like get the name," Kitty says with a groan as he gets back to his feet.

"Ready to give up now," the leader of the group asks of them again. "No?" he says when he gets no answer. "Very well then." He then gestures at the Jeep and lifts into the air above their heads where it looks like he intends to drop it on them.

"I don't think so," Jean announces deadly serious as she gestures at the Jeep herself and pushes it over their opponents head.

The leader looks utterly shocked. "How are you doing that?"

"You're not the only telekinetic in the world."

The leader concentrates hard and pushes the Jeep back only to find he is being resisted as he locks into a battle with the red-head. "Take out the others. I'll handle her," he orders.

A boy with brown hair looks at one with a shaven head. "You want first go T?"

"T?" Kitty queries.

"As in T-1000," the brown-haired boy elaborates. T then raises his arm which turns into metal and reshapes itself into a blade and then he advances on Rogue.

"Oh ya have got ta be kiddin meh," Rogue mutters.

"I'm afraid not little Missy," the brown-haired boy says again. "Oh by the way I'm the Sandman," he introduces himself as before he raises his arm which dissolves into sand particles which then fly directly at Kitty who lucky for her manages to phase in time but she can't keep doing that forever as she can't breathe when in a phased state so she lowers herself into the ground and vanishes. Sandman grins as he reforms his arm at this. "Interesting move there girl and I thought this was going to be boring," he says with much anticipation at the fight that is about to transpire.

That leaves Amara finding herself facing down this red-headed girl who reminds her a bit of Jean but this girl has slightly odd orange coloured eyes and looks to be perhaps a couple of years younger than Jean. Roughly Amara's age. The red-head speaks up. "They call me Volcana and here's why!" Her hands are then surrounded by fire before she thrown this ball of fire at Amara which does absolutely nothing to the Nova Roman princess upon impact.

"What!" Volcana screeches in a burst of what is her very very short temper at the sight. The real reason she has her name. Her explosive temper.

"Similar to what was said before you're not the only pyrokinetic in the world," Amara explains before she creates her own ball of fire.

Volcana snorts rudely. "You think that little firecracker can hurt me. You must be deluded."

"It's not for you," Amara says before she flings it at Ruckus who is forced to dive out of the way while Volcana notices a little glowing ball roll to her feet. It explodes knocking her off her feet.

Tabby and Amara swap positions and opponents.

Back with Jean a few drops of perspiration start to appear on her forehead but not nearly as many as her opponent who starts to lose ground having not trained with his powers as hard or as long as Jean has with her powers. The Jeep still in mid-air starts to crumple due to the forces being arrayed against it but it is also slowly moving towards the curly haired boy. "Little help?" he ends up asking for from someone.

Sandman shakes his head wondering why this guy was put in charge. This thought means he is momentarily distracted and doesn't see Kitty phase up behind him and launch a flying kick at him. She hits him in his back and her leg goes right through him pushing some sand out. She then finds herself stuck.

Sandman looks down at the leg sticking out of him and smirks. "Nice try there," he remarks somewhat glibly before he dissolves his entire body into a sand tornado. Kitty starts to choke before she can concentrate enough to phase her body. Luckily for her Sandman heads off needing to help his leader. He completely surrounds Jean who now finds herself starting to choke.

Jean lashes out with her telekinetic powers and she blasts waves of sand away but the grains of sand just keep flying back into the tornado as Sandman keeps pulling the bits of himself back. Jean drops to her knees as breathing becomes a problem.

Meanwhile Rogue ducks under a swing of T's bladed arm before swinging a punch at his face. She impacts his face and almost breaks her hand as she hits what feels like solid metal. She really needs to rethink her strategy she concludes in the second before T swings his arm back and Rogue raises her arm out of instinct. The bladed point cuts into her arm causing her to call out in pain.

Across town Clark hears Rogue's cry of pain easily. By now his hearing has become very attuned to her and in an instant he is running towards her at full speed.

Back with the fight T stalks closer to his foe as she cradles her bleeding arm. He isn't in this to be nice. In fact before Lionel recruited him for this group he quite often 'dealt' with people for Lionel so he is not really caring about capturing these girls alive despite what Lionel wants. He thrusts his balded arm right at the centre of Rogue's chest only for something to blur in the way. The blade impacts a black shirt instead and bends against something it can't cut through.

T cries out in pain and recoils backward as his hand resumes its human form. He looks to see what it was he just hit and finds himself looking into steel blue eyes that flash red which show how angry this person is that T hurt Rogue. Extremely angry and annoyed T turns both arms into blades and tries to cut up his opponent.

Clark raises his arms to block and sparks literally fly as the blades hit his invulnerable skin and what sounds like metal hitting metal echoes through the street. Annoyed and frustrated T charges at Clark who dodges the blow and using T's momentum against him grabs his foe before throwing him like a rag doll through the air where T impacts a car parked on the side of the road leaving a large dent on the bonnet.

Clark sees his opponent not get up right away which gives him a second to check on Rogue. "You alright?" he asks her with concern as the red glow in his eyes fades away and soft concern fills his expression instead.

Rogue nods.

"Kent!"

Clark turns round to face the leader of the group who was the one who shouted his name and a slightly puzzled expression furrows Clark's brow. "Justin?"

Justin Gaines, the telekinetic boy who tried to slice up Chloe with a chainsaw, grins. "Well how nice that you remember me because I remember that because of you I ended up in Belle Reve!"

Which was where Clark thought Justin still was until right this second. "You tried to kill Chloe," Clark reminds him.

"The little tart deserved it."

Clark's face darkens at the insult Justin lays on Chloe.

"Here!" Justin says as he throws the Jeep he is still telekinetically holding in the air at Clark. "Catch!"

Clark does exactly that with ease.

"Volcana!" Justin shouts. "The gas tank!" he commands.

Volcana steps to the side from her fight with the blond energy ball generator and conjures up a fireball which she throws right at the Jeep's gas tank. Everyone who sees it coming dives for cover as the Jeep explodes. The blast knocks Sandman off Jean. Unfortunately because of her near unconscious state she never dived out the way and the blast sends her flying across the street where she rolls several times until she lays down on the pavement knocked out.

Rogue had managed to dive for cover. She lifts her head up to see nothing but flames and wreckage and no sign of Clark. Worry and fear starts to burn in the pit of her stomach. She knows Clark is virtually invulnerable but she has never seen him take an explosion like that.

The lack of any sign of Clark causes Justin to laugh. At last! Payback on Clark Kent. He is going to be the envy of at least half the inmates of Belle Reve all of whom put there by Kent. His moment of happiness is not a long one as Clark walks out of the flames unharmed apart from his coat being torn, singed and burnt in several places.

Rogue lets out a breath in relief.

Justin takes a step back wondering what it takes to stop Kent if that can't do it. "Ruckus!" he commands.

Ruckus gets back to his feet from where he dived to when the Jeep exploded. His fiery female opponent is still on the ground giving him the chance to take a deep breath and then unleash his power on Clark. As well as producing a concussive force Ruckus produces a deafening scream along with it.

Clark covers his ears in agony as his sensitive ears are assaulted. He stumbles back a step or two.

"That's it!" Justin encourages Ruckus. "Keep it up!"

Two problems with that. One; Ruckus has finite lung capacity. Two; the red convertible barrelling towards him at a rapid pace.

The red convertible contains Scott and Kurt who had heard the explosion and made their way over as fast as they could after realising that the explosion came from the general direction of where the girls had driven off to.

Ruckus is forced to dive out of the way as the red convertible nearly knocks him down before sliding to a stop. Scott and Kurt leap out of the car and both quickly take in the scene before them.

Justin is red-faced with rage. "You'll pay for getting involved in what is not your business," he hisses angrily. He gestures with his hands and raises Scott and Kurt into the air.

"Whoa!" both teens cry simultaneously caught completely off guard at Justin's telekinesis.

Kurt vanishes in a puff of smoke and reappears behind Justin and delivers a swift kick to his back. Justin drops Scott to the ground but thinking quickly he unleashes a blast at Justin hitting him square in the chest sending Justin flying back tumbling head over heels. He lays on the ground groaning.

"Not bad," a voice behind Scott remarks.

Scott whips round and unleashes another blast and ends up blasting a hole right through Sandman who has pulled himself back together. Scott watches wide-eyed as the hole fills back up with sand before shifting shape back into a black uniform.

Sandman grins and backhands Scott in the face. He then raises his hand at Scott about to show this boy just what it is he is really up against. Then suddenly he yells out in pain as Amara hits him with a fireball partially melting the sand his body is made of.

"Magma again!" Scott commands upon seeing this.

"Oh no you don't!" Volcana screams as she tackles Amara and knocks the princess to the ground where they end up wrestling.

"No-one to help you now," Sandman says to Scott.

"There's me!" Clark shouts. Sandman turns round in time to see two red beams shoot from Clark's eyes and impact him. Intense pain like Sandman has not known since he was transformed emanates from every grain of his being as the searing heat surges through him. Sandman bends over crying and gasping in pain.

Scott takes his opportunity and delivers a hard punch to Sandman's face and and this time he can't transform his body due to the damage Clark inflicted so Sandman falls to the ground unconscious.

Watching on Rogue has gotten back to her feet, bruised, bleeding from the cut on her arm but otherwise alright.

"Remember me!"

Rogue spins round as T grabs her neck by his arm which is now in the shape of a clamp. She tries to speak but the grip is too tight.

"What was that?" T asks her before he notices something. A very strange sensation...like his life is being drained from him.

Rogue grabs the exposed metal arm and T suddenly calls out in pain as Rogue absorbs him. His arm turns back to flesh as he falls to his knees. Rogue looks down on him as she continues to hold him firmly and drain his energy. "Ah was saying that ya shouldn't touch meh," she finally says in reply to his question just before he blacks out. Rogue lets him drop to the ground and fights off the surge of memories. She turns her attention to the leader of this merry group and an idea strikes her about how to end this.

Clark meanwhile has pulled the red-haired girl called Volcana off Magma as they had continued their wrestling match on the ground.

Volcana screams in rage. "Let me go!" she demands and her hands light up with fire which has no effect on Clark. Off to the side he spots Kitty taking care of Tabby who is lying on the ground while Scott has run over to Jean. Clark is kind of stuck holding onto the girl as no-one else can without being burned.

Justin gets back to his feet groggily, shakily and in pain. He finds T helps to steady him and assesses the situation and can see that Sandman is down and Volcana is caught. Ruckus makes his way over as the 3 regroup. They are now outnumbered.

"It may be time to leave," Justin decides.

"Yeah," T says in agreement taking a deliberate step backwards from the other two. ""But ah'm afraid it is too late for ya," he says with a sudden southern drawl.

Justin and Ruckus turn round as T changes both his hands into metal mallets and clocks both of them in the face...hard knocking them out. T's whole body then morphs into metal before reshaping itself into the form of Rogue before the metal finishes its morph and Rogue stands there in the flesh and her clothes looking as she should. Interesting point here is that T or Trent McGowan as she knows his real name to be didn't know he could shape-shift like that. Rogue used what she had absorbed from Mystique and applied it to T's powers.

Their attackers are pulled into a pile on the ground while Volcana still screams and struggles to get free of Clark's grip.

By now Jean has come back round and she leans on Scott as they walk back into the road and towards Clark. She raises her hand to her head, looks at Volcana and concentrates hard. "You are feeling sleepy," she says.

Volcana's struggles start to cease. "I am feeling sleepy," she repeats Jean's words as Jean sends telepathic suggestions into the fiery girl's mind.

"You are going to close your eyes and go to sleep," Jean commands.

Volcana nods, yawns and her eyes flutter shut and Clark holds her so she doesn't fall over.

Jean lets out a little moan of discomfort at doing that when her head feels like an entire rock group is playing on top of it.

In the distance sirens can be heard.

"Ve really need to get going," Kurt points out since that must be the police.

"What about them?" Rogue asks in reference to their foes. There are so many questions that need answered.

"They'll have to come with us," Scott decides on the spot. The police could in no way contain them and more than likely they would use their powers to escape exposing mutants to all the world. Best option for now is to take them back to the mansion so the Professor can decide what they do. He looks at Kurt. "Kurt how many can you teleport?"

Kurt shakes his head. "Not 5," he says bluntly. His powers have limits and that is way too many for him to teleport any distance.

Scott frowns.

"I can carry a couple," Clark offers. One in each arm. Any more and Clark can't be certain of being able to hold them safely and securely as he moves at superspeed as if he drops them they would never be able to survive the impact at that speed.

"What about 3?" Scott asks Kurt.

Kurt weighs it up for a second. He might be able to do that. The debate becomes academic at that moment when appearing next to the 4 fallen mutants is a familiar green haze as a certain blond teleporter appears. Alicia, under orders from Magneto after Mystique told him what was happening, had been trailing the group all night. Seeing them defeated she knew she had to act now which is what she is about to do. She places both her hands on the 4 piled together mutants.

"Alicia. Don't," Clark tells her as he can guess what she is about to do.

Alicia glares at him. "You do not get to tell me what to do," she tells Clark with bitter venom. "I do what I must for the survival of mutantkind," she says sounding very like Magneto. She then closes her eyes and before anyone can stop her she vanishes with the 4 mutants although the second before she disappears the strain of teleporting 4 people shows on her face.

Everyone just looks at the spot for awhile. Sirens get louder.

"Ok we really like need to go," Kitty says as she helps Tabby to her feet. Tabby had been knocked flat by the Jeep exploding.

Clark moves over to Kurt with their one prize. "Kurt. Take her back to the mansion before she wakes up and tell the Professor that when she does she most likely won't be happy."

Kurt takes Volcana and vanishes in a puff of blue smoke. Clark's eyes fall onto Rogue and her cut arm which has remained despite her absorbing T's powers. He rips a piece of his already ruined coat and quickly badges it. Rogue winces slightly as he ties it tight. "Sorry," he tells her. "You alright?"

Rogue nods. "Yeah." She takes a moment. "Clark look. About all this..."

"We'll talk later," he promises her as the police are now only a couple of minutes away at most so they really need to get going. Rogue gets into Scott's car along with everybody else except Tabby. It is a bit of a squeeze. The car drives off just as Clark picks Tabby up, since he will take her home, and he blurs away just as the police arrive on the scene.

* * *

Clark stops a short distance from the Boarding House and puts Tabby down. "You sure you won't come back to the institute and get checked out?" he asks her out of concern she is injured.

Tabby waves him off. "Nah. I'm fine." She looks him up and down. "So you're the Bayville Blur huh?"

Clark looks slightly embarrassed if anything. "Seemed like a good idea at the time," he jokes before he adds more seriously. "I would prefer it if you didn't tell anyone," he requests of her.

"My lips are sealed," Tabby vows gesturing zipping her lips closed.

Clark smiles, places two fingers to his temple and gives her a little salute before zipping off with a whoosh and a gust of wind.

Tabby pushes her windblown hair back into place wondering how often Clark does that exactly and musing that it must get annoying after awhile. Tabby takes a slow laboured walk towards the Boarding House. She is definitely going to be feeling this in the morning. Not to mention Lance will probably kill her when he finds out his Jeep was blown up.

On the way to the house Tabby ducks into some bushes where she stashed her civilian clothes and changes out of her Siren outfit. That done she continues back towards the Boarding House. When she reaches the door she pauses for a moment to gather herself and put on the show of hiding her injuries so no-one picks up on them and forces her to try and come up with an explanation. She is really starting to hate living here. She takes a deep breath and pushes the door open...to find Mystique on the other side waiting with her arms folded across her chest looking stern.

"Welcome back Boom Boom. Have a nice night out?" Mystique queries in an eerily calm tone of voice.

"Yeah. Sure. It was alright," Tabby replies as she walks by towards the stairs. She reaches the bottom step when Mystique speaks again.

"Don't worry about the Jeep. I'll take care of Avalanche."

Tabby freezes in her tracks and very slowly turns round. "I...what?"

Mystique smiles knowingly. "You really think I didn't know what you were up to."

"Up to?" Tabby asks feigning complete ignorance.

"Do not treat me a fool Tabitha," Mystique says in her stern authoritarian voice and then to prove her point Mystique shifts shape into the female cop who let Tabby and the other girls go.

Tabby swallows a sudden lump in her throat. "That was you?"

Mystique changes back and nods once. "Yes." And afterwards she trailed them in her favourite guise of a raven so she saw the fight up to when Haze appeared. After that Mystique had flown straight here. In fact she only just beat Boom Boom in getting back.

"Why?"

"Because your actions were threatening our exposure. It needed to be stopped."

Tabby's face takes on an expression of deep concern and fear. "W-What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing...this time but let me make this clear Tabitha you are on your last warning. I only let it go on this occasion because your actions at least forced out that other group for us."

Tabby is about to express her surprise that Mystique seemingly knew beforehand about that group of mutants but in truth she is not surprised. There seems to be nothing but intrigue and plotting going on around here. She decides instead just to go to her room. "Can I go now?" she asks permission from Mystique.

"By all means," Mystique allows. "But remember what I said. This is your last warning. Next time...well I don't need to say it do I," Mystique warns her with dark menace.

Tabby shakes her head and heads off up to her room thinking very strongly that the time is nearing that she might want to think of a way of getting out of here.

* * *

_Author's Note: The 5 teens facing off against the Sirens I mixed and matched a bit taking what I considered the more interesting meteor freaks with a couple of comic book characters . Justin Gaines is from season 1 episode Crush where he tried to slice up Chloe with a chainsaw. Trent McGowan(T as I nicknamed him) is from the season 4 episode Gone. He is the assassin Lionel sent after Chloe. Sandman is Tim Westcott from Pariah where he kills Alicia. Perhaps she will suffer the same fate in my story. I haven't decided yet. I brought back my Ruckus as well. Last is Volcana(Claire Selton). A character originally created for Superman TAS where I thought she had a lot of potential as an ambiguous and slightly flirtatious foil for the Man of Steel before they transformed her into a rather clichéd villain. Anyway I'll do some alterations to her like I did with Live Wire and we'll see if she is destined to be a villain or perhaps she can be something else. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Word of warning updates will be slower as I'm a lot busier in my real life at the moment. Next up; Dealing with the fallout of this chapter's events._


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

Lionel's night has just gone from bad to worse. First off Alpha Squad had failed to report back and there was no sign of them anywhere. It was like they had vanished off the face of the earth. Second was that Essex's Genetic Stabiliser/Enhancer was gone. Right now Lionel is staring at the space where it use to be.

Lionel turns round to look at the doors to the lab. The heavy metal doors which look like there were torn apart by some great force. No doubt the same one that took the machine. Unfortunately Lionel has no clue who did this or how they knew about his machine because there is no security footage. Every camera in the building was blanked out by some kind of magnetic pulse.

The guards were not much better. All he got from them was that their guns were suddenly ripped from their hands and then used against them like clubs knocking each and everyone of them out cold.

The machine could be rebuilt of course. He still had Essex who was away right now ordering new materials to build a new device but that would take time. Time Lionel may not have left to him.

Lionel hears heavy footsteps walk up behind them. He glances out of the corner of his eye and spots Colonel Stryker. "We have a leak," Lionel says simply as the only possible explanation for this. Someone leaked the information to another party and said party stole the device. Top of Lionel's suspects right now as to who is behind this would be his son.

"That is obvious," Stryker says back.

"I want whoever is responsible found," Lionel demands.

"I'll start the investigation immediately."

"Alpha Squad?"

"Still no sign."

"They failed," Lionel assumes.

"I warned you," Stryker reminds Lionel about saying it was too soon to send Alpha Squad on a mission.

"Spare me the 'I told you so' speech Colonel," Lionel tells him not in the mood for it. "How long to start over?"

"Weeks to pick a new squad and then months to finish training them properly."

Lionel grimaces at a shooting pain where his liver is. "Get started immediately," he orders.

"I shall but I may have another option that could give us results sooner," Stryker decides to mention.

"What option?"

"A former colleague of mine. He believed in another method of mutant control. I know he continued his work and last I heard wasn't far from completion of it. I request permission to seek him out."

Lionel muses on that for a minute before he makes his decision. "Whatever it takes Colonel but I will want to meet him in person," he lays down as a condition.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Charles rolls into the infirmary where Hank is examining the girl Kurt brought back. There are many issues revolving around this. Primarily the girls sneaking out and using their powers without permission. That is an issue he will deal with in due course. First things first is dealing with this girl. "How is she?" Charles asks Hank.

Hank stops his examination for a moment. "Physically she is fine. Just asleep," he tells Charles. "I still have to run her blood tests and map her DNA so I can't give you any details about the exact nature of her powers beyond what Kurt mentioned."

Charles nods in understanding.

"Any idea who sent her?" Both Hank and Charles look to the door to see Logan standing there. He walks in and continues "She was part of a group and you don't need me to point out that what she is wearing is a uniform of some kind which means someone sent her."

Charles sighs sadly. "I'm afraid you are correct."

Logan stops next to the bed where the girl lies. "Look Chuck I know you are real big on privacy but we need to know what we're up against."

Charles has to reluctantly agree with Logan. He moves himself to the top of the bed and places his hand on the girl's forehead and closes his eyes as he peers into her mind. "Her name is Claire Selton," he says from what he reads. "She goes by the name Volcana. She was in Smallville the day the meteors fell from the sky as a young girl. The earth exploded around her and there was fire everywhere and the meteor rocks. The fire came closer and closer to her but instead of burning her it embraced her instead."

"Fascinating," Hank has to remark because he has not had one of the meteor mutants to study before.

Charles peers through her life. "Her parents were killed that day. She ended up in an orphanage but she ran away and ended up on the streets for many years using her abilities to get by until the day the soldiers came and captured her and..." Charles trails off.

"And what?" Logan asks.

"Lionel," Charles reports from the image in Claire's mind at the man who came to see her the day she was captured but more than that. "It was Lionel. He created the group. The girls' activities caught his attention and he sent this group to capture them."

Charles leaves her mind and sits back. He takes a moment to refocus his mind.

"He knows of us then," Logan assumes which confirms something they had not been sure of up to this point. What Lionel knew of mutants.

"I don't know precisely. Obviously he knows about mutants as we suspected he might but as what does he know in particular about the Institute she doesn't possess any knowledge in that area. She has been being trained for a few weeks which is before the girls started their activities but Lionel could have been doing that for numerous reasons."

"Such as?"

"For his own clandestine purposes. For the military," Charles can list automatically as a couple of possibilities.

Logan's hands clench into fists. "Turning them into weapons," he growls out his assessment of what Lionel was doing with barely restrained anger at the thought that Luthor was turning kids into weapons like they had done to him.

"A possibility," Charles sadly concedes. "But she doesn't know. That kind of information was kept from her along with a lot else. She didn't even know where she was being trained. She was blindfolded every time she was taken in and out. All I saw was a concrete structure, possibly underground."

"Which could be anywhere," Logan says gruffly.

"She doesn't know why she was being trained or who she was sent out to catch that night. She only knew them by the name the press gave them of the Sirens."

Logan was making a mental note of how much trouble each and every one of them was in by the way. "So we don't know what Luthor knows. He may know who we are or he may only know about what was reported on the news."

"Yes," Charles says as Logan's summary is quite accurate. "And we can't confront Lionel without definitely revealing ourselves."

"So he gets away with it!" Logan says in a raised angry voice.

Charles remains calm. "Logan please remain calm. I know you are angry but we can't confront Lionel head-on as much as we may want to. He is already suspicious of us as you know due to his obsession with Clark and we must not act in a way that confirms anything for him."

Logan reigns his temper in as best he can. "He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it."

"I agree but problem is we have no proof of anything. We only know it is Lionel behind it because of what I saw in Claire's mind. However we should remain alert and on vigil for the next few days just to be on the safe side."

Logan hates this but Chuck is right. Short of going up and calling Luthor out which would certainly give them away they are stuck. This is why some days he hates being so nice. There was a time he would have gone ahead and taken Luthor down...permanently but he put that part of him aside when he came here. He chose to be more than an animal...more than a weapon and he has to live with the consequences of that choice.

"She is waking up," Hank says breaking into this scene as Volcana starts to stir.

Claire's eyes open as she takes in the plain white ceiling. Where the hell is she? She sits up and finds a big blue...whatever, a bald man in a wheelchair and a scruffy looking short man. "Where am I?" she demands to know.

"Calm yourself Claire," Charles says gently not wanting to provoke her.

"How do you know my name?" she demands of the bald guy as her infamously short temper threatens to break loose.

"Because I am a mutant like you are. My gift is telepathy."

Claire laughs mockingly. "Gift?" She makes fire surround her hands. "You call this a gift?" she asks incredulously. To her it had been a curse. Made her a freak. An outcast.

Logan makes a step forward but Charles stops him with a sent thought. Charles doesn't need this situation escalated any. Besides Charles can stop her any time he wants. "Claire I know you may not think so. I know it may not even what Lionel Luthor told you but the powers you possess are a gift."

Claire laughs bitterly. "Lionel? He saw me as a weapon. He thinks I'm too stupid to realise it but I know what I am. It is the only thing a freak like me can be."

"You're wrong kid," Logan says with absolute certainty.

"And how the hell would you know?" Claire asks him.

Logan raises his hand and extends his claws. Claire jumps slightly as the 3 metal blades appear between his knuckles. "I know kid because that is what men like Luthor told me once. That is what men like Luthor turned me into but I chose not to be one anymore and so can you. Let us help you."

"Please Claire," Charles asks of her. "We can protect you from Lionel. He has no idea that you are here. We can help you with your powers. We can help you find your purpose in this world."

"Listen to him kid," Logan says. "Or is it what you want to be a weapon because if you do I can tell you that only ends up with you alone and lost with no idea who or what you are any longer."

Claire looks at the two of them debating with herself. She has been alone for so long and she always thought she would be because there was no-one who understood what she had become but maybe this scruffy guy does. She can see it in his eye that he has suffered the way she has. She lets her fire go out. "I'm tired of being alone," she admits in a whisper.

Charles smiles. It was a start.

"So now what?" she asks.

"Let us start from the beginning," Charles says. "My name is Charles Xavier. This is Logan," he says introducing Logan to her. "And that is Dr Henry McCoy," he points at Hank. "And you are in my Institute for the Gifted. Here we help people like yourself Claire."

"Help how?" she asks still a little wary but willing to hear him out. It was at least nicer than the way Lionel recruited her by abducting her.

Charles then begins his story of how and why he set this institute up.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Magneto gazes at the machine he had taken from Lionel. Essex's Genetic Stabiliser and Enhancer. The enhancing ability of it was of more interest to Magneto. It had created Live Wire if Essex was to be believed and Magneto had no reason not to believe him. Magneto had not planned to do this right now and right now was not the best time. As his body continued its rapid ageing using his powers put a greater and greater strain on him. Once Mystique had informed him Lionel had unleashed his team of mutants Magneto swung into action his plans he had been saving for this very moment. He broke into the lab at Luthorcorp and took the machine while he left Haze and Mystique to keep an eye on Lionel's team. He was pleased at the way Haze seized her moment of opportunity to snatch them from under the X-Men's noses.

Magneto takes a deep weary tired sounding breath. Preferably he should rest but he doesn't have the luxury right now. At this moment he must deal with the 4 mutants Haze brought him. Only 4 because number 5 was almost certainly in Charles' hands by now. Small failure but irrelevant as the Day of Reckoning draws ever nearer. On that day even Charles will realise how hopeless his idealism is and they will come together as they must as the only way to protect mutantkind. It would be good for him and Charles to be fighting side by side again. Magneto missed his friend but those were considerations for another day.

He makes his way to where the 4 mutants are being kept guarded by his Acolytes and Haze. Live Wire and Mastermind were not here. They were taking their turn watching Colossus' sister. "Welcome my brothers!" he greets them.

"Brothers?" Justin asks with a frown and a stonking headache after being clocked hard.

"But of course. The Brotherhood of Mutants. You are amongst friends here and liberated from the oppression of Lionel Luthor and of all humans."

"About time!" Ruckus proclaims as he steps forward and joins the ring of Acolytes that surround the now only 3 mutants. "I was getting so tired of this act."

Under his helmet Magneto smiles slightly. This was the boy Essex enhanced. What Ruckus doesn't know is that along with enhancing him Essex added a small alteration to the boy's mind ensuring his loyalty was to the cause of mutantkind. It was similar to what Magneto's original enhancer did. "What about the rest of you?" Magneto asks. "Are you tired of being human slaves? Are you ready to take your rightful place as the new dominant species of this planet?"

"You want to clarify that?" Sandman asks.

"Certainly. The time of Homo Sapiens is coming to its end. The appearance of mutants is the start of our reign. We are the superior species and therefore our place is to be this world's rulers. Join me and you can be the vanguard that leads our people to our destiny."

T snorts. "You're nuts!"

Sabretooth growls at that and readies himself just in case the boy tries something.

T continues. "I ain't doing this for some cause. I'm doing this because Lionel offered to cure me." T hated what he was. He was a freak but Lionel promised that if he worked for Lionel than Lionel would cure him. Make him normal again.

Magneto is extremely disappointed in what he is hearing. A mutant that wants to be human. How pathetic. "You want to give up all your gifts and power to be human?"

"I don't want to be a freak!" T almost shouts. "Now I want you to take me back or..." he changes his hand into a blade. "Or I'll make you."

Magneto raises his hand at T whose face suddenly flinches. He then cries out in pain. "AH! What are you doing to me?"

A globule of metal then breaks off from his arm followed by another and another. The process continues as Magneto literally pulls the metallic boy apart. T's screams echo around.

As emotionless as Haze has tried to make herself lately she can't watch this and turns her back to it. She finds herself encased in a two strong arms. "It's alright petit. D'is will be over in a minute," Gambit says a little sickened himself at what he is witnessing.

Hundreds of globs of metal now float in mid-air until Magneto releases them. They drop to the floor but not to reform as might be a possibility. Their colour changes from silver metal to a kind of black ash as the life of Trent McGowan comes to its end. 'Foolish boy,' Magneto thinks to himself. A boy made of metal trying to attack the Master of Metals. Magneto knows that what he did may seem extreme but the Day of Reckoning he is working towards will be the day the war with humanity begins and he only needs people who are loyal. Hopefully this demonstration will make the other 2 realise where their loyalties should lie.

Sabretooth smirks slightly as the sight. Colossus feels as sick as Haze does and he regrets it more each and every day he is forced to work for this madman but he must for his sister's sake.

"Anyone else want to leave?" Magneto asks.

Justin swallows hard and makes the smart choice here. "So...um what did you say your name was?"

"Magneto."

"Well Magneto sign me up," Justin tells him.

Magneto looks at Sandman awaiting his decision.

"Well my daddy was a preacher and he always wanted me to cleanse the wicked from the earth and there is none more wicked than humankind so I'm in," Sandman says agreeing to join.

Magneto nods satisfied. He turns to Gambit. "Gambit. Show them their rooms," he commands.

Gambit looks down at Alicia for a moment who nods as her way of saying that she will be alright. Gambit goes and shows the new recruits their rooms but swears he'll get back as soon as he can. No-one, certainly not a young girl, should have to witness things like that and he'll do what he can for Alicia.

Magneto leaves and heads to his personal quarters. Sabretooth accompanies him. As soon as he is out of sight Magneto collapses and only Sabretooth catching him prevents him falling to the ground. "You are over exerting yourself," Sabretooth says with concern for his leader considering the condition Sabretooth knows Magneto is in.

"It was necessary," Magneto says with a strained, tired ancient sounding voice.

Sabretooth helps Magneto to his room and lays him on the bed. Magneto lies there trying to regain what strength he can. "They must not know what state I am in," he commands of Sabretooth.

"You don't have much time left," Sabretooth warns him with blunt honesty. A blunt honesty Magneto expects from Sabretooth.

"I have enough. I have almost located Rebirth. I just need a few more weeks to ascertain exactly which facility SHIELD has it stored in."

"I'm not sure you have them," Sabretooth says with concern.

"Get Essex here," Magneto orders. "He can extend my time."

"Anything else?"

"I need to rest and save what strength I have left to take Rebirth. I'll need you to keep the others in line until then."

Sabretooth nods and then leaves Magneto so the Master of Magnetism can rest. As Magneto closes his eyes a single thought echoes around in his mind. Hang on. He just has to hang on a little longer. He survived the Second World War. He survived the Nazis. He survived their Concentration Camps. He survived their Holocaust. He can survive this. He must. Mutantkind needs him.

* * *

**The next day at the Institute...**

Claire looks at herself in the mirror. She was not long up this morning after spending her first night here. Is this what she really wants?

Well it beats living on the streets where no doubt if she returned Lionel would hunt her down again. She only agreed to this team idea because it beat being locked up in an airless glass sphere where she could only breathe through a mask on her face which only provided enough oxygen to keep her alive. There was never enough for her to ignite her fire and escape. That was Lionel's method of keeping her contained.

She makes fire appear in her hands. She was a freak. Now she was one in a whole house of freaks. She was a weapon but that Logan guy said last night that she doesn't have to be if she doesn't want to be and Claire doesn't want to be a weapon.

Of course that doesn't necessarily mean her place should be here but Professor Xavier said that being here was about finding her place and at least here she is safe from Lionel...she hopes.

There is a knock on her door. She makes her fire go out. "Who is it?" she asks.

The door opens and Logan walks in. "Time for breakfast. You hungry?"

Yes she is. "Do the other students know about me?" she asks with what Logan can hear is slight trepidation. Oh she hides it well but Logan's ears are more sensitive than the average person's.

"One thing you'll learn about this place Firefly is that you can't keep anything secret."

"Firefly?" she queries.

"Just one of Logan's loveable quirks," Ororo says as she announces her arrival. "He tends to give people nicknames."

Logan snorts. "I keep tellin you Ro that there ain't anything lovable about me."

"And I'll keep telling you how I don't believe that," Ororo fires back.

Claire smiles slightly at the banter. It is amusing.

Ororo turns her attention to their newest student. "Now. Claire. You should come down to breakfast where you can start to meet everyone since there was no chance last night." It had been too late by the time Claire had arrived. Most of the students had been in bed by then.

"I have to ask...Lionel must be looking for me...I can never leave here can I?"

Logan and Ororo look at each other. It was an issue.

"Perhaps not looking as you are," Ororo points out. "Your hair colour and eyes are too noticeable." Claire has unusual orange eyes to go along with her fiery red hair. "However those are things we can change if you are willing."

Dye her hair? Claire had never considered that. She loves her hair but if it allowed her out into the world without fear of Lionel finding her she guesses she could live with it. As for eyes she guesses...what was her name again...oh yes Storm. She guesses Storm means contact lenses.

"This is not something you have to decide on right now," Ororo points out at the lack of response from the girl.

Logan decides to take the initiative. He takes Claire by her shoulders and leads her out. "Come on kid. Lets go get ya some food. Can't have ya accusing us of neglecting ya now can we."

It is later than normal in the kitchen being it is Saturday that breakfast is being served. Everyone gets up later. Some don't get up until lunchtime. When Claire enters the room with Logan everyone stops and looks at her.

Martha steps forward. "Hello there Claire" she warmly greets the new arrival. "I'm Martha Kent."

"Um...hi," Claire says awkwardly.

"So is there anything in particular you want? Anything you are allergic too that you can't have?" Martha asks so she knows what she can and cannot give the girl.

Claire shakes her head. "No. I'll just have some..." she thinks on it. "Some cereal. Any cereal." She then sits herself down amongst the others. This is so weird to her having been on her own for so long. Even the training with the others when it was all over she went back to her own room and never really hanged out with them. She never had any real desire to bond with them or anyone really. She grew up on the streets alone learning to fend for herself. She was use to being alone but as she admitted last night she is tired of being alone.

There is an awkward moment of silence until Kitty speaks up. "So I'm Kitty. Kitty Pryde," she says introducing herself.

"Claire Selton," Claire says back recognising this girl as one of the Sirens she had fought last night.

"Where are you from?" Kitty asks in that perpetually cheerful way of hers trying to be friendly and break the ice.

"Metropolis," Claire answers.

"Really," Roberto says. "Well you know Mrs Kent there is from Smallville. That's nearby isn't it."

Smallville. Claire knows that place. It is responsible for transforming her into what she is.

"It's about a 3 hour drive Roberto," Martha gently corrects the Brazilian teen.

"Anyway," Roberto continues. "I'm Roberto and I should say welcome to the fire club."

"What?" Claire asks.

"The fire club," Roberto explains. "You know those of use that can generate fire like myself and Amara and..." Roberto looks at Clark. "I'm not sure you count Clark. You generate heat."

"I wasn't aware there was a club Roberto," Clark says back from the opposite side of the table with Roberto breaking into his train of thought. Mostly that revolved around Lionel. Clark thinks he should have guessed Lionel would do something like he did. Of course if the girls caught Lionel's attention than Clark's activities going out at night no doubt have as well but he won't let that stop him doing what Clark feels he needs to do. He won't live his life in fear of Lionel Luthor.

"Well Clark can set anything on fire," Ray points out.

"Doesn't count," Roberto decides.

"Amara," Claire repeats the name. "That was the girl I fought last night?"

Roberto nods. "Yeah but don't worry about her holding a grudge or anything. We don't really do that around here."

"Drake!" Rogue's screams can be heard as she barges into the kitchen, her hair dripping wet. "Where is he?" she demands to know. "Where's Bobby because ah'm killin him."

All of them shake their heads. It doesn't take much guessing to figure out that Bobby must have played one of his practical joke on Rogue again.

"What did he do this time?" Martha asks with a resigned tone. Bobby's jokes were just something you had to get use to.

"He froze tha shower while ah was in it...again!" Rogue tells them all before stomping off in her effort to find Bobby.

"Shouldn't you like go after her?" Kitty asks Clark.

"I may be invulnerable Kitty but even that wouldn't save me from Rogue when she's that angry," Clark says.

Claire watches on a little bemused. "I thought my temper was short," she says, the words slipping out.

"Here you will have competition," Ray quips.

Kitty shakes her head and chuckles that Ray of all people said that because he is one of the ones who would give Claire competition.

* * *

A little later that morning everyone who was involved in the previous night's incident is brought into the Professor's office along with the adults to hear them explain themselves. No-one had been all that badly hurt. Bruises and scrapes mostly although the cut on Rogue's arm had ended up needing a couple of stitches.

Charles begins. "I have to say how disappointed I am in all of you." All the students hang their heads slightly. "First off you sneak out into the night without telling anyone, use your powers openly and I can only guess what those men at the garage must have seen when you fought them." Charles sighs to himself slightly. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Jean volunteers to be the spokesman for them since she was the oldest and the one who had been here the longest. "I know nothing we can say can change what we did but we are sorry about doing this behind your back. It is just it felt so good to use our powers and to help people and we did some real good."

"I know you did but that is not what I am teaching here," Charles says sternly.

"What about Clark?" Amara asks. "You let him go out."

Clark had seen that coming. He guessed it was why he was here because the Professor figured that someone would use that defence.

"Amara," the Professor addresses her. "Before I let Clark speak answer me this. Why did you do it? Was it because you truly believe in helping people or because it was thrilling and exciting?"

Amara thinks on it for several seconds. When she and Tabby chased and caught those two car-jackers it had been thrilling. The rush of adrenaline and when Tabby suggested they continue that was more the reason why and that is the answer she ends up giving because to say anything but the truth in front of a telepath is rather pointless.

"Clark. I know it is not something you have said before to anyone but your parents and myself but if you could please explain why you do what you do," Charles requests of him.

Clark takes a moment to compose his answer. "I hear everything," he says simply. "Within Bayville I can hear every cry of pain, every cry of suffering, everyone struggling to hang on to life just a little bit longer, everyone calling out to be saved. It is easy to turn a blind eye when you don't see or hear the suffering other people go through but I don't get that luxury because it doesn't stop. It never stops and for me it never will because I can't shut it off. Believe me I tried. I know I can't be everywhere at once and I can't help every one of those people I hear but even if all I do is to make one cry stop, help one person then that is one person less who has to suffer needlessly."

Clark pauses to allow everyone there to absorb that. "I do this because I can't be the person who walks on by on the other side. I don't do this because it feels good because let me warn you now even in the short time I have done this I have seen terrible things. I have seen the worse people are capable of. The fear, pain and suffering in a victim's eye when a crime happens to them...that haunts you at night. Now I can't judge you...any of you for what you did. I can't tell you how to and how not to live your lives. We all came here to learn how to use our powers to help people. This is the way I am doing it. It does not have to be your way. If you choose for it to be so make sure it is because you want to make a difference, because you want to stop one of those cries I hear. Don't choose it because you are trying to make a point."

All the girls' eyes widen slightly as Clark says that. Part of the reason they did it was because of trying to prove that girls were just as good as boys.

Clark notices the looks he is getting and says, "To answer your question yes I knew you were sneaking out every night and yes I knew why." Clark looks at the Professor. "And yes Professor I probably should have told you," he says in reply to what would have been the Professor's next question.

"Yes Clark. You should have," the Professor says sternly.

"Why didn't you Clark?" Jonathan asks his son reserving judgement of how disappointed he is at Clark until he hears the whole story..

"Because I put my foot in it just as much as Scott did. They can all look after themselves. If I told on them then it would look like I didn't truly believe that." Clark looks at the girls. "I do believe that," he tells them.

All the adults look on wanting a detailed explanation. Scott starts to give it explaining about the training session with Jean and Amara and how he put his foot in it. Jean then picks it up and how her anger and wish to prove a point translated into them becoming the Sirens. Clark adds the part where he put his foot in it. Amara's explanation is similar to Jean's as is Kitty's and Rogue's. A lot of it was trying to prove a point although Rogue doesn't quite say it was her trying to prove a point to Clark in particular.

Charles shakes his head. "Clark is correct. To do this to prove a point was to be blunt stupid. You don't need to earn anyone's respect. Each and every one of you already had it."

Logan has to say stupid was a good word. Chuck has nailed it on the head.

Now Charles gets onto the punishments. Each of the girls are grounded for two weeks with extra chores on top. Clark and Scott get a week of the same for not telling the Professor what they knew. Kurt gets a slightly less severe punishment as he did not know exactly what had been going on even when Scott dragged him into it. Kurt ends up getting a week of extra chores but no being grounded.

The students are permitted to leave after that leaving the adults behind. They have a quick discussion between them were they all agree that the punishments dished out are fair.

Charles moves onto other business. "Now how's our newest student doing?" he asks in reference to Claire.

"Well she has taken a shine to Logan," Ororo says in relation to how Logan has taken an interest in the girl and in return Ororo has noticed that Claire seems to show Logan the most respect in the short time she has been here.

Logan snorts. "You're exaggerating," he says dismissing that.

"I have to agree with Ororo," Martha says backing up her friend.

Logan shoots Martha a small glare which if she notices she doesn't give any sign that she does.

Ororo moves onto the problem of the fact that Lionel must be looking for Claire and suggests a solution might be to give the girl her own holowatch so they can change her outward appearance for any time she has to leave the safety of the mansion.

Charles nods. That sounds perfectly sensible along with for the immediate period going forward that Claire if she leaves the grounds is accompanied by someone. Two reasons for that. One for Claire's safety. Two for their own. Claire may have agreed to stay. It didn't mean she had earned their trust yet. Now Charles will not make her a prisoner so therefore having Claire escorted every time she is away from the Institute is the best compromise. Charles' hope is that this time he can succeed with Volcana where he failed with Live Wire. With Lionel no doubt becoming ever more vigilant for unusual activity the last thing he wants is a repeat of that situation.

* * *

_Author's Note: Cruel end to T's life I know but Magneto often lives by the mantra that the ends justify the means and that anything he does can be justified to ensure the survival of mutantkind. I didn't want an instant repeat of Live Wire with Volcana so I'll give her more time to settle into life at the mansion and have her moment when she chooses what path she will follow a bit later on. Next up: One more chapter continuing the aftermath of the Sirens since I decided to go with two slightly shorter chapter rather than one long chapter._


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

**At the Institute...**

A short time after their talk with the adults Rogue walks into Clark's room dressed in her less than best clothes because punishment started today and involved helping Mr Kent tend to the patch of land he was growing crops on. She finds Clark doing the same as he pulls on one of his beloved plaid shirts. "Hey," she says softly.

Clark smiles at seeing her. "Hey yourself. How's the arm?" he asks.

Rogue rubs the spot where her stitches are. "Stitches itch," is her complaint.

"Wouldn't know," Clark tells her as any injury on him heals instantly whenever he is rarely hurt.

"So ya really knew what we were up ta?" she asks him.

Clark just gives her a look.

"Right. X-ray vision and superhearing," she realises. Rogue figures now it was daft to think that with Clark's senses he wouldn't know what was going on or at the very least have an inkling that she and the other girls were up to something. "Ah guess our reasons were pretty stupid," she admits.

"Rogue I'm not going to judge you," Clark points out. "I said what I needed to down the stairs."

"Ah kinda have a confession."

Clark looks at her curiously.

"Ya see ah wasn't doing it ta prove that girls were as good as boys. Ah was doing it ta try and prove that ah didn't need ya ta protect meh," she confesses her reasons.

"Rogue...what? You don't need to do that," he assures her then realises why she might think that. "This is because of what I said wasn't it," he means in relation to his agreeing with Scott that day. "I thought you forgave me for that."

"Ah did," Rogue assures him.

"But," Clark encourages her to continue her explanation because obviously there is a 'but' coming.

"But it irked meh."

"Irked you?"

"Clark ah am not a Damsel in Distress. Ah don't need ta be rescued."

Clark is strongly having deja-vu because they have had this conversation before. "Rogue you never have to prove anything to me. I know I have an overdeveloped protective streak and I don't want to start a fight with you but I told you before that it was something you would have to live with if we were going to date."

Rogue knows he did tell her that and she is pretty sure she can live with it yet it still irks her so she is just a mass of contradictions isn't she.

Clark is not so obtuse that he can't see that this comes from Rogue's insecurities...this need to prove herself. Everyone has them even him. In fact he has a lot of them if he was going to be truthful. Clark takes a breath and chances saying something hoping she won't get upset. "Rogue it is not a weakness to admit that sometimes you need help...that you can't do something on your own."

"Ah know that but..."

"But it irks you anyway," Clark finishes for her.

Rogue shrugs. Clark shakes his head a little, moves over to her and pulls her into his arms and holds her close. "You shouldn't try to carry everything on your shoulders Rogue. That's my job," he jokes.

Rogue's lips quirk up into a smile. "Ah'm just an irrational mess aren't ah?"

"Absolutely," Clark says in joky agreement. "But I find myself liking you anyway." Clark's voice then softens. "I really do care a lot for you Rogue," he says more seriously.

Rogue's heart throbs slightly at his words. "Ah care about ya too."

"Besides," Clark starts to say. "Considering my rather split personality that red kryptonite shows up I think compared to me your issues pale into comparison."

"Ya are just saying that ta make meh feel better."

"Is it working?"

Rogue pulls back a bit, stands on her tiptoes and kisses him. "What does that tell ya?"

Clark's response is to to dip his head and kiss her back more deeply and with more passion.

* * *

Claire has spent the time since breakfast familiarising herself with the layout of the mansion mentally noting ways of escape. She spent too many years living on the streets and squatting in various places so that it has become an ingrained habit of hers. The need to know how to make a quick escape from a whole number of threats that might arise. She turns a corner and finds herself face to face with the girl she fought from last night.

Amara screeches to a halt at who is in front of her suddenly. This is slightly odd. Last night she was fighting this girl. Today they are on the same side.

The two stand there in silence unsure what to say to each other. Amara ends the stalemate by stepping to the side so she can walk round Claire. She walks...almost right into Logan.

Logan had been watching Volcana. He had to make sure that she wasn't going to try a runner. Call him paranoid if you must but he had to make sure she didn't end up running back into Luthor's hands. That would end up definitely meaning Luthor finding out about them. He had seen her wandering around mentally checking the escape points. Reminds him of something he would do. "I'm glad I caught the two of ya," he says to the two girls.

Amara's expression instantly reflects the horror of the possibilities that come to mind whenever Logan says something along those lines. Something potentially very bad was about to happen.

Logan continues. "I've decided to give Firefly there a run through with the New Mutants so get suited up princess and show her to the Danger Room. I've already had Storm get her a uniform."

Amara was so right there. Something very bad is about to happen.

"What's the Danger Room?" Claire asks either person.

Amara takes a deep breath and describes what it is in her opinion. "Hell on Earth."

* * *

Out in the vast grounds of the mansion Clark is enjoying the spring sunshine as he helps his father. Being the source of his powers means any time spent out in direct sunlight gives Clark a sort of buzz. He thinks perhaps like caffeine does in humans.

In a way Clark doesn't really see this as the punishment it is meant to be. He grew up helping his father like this. He likes doing this. He finds it relaxing and it allows him to connect with the earth.

Of course the others joining him may not think so as they attempt to clear the area of weeds the old fashioned way as his father tries to be as organic as possible and that means generally pulling the weeds out by hand and not to use chemicals to kill them.

Someone who was not enjoying this as much as Clark would be his girlfriend although he can't help but think that she looks beautiful under the sun with a little dirt smudge on her left cheek. Clark remembers during a conversation with Pete how his friend said that he couldn't quite see what it was Clark saw in Rogue. Something about her not being Clark's type whatever that means. Seriously Clark has never understood that type thing. Surely what matters is that you connect with the person you are dating and that they make you happy and you make them happy. Clark would go certainly go with Rogue makes him happy and he likes to believe he makes her happy.

In one way Clark can understand where Pete was coming from. Rogue can seem distant and cold and indifferent at first. Not to mention that temper of hers but if you are willing to spend the time working your way through Rogue's tough exterior what you find is a person who is as passionate as anyone else but afraid to let anyone too close due to the nature of her powers. Rogue is smart, funny and despite appearances cares as much as anyone else about the world around her. After all if she didn't she wouldn't be here at the institute.

As Clark thinks on it they both have something in common. They were isolated from the world around them. Her because of her powers. Him because of what he is simply. He is not like any being on this planet. He is not from this planet at all. Maybe that is why he hanged around with her when he first arrived here at the institute because he saw something in her he recognised from himself. Something he hates and doesn't want anyone else to have to go through when they don't need to.

Passionate. Did he mention that about her because she is. There is a fire there, her temper is a big give away of that. Lately as they grow closer Clark finds his thoughts drifting more and more often in the direction of wanting to know what it would feel if Rogue ever let herself unleash that fire on him. Thoughts like that have led to a few..._interesting_ dreams Clark will phrase it as.

A cough from behind catches Clark's attention. He knows it is his father and he knows he has just got caught staring at Rogue and not working. He quickly goes back to work while shifting his gaze to the ground hoping that his face is not giving any inkling about the _interesting_ thoughts his mind was about to stray into.

Jonathan eyes Clark for a minute. He is not trying to be a tyrant but Clark is here because this is his punishment. Clark is not here to gaze at Rogue although Jonathan can understand it. He was young once but when he was Clark's age Jonathan doesn't think he could have handled someone as strong willed as Rogue is. That came later...probably on the day he met Martha.

Rogue knows she is probably going to feel this almost as much as a DR session come the morning. Farm work was hard for everyone except Clark of course. In fact Rogue doesn't think she has ever seen Clark look more in place than he does here. He really is a farm boy and the smile on Clark's face only confirms it.

Oh that smile. That smile can make Rogue's heart do cartwheels when he flashes it at her. Some days she has to fight the urge to pinch herself to make sure it is not a dream that she is dating this great funny, warm, kind, gentle and smart guy.

She has a few more words she could use to describe him. Those are the ones off the top of her head. She wonders from time to time how he ended up like he did and she ended up trying to shut herself off from the world because it has occurred to her that if anyone is more isolated from the world than her than it must be Clark.

Her gaze drifts to Mr Kent and she thinks that that must be the answer. Their different upbringings. Irene, as much as Rogue loved her, always insisted on keeping her isolated and cut off from people. Only after absorbing Mystique did Rogue find out why. It was because Irene knew about Rogue's powers and what they would be so Irene was trying to prepare Rogue for the day her powers manifested.

Since Clark arrived Rogue thinks she has changed. She is more...slightly more outgoing. Clark seems to have this way of drawing her out of herself without Rogue being quite able to work out how he does it.

He can seem so laid back yet in total control. She knows because he told her that he must be in total control because of just how strong he is. Still when they are together alone making out she can feel this deep passion bubbling beneath his surface and she wonders just what it would feel like if he was ever willing to unleash it on her. After all the way he can make her feel already is just wonderful...

Rogue finds her mind drifting off into a nice daydream as she thinks back on her and Clark until a similar cough to the one Clark received gets her back to the here and now. A slight red tint adorns her cheeks as she rapidly gets back to work.

* * *

Down in the Danger Room Volcana finds herself being 'put through her paces' as Logan described it. First she would go solo so as to let everyone see what she could do and then there would be a team drill. She had been told about the training here. Volcana simply didn't expect it on her first full day here nor the rather insipid uniform she is forced to wear. The standard black and yellow New Mutant one although she had tested it by lighting up her fire and it didn't melt or seem to be affected in any way. It was curious and made her wonder just what kind of material the uniform was made from.

Volcana wonders how different this training was going to be from what she got when working for Luthor. Her answer comes when sections of the wall open up to reveal 5 turrets spread out across the room. They open up and fire at her without warning. One tags her which stings royally and she can feel her temper rising already. She summons up her fire which surrounds her hands as she runs and dodges the incoming fire until she is in a good position to throw a fireball at the closest turret which explodes much to her satisfaction. She soon manages to do the same to the other 4.

Up in the control room Storm remarks, "She's not bad."

Logan makes a grunting sound. "We'll see. Early days," he says as he flips a switch and a large turret rises from the floor.

Volcana turns her attention to it and throws a ball which has no effect. The turret's armour is too thick for her to cause enough damage. It fires at her forcing her to roll out of the way but the shot grazes her shoulder. She gives a little cry of pain and seethes. Fire literally glows in her eyes as her temper threatens to explode. She unleashes a continuous stream of fire at the turret which starts to glow red. Volcana pours it on until she melts the barrel. The turret tries to fire at her but with the barrel blocked it explodes.

Volcana bends over, her hands on her knees, and takes deep breaths. That was tiring.

Up in the control room Storm shakes her head slightly. Volcana losing her temper like that has caused the girl to overexert herself. Logan activates the next part as flying drones enter the room. Volcana tries to blast them out of the air but as Storm recognised she had overexerted herself. Volcana misses and the drones don't. They hit Volcana repeatedly until her short temper finally breaks loose and with a cry of rage she unleashes what can only be called a tsunami wave of fire in all directions. The drones incinerate.

When the fire clears Volcana is gasping for air, sweating profusely. She wobbles on the spot and then collapses. Quickly Logan and Storm have run down to the Danger Room. Upon entering they find the atmosphere still hot and oppressive. Without the need to say words Logan moves over to the girl, picks her up and hurries her off to the infirmary.

* * *

"How is she?" Logan asks Hank after the blue-furred mutant has performed his tests. He had left Storm to oversee the rest of the training session with the New Mutants.

"On it's simple exhaustion. She overdid it," Hank tells Logan.

"She lost her temper," Logan remarks.

"I see," Hank says as he can imagine how Claire ended up like she is.

"Not really. She lost her temper over something I don't even lose my temper over." Logan then describes what happened to Hank in as much detail as Logan ever goes into anything.

"If you are asking whether it is a side-effect of her powers I can't give you an answer," Hank comments at what he believes Logan is asking. He goes onto explain, "She is the first meteor mutant I've had a chance to observe. However I will note that from what Charles said your temper was once a lot worse than it is now. You learned control. In time so will she."

Logan snorts. Control? Barely did he have control of that aggressive side of him. He learned with Charles' help to channel it better. That is all.

At this point Martha enters with concern evident on her face. The first day here and the poor girl is in the infirmary already. From Hank she gets the story and an assurance that Claire will be alright. Her attention then shifts to Logan. His presence confirms what Martha has known for awhile. That under all that gruffness and tough exterior Logan is actually a caring man. "You see something of yourself in her don't you," Martha astutely comments to Logan.

Logan lets out a small growl. He hates it when anyone can read him so easily. "Luthor was trying to turn her into a weapon. I've been there and trust me it ain't pretty."

Martha had gotten the basic story of Logan about how some shady organisation grafted metal onto his bones and stole his memories so that essentially he remembers nothing from before about 15 years ago. She guesses it was what drives him so hard to protect the children so that they would never suffer like he had.

Claire's eyes flutter open and a groan escapes her lips. "What happened?" she queries and then her eyes widen as she remembers. She lost her temper again and worse everyone must have seen her lose it. She swallows a sudden lump in her throat. They probably all are afraid of her now. She sits up. "I guess I'll be going."

"Whatever do you mean Claire?" Martha asks her.

"I can't stay now can I. I mean you saw me. My temper...I can't control it. I'm dangerous."

Logan does something neither Martha or Hank have ever seen him do. He laughs. He actually laughs. "Thanks Kid. I needed a good laugh."

Claire looks at him utterly confused. "What? You find this funny?" she asks, her temper starting to rise again.

Logan shakes his head. "Firefly I had this exact conversation with Storm awhile back and she pointed out we are all dangerous and that is exactly why we are here. So you lost your temper. Kid last time I lost my temper the damages was measured by a large number with 7 digits preceded by a dollar sign."

Martha moves forward and without any show of fear places her hands on Claire's shoulders. "Claire what Logan is trying to say is that we all lose our temper from time to time."

"Yeah but when I do everything within 10 feet gets incinerated," Claire points out, with this rather sad look of resignation in her orange eyes. "You should be afraid of me."

Martha smiles kindly at her. "But I'm not Claire. I've looked people who were truly dangerous in the eye," she says in reference to the several people who tried to kill her back in Smallville. "When I look into yours I don't see that. I see a young woman looking for her place in this world like everyone else her age. Now only you can decide where that place is but no-one here wants you to leave or wants to be rid of you."

"Lionel thought my place was locked up in a glass bubble."

"Yes well Lionel Luthor is one man who pushes even my hospitality to the breaking point."

Claire runs her hand through her long red hair. "I have never had a home you know. I can't remember anything but living on the streets," she says, her sadness and loneliness all too evident in her voice.

Martha sits down on the bed next to Claire and places her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I know you haven't been here long enough to know this but many of the other students here are the same. They are orphans and runaways or have been kicked out by their parents when their powers manifested." On that point Martha just cannot understand any parent who would do that to their child. She can understand their fear and confusion but in the end her view is that a parent loves their child regardless.

Martha continues. "As I said Claire no-one will make you stay but don't make a hasty decision. Give it some time, think it over and you'll see you can find your place here."

Claire leans into the similar but slightly different coloured red-haired woman and rests her head. It has been so long since her own mother died and she had anyone who showed her this type of kindness. So long in fact Claire is almost confused as to why this woman is being so nice to her and not afraid of her. Almost everyone else who had seen her use her powers had been afraid of her and out of that fear had forced her to leave wherever she happened to be at the time.

Martha starts to gently stoke Claire's long hair. "It's alright," she tells the girl in her most soothing voice.

"Everyone else always wanted rid of me," Claire says in a tiny voice.

"Not here. No-one wants that. Almost everyone here has had accidents with their powers Claire but no-one ever thinks any less of them."

"Although expect a few ill-conceived jokes at your expense," Logan not so helpfully adds at this juncture.

Martha shoots him a look for that before turning her attention back to Claire. "Yes well apart from the jokes which are all in good humour you'll see Claire that no-one will think anything less of you. So if you can live with the jokes will you stay?"

There is a few moments of silence before Claire says in quietly, "I'll stay."

"In that case," Hank says to Claire. "May I make a suggestion that you talk to Professor Xavier. He knows many techniques that can help with your temper."

"The fur-ball's right," Logan says in agreement as Hank gives him a small glare for the 'fur-ball' crack. "You see Firefly my temper was once worse than yours and Chuck...well he helped," Logan tells her in a rare moment of him opening up.

Claire nods as her signal she agrees.

Martha gives the girl a squeeze. "There. Now that that's settled and assuming Mr McCoy has no objection why don't we see about getting you some new clothes," Martha suggests since Claire has had to borrow clothes from one of the other girls.

"How? I mean with Lionel looking for me how do I do that?"

"With this," Charles says announcing his arrival upon the scene and holding up what looks like a watch. He hands it to Martha who puts it on Claire's wrist and turns it on.

"Look," Martha says and points at the mirror on the wall.

Claire looks up and looking back at her is almost a stranger with dark hair and brown eyes. The face too is different. Slightly different nose and chin. Just enough so she doesn't look like Claire Selton any more. "H-How?"

"The device is a holowatch," Charles explains. "It projects a holographic image over your body."

"T-Thank you," Claire says what is a very rare thing for her to say. There have been so few people in her life that she has ever had to be thankful to.

"Well as you know we can't let you go out alone," Charles reminds her of the few conditions they felt were necessary to lay down.

"I'll take her," Martha volunteers herself. "I was taking Jubilee and Rahne to the Mall anyway after they finish their training session." Those two were wanting to rub their freedom into the other girls who were grounded.

Charles nods in agreement. "When you return Claire we will discuss a schedule about anger management techniques."

Claire's face frowns up in puzzlement at how the Professor knows about that.

"Telepathy," Charles answers having picked up her puzzlement.

"Oh. That's weird," Claire comments.

"Yes and you never get use to it," Martha says with a teasing overtone. She and Claire get to their feet. "So Logan. Do you wish to come along?"

Logan snorts. "Yeah right. Do I look like a masochist to you?" He then turns round and leaves shaking his head. Sure he can relate to the girl. That doesn't mean he is ever ever going to take her shopping. Behind him he can hear Martha giggling and Claire joining in.

* * *

In the kitchen Scott is looking through the cupboards for where the cookie jar has been stashed this time. He has this mean craving for a cookie after finishing his punishment with Mr Kent. He finds it just as Jean enters the kitchen as she has the same craving Scott does. He places it down on the worktop and opens the jar to find only one cookie left.

Seeing Jean look at him and the jar forlornly he does the only fair thing and breaks it in half and gives one half to Jean.

"Thanks," she says with a rosy smile.

Scott goes to the fridge and gets the milk out while Jean gets a couple of glasses. Scott pours them a glass each and they sit down at the table.

"Interesting night last night huh," Scott says.

"Yeah although a slightly painful one," Jean says back as she has a few bruises and scrapes.

"Yeah. I guess Clark was right about Lionel Luthor. He is dangerous," Scott says since by now it had gotten around the mansion that Lionel was behind that group of mutants they fought.

"Definitely," Jean says in agreement. She then sighs. "Although I guess we have ourselves to blame. We took that girl power thing a little too far and our reasons were pretty lame," she is willing to admit her mistakes. As she thinks back on everything she did as a Siren she does laugh a little. "It was a blast though," she says admitting while her reasons were bad she did enjoy it.

"A literal one," Scott says making a joke about the blast the Jeep caused. Secretly Scott just wishes he could see Lance's face when he finds out his precious Jeep is in pieces. "Look Jean I know we haven't been talking much this last week so I'll just say I am sorry for what happened down in the basement with you and Amara."

"I know you are Scott and I'm sorry too for the way I overreacted." Truth was Jean had come to realise the way she reacted had been way overboard and possibly even slightly immature. In a way she was disappointed at herself. She thought she was more mature than that. Also another thing she had realised this last week was that she simply missed doing this. Sitting and talking to Scott.

"So we are ok?" he inquiries.

"Yeah. We're ok. By the way thanks."

"For...?"

"At the warehouse Scott. I know you were following us. Thanks for letting us handle it by ourselves."

"I saw that you had it under control. Consider my lesson learned."

Jean smiles at that and in return Scott smiles back. God has he ever come to love that smile.

"So do you want to go?" Jean asks him.

"What?" Scott asks completely lost at her question.

"To the dance?" Jean clarifies since she hadn't actually asked him to go yet.

"Ok. I mean yeah. Sure. Absolutely. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Jean nibbles on her cookie beaming happily with the thought of her and Scott at the dance and in return Scott is beaming in the same way.

"It did feel good though helping all those people," Jean admits. "Maybe one day we can all do what Clark does in public and be appreciated for it," Jean expresses her wish.

"Yeah," Scott says liking that idea. He raises his glass. "To someday."

Jean raises hers back. "To someday."

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

That night Lionel is working late again. His mood was lousy and that is because months of work and not inconsiderable expense have been wrecked. His mutant team is gone. Essex's device, he was going with calling it a Genetic Manipulator, is gone and even though Essex can build another the question is can he do it and get it to work before the disease that is killing Lionel's liver and him along with it finishes the job.

Lionel's thoughts are interrupted by a knock on his door. "Come in!" he orders whoever it is.

The doors open and in walks Colonel Stryker.

Lionel stops his work and looks up at the Colonel. "So Colonel. Anything to report?"

Stryker shakes his head. "No sign of Alpha Squad if that is what you are asking. The police were called to the scene of an explosion but all they found were some remains of a Jeep and not enough was left of that to trace the owner."

"You think that they were there?"

"Hard to say until we can do our own investigation of the scene."

"And the search for the leak?" Lionel inquires after whoever it was that must be in some way involved in the theft of the Genetic Manipulator.

"We're questioning everyone who knew of the device and looking into their e-mails, telephone records, bank accounts and such but that takes time."

"Any good news?" Lionel wonders.

"One. I was able to locate the former colleague I mentioned."

"That was quick," Lionel notes with a little suspicion.

"While I have had no direct contact with him for a few years I did maintain a few indirect contacts," Stryker explains the speed of this.

Lionel leans back in his chair. "When can I meet him?"

"Right now."

Lionel looks at Stryker with understandable confusion.

"He's outside."

"Show him in," Lionel permits.

Stryker heads out of the office and returns with a man with brown hair which is greying at the sides and a moustache. He too is dressed in a semi-military brown uniform. Stryker makes the introductions. "Lionel Luthor may I introduce Bolivar Trask."

Trask gives Lionel a nod of recognition as his eyes gaze around the room making sure there is no nasty surprises. He can't be too careful considering that SHIELD would love to get its hands on him. He only agreed to this meeting at all because William assured him that Luthor was on their side and could provide him much needed resources to finish his life's work.

Lionel chooses to be the one to start the conversation. "So Mr Trask. Colonel Stryker said I should meet you because you can offer me another option."

Trask gives his once upon a time colleague a rueful look. "Yes. He explained the situation and that you buy into William's belief that you must fight fire with fire."

From Trask's tone Lionel can assume the following. "Not a phrase you agree with then."

"Not when dealing with mutants," Trask says with particular loathing on the word 'mutants'.

"And what is your philosophy when it comes to dealing with mutants?" Lionel inquires.

Trask takes the bag he has held in his hand this whole time and places it on a chair. He opens it up and pulls out a laptop and places it down on the desk. He fires the laptop up and then spins it around so the screen is facing Lionel.

Lionel leans forward and tries to take in what is on the screen in front of him. "What is this?"

"This Mr Luthor is the ultimate defence for the human race. This is Project SENTINEL."

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought this the appropriate moment to throw Trask in and the looming menace of his Sentinels. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Shadow Dance._


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

**At the Institute...**

It was getting on for 2 weeks since the Sirens incident and the school dance was approaching. For a few days after the Sirens the papers and news broadcasts had been asking what had happened to them and why had they vanished but they quickly dropped it and moved on especially once Clark's grounding ended and he could go back out. They had ended up back reporting on the Bayville Blur.

Claire had settled in a bit more although her personality was prickly and she did not make friends easily. Then there is the issue with her temper which was still liable to explode at what would seem rather minor things to other people but she was working on it with the Professor's help.

Charles himself was pleased at the fact that so far having Volcana here had not ended up anything like the Live Wire scenario. True he had had to place limitations on her considering Lionel. She really couldn't go out on her own nor go to school. He and Hank taught her here at the institute.

Hank had been for the first time able to do a proper study of a meteor mutant and had discovered the altered base pair in Claire's DNA where kryptonite had bonded to it. It opened up a whole area of new research but essentially he and the Professor had concluded that the kryptonite mutated the gene into something akin to the x-gene and that was how all the meteor mutants gained their powers.

It is early in the morning and Rogue and Kitty are dressed in their uniforms and heading to the elevator to go down to the Danger Room because Forge had thought up a new experiment he wanted to show everybody. Since it is a school day this meant that it was very early in the morning.

Kitty is finishing putting her hair in its ponytail as she yawns loudly.

"Not enough sleep," Rogue wryly observes and she knows why. "Ya and Lance were on tha phone ta 1.30 this morning. So did ya ask him?"

"To the dance? No. You know what everyone else would say."

Rogue shrugs. "So. Do it anyway."

Rogue presses the button to call the elevator.

"What about you?" Kitty asks. "Did you ask Clark?" she wonders since Rogue has never said.

"Ah asked him a couple of weeks back."

"Really?" Kitty queries sounding a little surprised that she is only hearing this now. "Let me guess. You are probably really looking forward to like the slow dances where you and Clark can be really close together."

At that the image flows into Rogue's mind of Clark in a tux with his arms around her, holding her close while her head rests on his broad chest...

The elevator doors opening bring her back to the real world. She hopes Kitty didn't notice her drifting off there. She really has to stop having these daydreams about Clark.

She and Kitty enter the elevator and they are about to leave when Jean comes running asking them to hold the elevator.

"Thanks guys," Jean says as she walks in and they start to head down. "Forgot to set my alarm," she explains as her explanation as to why she is running late.

"Why do we need to be at this anyway?" Kitty wonders. "It is just a test for Kurt."

Jean explains, "We work as a team so its important to know everything about each other's strength and weaknesses."

Rogue rolls her eyes behind Jean's back at hearing this for about the millionth time. Sheesh Jean hasn't been dating Scott that long and she is starting to sound like him.

The elevator reaches the lower levels and the 3 girls exit and head for the Danger Room.

"So...have you two picked out a dress yet?" Kitty asks the other 2 girls, her curiosity burning at her. The one exception the Professor had made to their grounding was allowing them to go and buy new dresses for the dance.

"I have this yellow one I want to wear," Jean admits. "You two?"

"Oh Rogue and I are going after school," Kitty replies. "There is this like totally awesome blue one I saw that I want to get...you know once I ask someone," she says avoiding saying she wants to asks Lance since she is unsure what Jean will say.

"Kitty it's fine if you want to ask Lance," Jean says surprising Kitty somewhat. "And no I did not read your mind," she adds to clarify what Kitty must be thinking.

"Ya are just that obvious," Rogue says teasing her friend a little bit.

When they enter the Danger Room they find the rest of the X-men there along with Forge who is making a few final adjustments to the device he has created while explaining how it worked. Rogue could see Kurt's eyes were glazed over as Forge's description goes into the kind of scientific detail that goes over Kurt's head and hers as well. She spots Clark in his uniform listening intently and wondering if he actually understands what Forge is on about. One thing Rogue had learned about Clark is that he seemed to have this thirst for knowledge. He would read books on a wide range of subjects and thanks to his superspeed could easily finish a book in minutes if he wanted to although he had told her he finds it more enjoyable if he reads at a slightly more sedate pace.

Forge finishes off his adjustments as it is summarised in simpler terms what this is about. Forge had come up with the theory that when Kurt teleported he actually travelled through another dimension. His device would slow Kurt down so they could take readings, understand how Kurt teleported and hopefully in time make it possible for Kurt to teleport anywhere beyond his current limits.

The device is fitted onto Kurt's chest along with a breathing mask since the sulphurous smoke Kurt leaves behind indicates that the atmosphere of this dimension he travels through is most likely not hospitable. Kurt also wears a helmet with a camera attached so they can record some video of it all.

Everyone stands back as Kurt gets ready to teleport to Forge's old lab at the school. Clark had been finding this all fascinating he will admit. He had only ever had a few conversations with Forge but it was plain to see that Forge was a genius. Kurt teleports and everyone sees him vanish as usual. Everyone but Clark that is as Kurt's disappearance is fractionally slower than normal allowing Clark to see the actual portal open, Kurt enter it and it then close. It essentially looked like a rip in the fabric of space.

The device does exactly what Forge said it would as Kurt finds himself travelling through a world of lava and brimstone. 5 seconds later, the time Forge had set on the device, Kurt arrives at the school. He quickly activated his communicator. "It vorked!" he reports excitedly. "Vhoa! Vhat a trip! Hang on! I'm coming home!"

Kurt then teleports back to the Danger Room. "Guys! You vill not believe vhat I saw. Talk about lakes of fire and brimstone. Definitely not a vacation spot or anyzhing but it vas just...so different...and veird and...," Kurt babbles.

"Don't worry man," Forge says as he moves to take the equipment off Kurt. "I got it all on camera so we can all see what it is like on playback."

"Yes well that can wait until after school," Charles decides noticing the time. "Now the rest of you need to go and get changed," he informs the students.

* * *

**At Bayville High..**.

School falls into its usual pattern. In most part the Brotherhood still ignore them as if they were told to. Except for Lance around Kitty and Tabby who was trying to keep her friendship going with Amara despite the looks of non-approval she got from Alicia. The blonde-haired teleporter was really starting to give Tabby the creeps as Alicia seemed to sink more and more into Mystique's mould.

At lunchtime many of the X-Men are sitting outside since it is a nice day. The usual gossiping starts as Kitty reports back that she asked Lance to the dance and he said yes. It had left her with a giddy happy smile plastered to her face.

Joining her in this is Kurt as Amanda asked him to the dance. "Can you believe she asked me? She actually asked me!" he exclaims in a sort of dreamy happy mood as he sits at a table with Evan and Scott.

"Yes we know Kurt," Scott groans. "You've been telling us for the last 10 minutes."

At the next table Clark shakes his head slightly but with a smile. It was heartening to see his friend so happy.

"Ah thought those two would nevah get together," Rogue comments from her position sitting next to Clark.

Clark will admit the Kurt/Amanda saga had dragged on longer than him and Rogue and was in danger of pushing the him and Lana saga close for its longevity.

Back at Kurt's table he has moved onto wondering what it is he is suppose to wear and making the point the Professor will therefore have to reprogram his holowatch accordingly.

"That's right bro," Evan says and then a thought occurs to him. "But what about your hands? She's going to feel 2 large furry fingers."

"Oh man!" Kurt says as he raises his head to his hand. "Zhat's right!" The holowatch only projects an image. If you were to actually touch Kurt you would feel the fur underneath. "Vhat am I going to do?" he exclaims. "I'm going to have to call zhis off," he suddenly realises. "Vhat was I thinking?"

"Whoa, whoa Kurt. Calm down," Scott says to his friend before Kurt gets too worked up. "Just wear gloves," Scott suggests. "She'll never know."

"Gloves? Von't she zhink zhat's kind of veird?" Kurt points out.

"Just make up some excuse like you've got a rash or something," Scott tells Kurt. "It's like whenever someone hassles me about my shades I say I have an eye condition and they buy it."

"Do you zhink zhat vould really vork?" Kurt asks hopefully.

"What would work?" Jean asks as she arrives and sits down beside Scott.

* * *

**At the Bayville Mall...**

Later that day after school Martha and Ororo had taken on the role of taking Kitty and Rogue to the mall for their dresses.

Kitty quickly finds the blue one she had spotted before while Rogue struggles to find the right thing to wear. She just knew she should never have left this till the last minute.

Martha can see Rogue is struggling. "What's the matter Rogue?" she asks in that kind voice of hers.

Rogue sighs. "Ah'm just not sure what ta get. Ah mean it's alright that Clark touches meh but no-one else can," she says expressing her fear. She needs to get a dress that offers enough protection so that anyone else who might accidentally bump into her won't end up in a near coma yet she wants to look as nice as possible for Clark.

It always made Martha feel sad every time something comes up that reminds Rogue of the restrictions her powers place on her. Martha places a hand on Rogue's clothed shoulder. "Firstly Rogue one day I'm sure you'll find a way to control your powers."

"Ya really think so?" Rogue asks hopefully.

"Of course," Martha says without hesitation to reassure Rogue. "Secondly I'm also certain we'll find something suitable for you. We wouldn't want to disappoint Clark. He has been really looking forward to this."

"He has?" Rogue queries a little sceptical because while Clark said he wanted to take her he hasn't looked or sounded overly enthused.

"Clark takes after Jonathan in being understated," Martha explains. "As his mother I can read him like a book so trust me when I say there is nothing on this earth that Clark wants more than to take you to this dance."

Rogue does trust Mrs Kent. Both of Clark's parents were really nice people and well everyone seemed to like them even the newest arrival amongst them, Volcana, who is about as prickly with people as Rogue herself is, seemed to like Mrs Kent at the very least. Rogue had seen Volcana sitting and talking to Mrs Kent more than just about anyone else apart from Logan maybe. Rogue did not quite get it. Mrs Kent was really easy to talk to so that made sense. Logan was not so Rogue was kind of at a loss what it was that made Claire and Logan form a connection.

Back on the issue at hand. It takes a little time but with Mrs Kent's help Rogue picks what she hopes will be the perfect dress for the dance. Now all she can't wait for is to see Clark's reaction when he sees her in it.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Meanwhile at the mansion the rest of the gang are in the Danger Room watching the footage from Kurt's trip which included what Logan had spotted earlier. This happened as the Professor and Forge were going over sensor data and Logan watched the footage. The Professor had been making a comment about the possibility of organic molecules being present when Logan spotted the silhouette of some kind of creature.

"Are zhose teeth?" Kurt asks with real concern at the fact he teleports through a dimension with creatures with what appears to be really really sharp teeth. His concern only grows when Forge wants him to take another trip. "Vhat!" Kurt exclaims. "You vant me to go back in zhere? Vith zhat? No vay!"

"So there's a few critters," Logan says a little too easily. "Big deal." He places his arm across Kurt's shoulders. "Look. I'll go with ya elf. Just in case."

It takes a little more persuasion on Forge's part but eventually Kurt agrees to another slower trip. A 30 second one this time. Kurt and Logan are hooked together with a line as both are fitted with breathing masks. They aim for the school gym this time as it will be empty before the dance starts and Kurt wanted to see the decorations early.

Kurt then teleports the two of them away and again Clark sees the portal open only it seems to take longer this time to close afterwards than last time. It leaves Clark with that funny feeling something is about to go all screwy as Chloe might phrase it. Clark knows this situation is different but the feeling he is getting is similar to ones in the past when Lionel or someone tried to mess about with the meteor infected's powers. "You sure this is safe Forge?" Clark asks the native American teen.

Forge turns his attention towards Clark. He had never had that many talks with the tall teen but whenever they did Clark always had clever pertinent questions about whatever science topic they were on. It made Forge think that if Clark wanted to he could be a scientist one day. "What could happen?" Forge asks. He can't think of anything short of Kurt's portal perhaps not closing properly but the odds of that happening were tiny.

30 seconds later Logan and Kurt appear at the gym a little worse for wear evidenced by the tears in Logan's suit and the fact his skin is just finishing healing over. The creatures who Forge claimed had never noticed Kurt before definitely noticed the two of them this time and had attacked them most likely to eat them. Logan knew predators and these creatures were predators. They were some kind of bi-pedal lizards about the size of a man with a fin on their back and really really sharp teeth and claws.

Kurt throws the equipment off as fast as he can. "To heck vith zhis! No more teleporting ever again! No vay! Creatures! Claws! Teeth! Who needs it!"

Logan lets out a sigh although he can't blame the elf for his reaction. He activates his communicator. "You better come pick us up Charles. There's not going to be a return trip this time."

Everyone back at the mansion hears this and gives Forge a look. Clark even goes as far as crossing his arms across his chest in that intimidating pose of his. "Ok so maybe something bad could happen," Forge concedes.

On the way back in the van the Professor assures Kurt that this is it as far as the experiments go and Kurt won't have to do it again. The idea of teleporting now when he knows what is in that dimension was giving Kurt nightmares. He isn't sure he could bring himself to teleport ever again.

* * *

**At the Bayville Boarding House...**

"So let me get this straight," Alicia says to her room-mate as she watches Tabby get ready for the dance. "You are taking both Toad and Blob as your dates?"

"I would have taken Lance too but he is more interested in his pretty-kitty," Tabby jokes back although around Alicia it is a bit of a forced joke. The girl seriously worried Tabby. So much so that when it became clear Alicia wasn't going to go to something as 'trivial', as Alicia called it, as the school dance Tabby saw an excuse to get away out of the house for the evening. As for Pietro last Tabby heard he was planning to take at least 4 girls as his dates.

Alicia's eyes narrow slightly and she looks...well like a stroppy teenager in a huff.

A loud coughing grabs the two girls attentions and at the door are Blob in a ill-fitting brown suit and Toad in a equally ill-fitting light blue one.

"Madame," Toad says in a terrible fake French accent. "Your carriage awaits."

Tabby finishes putting on her red lip stick and loops her arms with one each of Toad's and Blob's. "Don't wait up Alicia!" Tabby teases as the 3 head off causing Alicia to almost gag at that visual.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Clark along with Kurt, Evan and Scott were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the girls so they could leave. There were joined by the others who either weren't going or didn't have dates. The girls there were taking a few moments to enjoy the sight of the boys all dressed to the nines and looking good.

Clark is fiddling with his collar. He hated these things. Give him a plain old plaid shirt any day of the week.

"Clark," his mother reprimands him before he ruins it. He looks so handsome and she is not having Clark ruin it until she at least has a dozen pictures of him.

Clark stops fiddling and shoves his hands in his pockets instead.

Kurt is fiddling with the gloves he had to put on due to his furry hands. He was meeting Amanda at the school.

"Relax Kurt," Scott tells him.

"If only I could," Kurt wishes. He is obviously nervous. "But zhis is my first dance...zhis is my first date!"

"I just hope it goes better than my last dance," Clark absent mindedly mentions.

"Oh right. The tornado thing," Evan remembers Clark mentioning how the town was hit by a series of tornadoes. Evan was meeting his date, a girl from his class, at the school as well.

"That and afterwards the girl I took said we should only be friends," he says in reference to Chloe and what she said. Stabbing him with kryptonite would have been kinder.

"Ouch," Kurt winces in sympathy for his friend because that was like the worse thing anyone could ever say.

"Ok boys!" Kitty's voice announces her arrival dressed in her light blue spaghetti-strap gown that went down just past her knees. Her chestnut brown hair was tied up in a bun making her look extremely pretty. "I hope you're ready!"

All eyes turn to the stairs as Jean makes her way down dressed in her slim, strapless yellow dress that ended mid-thigh. Her hair was down and flowing freely down her back. Around her neck was the pendant Scott had gotten her for Christmas with the image of the phoenix on it that she loves so much.

Scott's jaw drops and his brain loses all power to form coherent sentences. His reaction makes Jean smile as she walks over to him and habitually straightens his tie out. "Now you look perfect," she says softly and he does look amazing as Jean take a moment to look him over.

"Wow...Jean...you look so...beautiful," Scott says in awe of her beauty. A faint blush comes to Jean's cheeks at the compliment.

"Come on Rogue!" Kitty encourages her oddly shy at this moment friend as she waves at Rogue to come forward into view.

Rogue steps forward and Clark's jaw hangs as loosely as Scott's had done a few minutes earlier. Rogue is dressed in this ankle length emerald green slim dress that hangs on her natural curves in just the right way with her hair in shimmery waves which hint at the natural curliness. She is also wearing matching long gloves which cover her whole arms.

Rogue carefully makes her way down the stairs as she is not use to wearing heels. "So Clark what do ya think?" she asks him with a slight nervousness in his tone.

Clark just looks at her and blinks for what seems like an eternity. His brain has simply ceased to function. He has been to a dance before and Chloe looked pretty in her pink dress and he always thought Lana was beautiful except for right now where those two people don't exist and all he can do is stare at the vision in front of him.

"I think you broke him Rogue!" Jubilee shouts from the sidelines with a giggle.

Clark's brain fires up a bit but the ability to form any coherent sentences still escapes him or at least any sentence in English. What comes from his lips is mostly incomprehensible.

"What did ya say?" Rogue asks.

"It included somezhing about God...I zhink," Kurt says since he heard the word 'Rao' in there which he knows to mean God in Kryptonian.

Clark's brain finally fires up on all cylinders as he realises just what he did. "Um sorry," he apologies. "That was Kryptonian," he explains.

"What did it like mean?" Kitty inquires as she makes her way down the stairs.

Clark scratches his head. "Actually there is no direct translation. The closest would be 'Glory be to the Creator for sending this...angel."

Rogue blushes fiercely. She is still getting use to anyone complimenting her on her looks and for Clark to compare her to an angel of all things. It made her feel good about herself in a way she has rarely ever felt. As for Clark...damn did he ever look good in a suit. Better than Rogue even imagined he would look.

Kitty giggles at the scene. "You know you're doing something right when your boyfriend loses the ability to speak English."

"You look...incredible Rogue," Clark says as a more direct compliment.

Rogue smiles. "Ya don't look so bad yourself sugah," she says back with a hint of sassiness.

The sound of clapping gets everyone's attention as Martha steps forward. "Alright. Everyone gather around," she says motioning with her hands where they are to stand.

Clark spots his father holding a camera. "Oh geez mom, dad. Really?" he asks slightly embarrassed.

Martha gives him her gentle but firm look that says 'Yes. Really.' Clark knows a lost cause when he sees one and that look is a lost cause.

The group gather together as Jonathan takes a few pictures. He knows Martha will be treasuring these for a long time as they all looked so good dressed up as they are.

As soon as the pictures are taken they head off to the dance. As they walk into the school Kurt spots Amanda who is wearing a mid-length, slim, over-one-shoulder-style black gown with her hair in long, elegant braids.

"Vow Amanda," Kurt says in wonder at how amazing she looks. "You look...wunderbar...I mean vonderful," he quickly is forced to correct himself.

Amanda smiles shyly. "T-Thank you Kurt and you look...sehr schön," she says back in what she figures is probably pretty awful German for 'very handsome' but she wanted to make the effort.

Kurt smiles broadly and is touched by Amanda's attempt at German. He offer his arm to her and she laces her arm around his elbow and he leads her into the school.

Behind them Kitty whispers to the others "I guess Clark isn't the only one with language issues tonight," she teases in a very light-hearted manner as they all follow Kurt and Amanda inside.

Half an hour later and the dance is in full swing. Kitty had found Lance and the two of were dancing away. Evan was dancing with his date. Tabby had arrived with Toad and Blob and was currently just starting her attempt to dance them off the floor. Pietro had arrived with the advertised 4 girls, 2 on each arm.

A slow dance comes on.

"Sorry about the gloves," Kurt apologises to Amanda as they slow-dance together. To Kurt this was as wonderful as it was terrifying. One small slip and Amanda would feel the fur that covers his body and probably end up screaming in terror and running away or at least that is the image his over-active imagination has conjured up. He continues "I feel like such a dork getting a rash zhe day of zhe dance," he repeats his explanation to Amanda. "Err...must be my nerves."

Amanda looks at him with soft understanding. "I think they make you look handsome and debonair."

"Really?" Kurt asks with real surprise. "You don't zhink zhey make me look like a butler or somezhing?"

Amanda laughs. Kurt's sense of humour was one of the main things she liked so much about him. "No. I'm glad you came with me."

Kurt smiles. "I'm glad you asked."

Amanda looks down at this point unable to have eye contact with Kurt as she speaks. "Kurt. I have to confess something. I know about you...that you don't always look like this." She looks up into his face in the hope he can see what she means.

Kurt almost freezes in utter terror at the possibility that Amanda might know while his brain tries to think fast of something to say back. He tries to laugh it off. "Yeah. I know. Zhis is vone of my good days. You should see me in zhe mornings."

Amanda decides not to let him off the hook. "You know what I mean. The real you...that you hide. Ever since I found out I can't stop thinking about you." Amanda raises her hands and places them on Kurt's cheeks.

Kurt takes her by her wrists and gently pulls her hands away as he tries to avoid having a panic attack. "Amanda I'm not sure vhat you're talking about. I'm-I'm vhat you see. Zhat's all," he flat out lies.

"Ok Kurt," Amanda concedes seeing he won't admit it right now. "I can wait until you're ready to show me." She then moves her head and leans it on his shoulder.

Kurt, meanwhile is just trying to wrap his head around this. 'She knows about me?' he thinks to himself as the realisation dawns on him. 'And she isn't freaked out,' he happily also realises. 'But does that mean she knows about the others?" he has to ask himself because that is not good. Calming his thoughts Kurt decides to just enjoy dancing with the girl he adored and figure out what to do tomorrow.

Normally Kurt's and Amanda's conversation would have been picked up by the boy with the superhearing but his whole attention was too wrapped up in dancing close to his girlfriend. He had his hands gently placed on her hips while she had her arms wreathed around his neck as they danced to the music.

Clark looked down into Rogue's eyes as they danced mesmerised by the beautiful creature in his arms. Physically compared to him she was fragile. All humans were. He could break them so easily but in spirit Rogue was so strong. Far stronger than she gave herself credit for and she had so much fire in her core and the more he was around that fire the stronger his feelings for her were becoming.

In his head Clark compares to what he was feeling for Rogue for what he felt for other girls he had had feelings for. He had treaded water in having feelings for Chloe but she had crushed those after the Spring Formal before they developed into anything. There was Kyla Willowbrook. Poor passionate Kyla who could shape-shift into a wolf and allowed her wish to protect the caves to become an obsession that went way too far. Clark had definitely been attracted to her but with her death it was something once again that never had time to see where it could have led.

That only leaves Lana. The girl next door which is part of what Clark found attractive in her. She was the normal, albeit beautiful, girl next door. Emphasis here would be on the normal part as Clark had tried to force himself to fit Lana's world because he wanted normal. The thing is that what he feels for Rogue right here and right now is stronger than what he felt for Lana. He finds he thinks about Rogue all the time. Her smile, her glittering green eyes especially when she is up to something mischievous. Clark has a hard time imagining what his life would now be without her in it.

The realisation strikes Clark like a thunderbolt. 'I'm falling in love with Rogue!'

As for Rogue she had to admit to be genuinely surprised at how graceful Clark could be as they dance. Not that she is trying to denigrate her boyfriend here but Clark is a big guy so gracefulness is probably not the first thought you have when you look at him. Rogue rests her head on his chest and smiles when Clark wraps his arms around her as she listens to the slow constant rhythm of his heart.

Sometimes this almost seemed like a dream. She can almost imagine she is a normal girl here dancing with the boy she really really liked. The kind gentle guy who she seems to spend a lot of time thinking about. When he is out doing his heroics she misses him. She misses his smile that shows up his dimples. She misses the little spark in his blue eyes when he teases her. She loves that he can always make her smile and indeed seems to spend time coming up with ways to do so. Rogue would now have a hard time imagining what her life would be like without him. She feels something around him she has never felt before. Something so much stronger than those crushes she had on Cody and on Scott.

The realisation strikes Rogue like a thunderbolt. 'Ah'm fallin' in love with Clark!'

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Up in the control room for the Danger Room Logan is just packing up the last of the equipment that was used for Forge's experiment with Kurt's powers. The Professor and Forge are there also. Charles is reading over the last bits of data from the experiment while Forge is helping pack up the equipment. In a way it was fascinating that the data showed that this dimension Kurt teleported too was actually capable of supporting life. However it was obviously too dangerous to continue the experiments.

Despite the Professor deciding that for now there would be no more experiments Forge is saying how he isn't ready to give up and there must be a way to get around the creatures and help Kurt use his powers to teleport anywhere.

Charles tries to dissuade Forge gently so as not to hurt the young man's feelings. "We appreciate your help Forge but for now we need to let Kurt recover. I just hope we haven't impaired his ability to teleport permanently."

Logan is strapping up a large storage case as he adds "The way the elf was talking I think it will be a long time before he is ready again."

Unseen behind Logan's back a strange orange light appears down in the Danger Room in the shape of what appears to be a tear in space. Forge notices it. "What's going on down there?" he wonders as he moves over to the glass window to get a closer look.

What is going on is a dimensional portal opening and several of the lizard creature from Kurt's teleporting dimension walk through.

"So the odds were pretty slim huh?" Logan says gruffly reminding Forge of his reply when Logan asked him if those creature could follow them back.

"I think I might need to recalculate them," Forge concedes.

"Forge," Charles says with much haste. "Can they be sent back?"

Forge's mind works through the possibilities quickly and he comes to an answer. "My Middleverse generator! I can adjust it to send them back and close the portals at the same time!"

"Then go do it quickly!" Charles tells him and Forge hurriedly runs to the lab where the device is stored.

Meanwhile the lizards are trying to get out of the Danger Room. Logan extends his claws and snarls. "Someone is going to have to keep them busy so they can't get out," he points out and when he says someone he means himself. Logan slashes at the glass shattering it and with a primal roar dives out of the control room and right on top of the group of lizards.

* * *

**At Bayville High...**

Back at the dance Rogue had decided to take a break after a few dances and Clark was getting her a glass of punch from the refreshment table. She was just standing off to the side while her mind was still trying to work through its revelation about her feelings for Clark. Jean who also is taking a break comes to stand next to her.

"You and Clark look like you're having a good time," Jean comments.

Rogue looks at the red-head who once upon a time she was kind of bitter and jealous at. It had originally seemed to Rogue when she first arrived that Jean seemed to have it all and could get anything she wanted with almost a snap of her fingers. Jean had the boyfriend, the accolades of being a top student and soccer player and Scott's undivided attention while Rogue had her powers and isolation and misery.

Now, however, Rogue's feelings were different since she herself was different. She had Clark for starters. "Ah guess we are," she says in reply to Jean. "Where's Scott?"

Jean points at Scott talking to their friend Paul. "Over there."

"Ya two having a good tahme?" Rogue asks back in what must be Clark's politeness rubbing off on her.

Jean's smiles brightly as she recalls every second of the night so far especially the slow dances where Scott holds her close. "Yes. We really are."

"Ah don't think Duncan is enjoying it as much," Rogue points out as she gestures at Jean's ex-boyfriend standing off across the gym with a sour looking expression which he had had all night having to watch Jean and Scott.

Jean actually snorts. "He had his chance. He blew it. His loss," she says somewhat callously but really considering Duncan cheated on her and taking into account what she could really do to him if she wanted to be truly malicious a callous attitude is not all that much.

Duncan was not the only one with a sour look. Jean's friend Taryn wasn't looking all that happy either. Rogue thinks she heard Kitty say that she overheard someone or other saying that Taryn had wanted to ask Scott to this. Rogue thinks that is what Kitty said anyway. Sometimes Kitty babbles on so much Rogue has learned to tune her room-mate out so he doesn't always catch everything Kitty says.

On the plus side Rogue is secretly smirking inwardly at the fact the bane of her existence, the 3 blond bimbos Tempest, Tyler and Carly, can only watch on green with envy as she dances with the most handsome guy here. In fact when she spots them looking at her she makes that inward smirk and outward smirk. For once Rogue has to think it is good to be her.

Clark meanwhile is just getting Rogue's glass of punch when a brunette girl he doesn't think he has ever seen before moves next to him. While he doesn't know her face Clark comes to realise that he can recognise the rhythm of the beating of her heart which doesn't change no matter what face she takes on and therefore he does know who this is. "Why are you here Mystique?"

The girl, Mystique, gawps at him for a second. 'How in the hell does he do that?' Mystique asks herself.

"Why are you here?" Clark repeats himself sounding impatient and annoyed frankly. If Mystique ruins this night for Rogue Clark is going to get angry and Mystique won't like him when he is angry.

"None of your business," Mystique bluntly tells him because it is a personal thing for her. She wanted to see her children dressed up. Kurt looks so handsome and Rogue beautiful and as usual because of what has transpired with them the only way Mystique gets to see them on a night like this is to disguise herself and sneak in.

"If you are here to cause trouble then that is my business," Clark argues back while fixing her a steely hard look.

"Trust me when I say Mr Kent the day I want to cause you trouble you won't have to ask if I'm doing it or not and believe you me that day is coming," she warns him.

"This is about Alicia isn't it," Clark supposes.

"You hurt her," Mystique virtually hisses out in anger.

"She drugged me," Clark says back almost as angry.

"You'll pay," Mystique promises.

"Vengeance solves nothing."

"In my experience vengeance can solve a lot of things."

"And do you think Kurt will ever forgive you for trying to hurt his friend."

The anger fades in Mystique as Clark's words cut home. Some part of her can't give up the hope that one day she can reconcile with Kurt. He is her son after all.

"Mystique," Clark says his voice a little softer. "You can still have a relationship with Kurt. Just give up Magneto's agenda."

"It's too late. I've gone too far down this path. There is no going back," Mystique says with what sounds like genuine regret.

"I don't believe it is ever too late."

Mystique shakes her head sadly. "You are utterly naïve."

"That's one opinion."

Mystique shoos him away not wanting to continue having this debate. "Go. Make sure Rogue has a good time and I promise that tonight won't be the night I cause trouble."

Clark's brow furrows slightly in puzzlement. He could swear that Mystique seems to actually care that Rogue has a good time tonight. However it is not like he can do anything to her. How would he explain that? She looks just like any other student. Only his hearing allowed him to know who she is. Since there is nothing he can do Clark simply takes Rogue's punch and goes back over to his girlfriend.

Mystique watches him all the way until he hands the glass over and Mystique then watches in astonishment as in return Rogue plants a kiss on his cheek and nothing happens. Rogue's powers don't work on him Mystique comes to realise in that moment which just adds another layer of mystery as to just what exactly Clark Kent is.

Rogue can tell something is bothering Clark upon his return. "What's wrong?" she asks him.

Clark looks at her and decides that he doesn't want anything to spoil her evening. "Ask me tomorrow," he says in reply.

Rogue looks at him oddly but decides to let it slide because she has this strange feeling that if she asks her evening will be ruined and she doesn't want that.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

A little worse for wear...again Logan watches as Forge uses his modified Middleverse generator to zap the last of the creatures back to where they came from. He retracts his claws and allows his healing factor a moment or two to heal his injuries. "Do ya mind explaining what just happened?" Logan asks Forge.

"Well in theory my device causing Kurt to slow down could have placed a greater strain on the fabric of space-time meaning that his portals did not close fully behind him and allowing these creatures to essentially push their way into our reality," Forge explains.

By now Hank has joined the Professor down in the Danger Room with Logan and Forge. His eyes widen in horror as Forge's words sink in. "Didn't Kurt use his powers at the school?"

"Uh oh," Forge says as he realises what is about to happen.

"Just great," Logan says gruffly. "Everyone there is about to become an all you can eat buffet." Logan turns to leave but not before grabbing Forge by the back of his shirt and dragging the teen along with him. "Come on genius. We have a party to crash."

* * *

**At Bayville High...**

Blob and Toad are in the corridor outside the girls' bathroom waiting for Tabby. Toad was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall while Blob was leaning up against it breathing hard. "I can't dance anymore," Fred tells Toad utterly exhausted by dancing with Tabby.

"Me neither," Toad says in agreement wondering where Tabby gets all this energy. Mystique's work-out sessions were almost not as tiring as this and the worse thing is "She's just getting warmed up!"

A strange growling noise catches the two teens attentions and wandering round the corner comes a bizarre looking lizard. It had pushed through a portal in Forge's old lab and made its way up.

Toad lets out a girlishly scream. "What the heck is that?"

Blob starts taking a few steps back away from the creature. "I'm not sure I want to find out!"

Tabby exits the bathroom at this point eager to get back to dancing since she was determined to enjoy every second out of the Boarding House as much as possible. She exits to find Blob and Toad seemingly backing away from her. "Hey!" she protests. "I don't look that bad!"

"B...B-but...but t-there's..." Toad stammers out totally unable to form sentences so he just points behind her.

Tabby turns round and lets out a gasp at what she is confronted by just before the creature leaps at her.

In the gym Lance is enjoying his evening a lot since he gets to spend it with Kitty. Nice change from living in the Boarding House under Mystique's thumb and Kitty looked incredible. To him she was the most beautiful one here. "See being with me hasn't been so bad has it?" he says to Kitty.

Kitty smiles. It has been really good actually but before she can tell him that this weird energy like tear opens up between them. "Lance? Is that...?"

"It's not me! I swear!"

The tear becomes a portal and several of the creatures from Kurt's teleporting dimension leap out and into the gym.

In seconds the gym is filled with screaming teens all racing to get out of the gym. One of the creatures leaps at Kitty but she phases and it goes right through her.

Screams catch Jean and Scott's attention as they see their friends Paul and Taryn cornered by a couple of creatures. Paul is trying to shield Taryn and when they look away from what they believe is their impending doom Scott and Jean take it as their moment to act. Scott lifts his shades up and blasts one creature pushing it away while Jean telekinetically lifts the other and throws it across the gym. Thankfully everyone else is too busy running for it to notice what they did.

"You guys!" Scott shouts at them. "Run!" he orders which is what they do.

Another creature closes in on Duncan and his friends. Clark sees this and knows he is so going to regret this in the morning but he zips over at almost superhuman speed and grabs the creature by its tail. He puts on a show of struggling to hold it back. "Duncan! Go! Get out of here!"

Duncan and co don't need telling twice and they make a dash for it. With no-one now looking at him directly Clark swings the creature round before throwing it into another one managing to knock them both out. It didn't take much guessing on his part that these were the same creatures Kurt described that tried to eat him when he teleported earlier in Forge's experiment.

The creature that tried to get Kitty is back on its feet and trying for round 2 only this time it finds its way blocked by Lance shaking the earth and raising up the floor as a barrier.

Another creature chooses to focus on eating Evan who forms a bone spike as it tries to slam its jaws on him but Evan uses his spike to jam the creature's jaw open. The next thing he knows is a blur in front of him, a gust of wind and Clark appearing just as the creature is sent flying by what Evan assumes is Clark's fist from the fact that Clark's fist has taken the creature's place. The creature lies on the ground and doesn't move. "Thanks man," Evan says gratefully.

"No problem," Clark says in return.

"Where's Rogue?" Evan asks.

"She was helping people get out," Clark reports of what he last saw Rogue doing.

Across the gym at the exact same moment Clark is helping Evan Kurt and Amanda find themselves cornered as a creature advances on them.

"Kurt, get us out of here!" Amanda cries in fear.

"How?" Kurt exclaims. "Ve're trapped."

"Make us disappear! Hurry! I've seen you do it!" Amanda's voice becomes desperate with fear as she adds "Please!"

Images of fire and lava fills Kurt's mind as the very thought of teleporting still fills him with terror but as the creature makes a lunge at them and Amanda screams in terror new determination flows through Kurt. These creatures will not hurt her...ever!

**Bamf!**

Kurt and Amanda vanish in a blue smoke and the smell of brimstone just as the creature leaps on top of where they were standing. They reappear in one of the school hallways.

"Wow!" Amanda murmurs. "That was amazing!"

"Ve obviously have a lot to talk about," Kurt says now knowing for certain that Amanda knows about him. "But first lets get you out of here. Come on!" The two then head for the nearest fire escape.

Outside the school Logan and Forge arrive in the x-van to be met with screaming students making a run for it including Pietro and his 4 dates. The two run inside and make their way to the gym where the only ones left are the X-Men who have either knocked the creatures unconscious or have them corralled in a corner with Jean holding them in. With a few blasts from his modified device Forge soon has them sent back to where they came from.

They all look at Forge waiting for an explanation. "Sorry. My fault," he apologises. "My equipment prevented Kurt's portals from closing behind him fully. They appeared in the Danger Room first but we managed to keep them contained until I could rig this up. It not only sends them back but closes up the portals as well."

"That's good," Scott says.

"Is that all of them?" Forge asks.

"No," Clark says and everyone looks at him to see him standing there with his eyes shut listening. "There are two more. One outside the girls' bathroom and one..." His eyes shoot open. "Rogue!" he shouts out before he is gone in a gust of wind.

"I hate it when he does that," Logan mutters to himself. "Come on!" he tells the others and they all run out of the gym to find the last 2 creatures.

Rogue had been helping make sure everyone got out safely when she hears some screams. She hitches up her dress slightly, kicks her heels off and runs barefoot towards them to find a couple of students cornered in a hallway by one of the creatures. She pulls one of her gloves off and hopes her powers will work on this thing. "Hey Ugly!" she yells to get its attention. Her plan works as the creature turns its attention to her and the two students run off. "Look fresh meat. Nice and tasty. Come and get some of this!" she continues to taunt it.

The creature stalks forward towards Rogue readying itself to pounce while Rogue braces herself for what is about to happen when she touches it. If her powers do work she has to be careful not to absorb too much of its mind or she risks ending up being as much an animal as it is.

The creature is about to make its attack when it is hit by a stream of foam. Rogue turns her head to find a brunette girl she doesn't thinks she has ever seen before firing off a fire extinguisher.

The girl, Mystique still in disguise, had seen what Rogue was about to do. 'What was she thinking?' Mystique thinks incredulously to herself. Who knows what would have happened to Rogue if she had touched that creature and Mystique couldn't allow that to happen to Rogue. When the extinguisher is exhausted she throws it at the creature before grabbing Rogue by her still covered other arm and yanking her as they make a run for it.

The creature pursues and Rogue can almost literally feel its breath down the back of her neck. It leaps, Rogue yelps in fear just as a gust of wind blows her hair about. She turns her head to see the back of her boyfriend who super sped in the way just in the nick of time. Rogue stops and turns around to see the creature has bitten down on Clark's arm as he effortless holds it back.

Clark takes his other hand and grabs the creature by the back of its neck and lifts it off his arm and the ground as one would a kitten. It growls and flails its limbs around uselessly against its invulnerable restrainer. Clark turns his head and gives Rogue a quick appraisal for injuries. "You alright?" he asks her with soft concern in his blue eyes.

Rogue nods before looking for the other girl to see just how much she saw and how much damage is done with regards to their secret. However the other girl is gone. "Hey. Where did she go?"

Clark looks where Rogue is looking and frowns for a second. Mystique had made her typical departure. He'll tell Rogue everything tomorrow like he promised. As for right now they have to deal with Clark's new friend here.

Clark keeps a firm grip on it as he and Rogue go to find Forge and the others. They find them dealing with the creature that Blob, Toad and Tabby ran across. They had managed to subdue it and Blob is now sitting on it before letting it up so Forge can zap it which he does.

"You planning on keeping that as a pet Clark?" Evan asks him upon spotting him.

Clark makes his expression deliberately thoughtful. "Well. I don't know. Maybe. What do you think Rogue? Fancy a pet?" he says with a deliberate smirk.

Rogue arches one of her eyebrows and places her hands on her hips which Clark reads as a definite 'No!'.

Forge zaps the creature out of Clark's hand before they all make their way down to his lab to make sure the portal down there is closed. After that is done they all make a hasty exit before the police show up and start asking awkward questions.

* * *

Amanda and Kurt are walking through the streets away from the school. Kurt realised he needed to find out what Amanda knew and how she knew it. "So how did you know...about me?" he asks her.

"A few months ago I saw you arguing with Rogue in the hallway at school. I already liked you then," Amanda admits with a slight blush to her cheeks. "But I'm not sure you even knew who I was. Anyways when you suddenly changed into...into something else and then disappeared I couldn't believe it."

Kurt's mind thinks back. He remembers that. It was when Rogue had that nightmare about him formed from memories of his mother's mind. They had ended up having a big argument and he shut off his image inducer to make a point and then teleported out in a temper. It hadn't even occurred to him that someone might have seen him.

Amanda continues. "At first I thought it must have been some sort of trick or something." She comes to a halt and so does Kurt. "But I couldn't stop thinking about it and I just had to get to know you. I haven't told anyone else. I mean who would believe me."

"I-I don't know vhat to say," Kurt says utterly lost for words.

Amanda looks at him with this caring expression. "Will you show me?" she requests. "Please. Like I saw you that day."

Kurt sighs sadly and cautions her, "Amanda. You von't like vhat you see up close."

"Let me decide that," she tells him.

Kurt takes a deep breath. "Alright. Brace yourself," he warns her. "Here goes." He reaches for his holowatch and switches it off.

The illusion of Kurt's appearance fizzles out to reveal his blue fuzzy self dressed in his suit. He turns his head slightly unable to bring himself to look into Amanda's face and see her reaction to his appearance.

Amanda lightly gasps at first before smiling, walking up to him and bringing her hand to his face to turn it to look at her directly. "Did you know blue is my favourite colour?"

A smile threatens Kurt's face. He can't believe it. She isn't running away in fear of him. It is like his dream come true. However he realises that there must be so much Amanda doesn't know that she is going to need to. He takes her hand into his 3-fingered one. "So I know a good short-cut to the ice cream parlour. Up for it?" he suggests as a place they can talk.

Amanda loops his arm with hers. "I'm buying!"

Kurt laughs. She doesn't know about his metabolism. "Oh. An offer you may regret!"

Kurt then teleports them both away in a puff of blue smoke.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

It is quite late before they all get back to the Institute. He and Rogue are behind the rest and as they walk to the main entrance Clark is holding up his arm and examining the tears where the creature's teeth had ripped into it. "Somehow I don't think I'll be getting a refund," he somewhat lamely quips. He shakes his head. "I'm cursed," he laments.

"What?" Rogue asks him having no clue what he is on about.

"Me and dances. I'm cursed. The first one I go to gets ruined by a whole series of tornadoes and this one gets crashed by giant lizards from another dimension," he explains his reasoning as to how he is cursed.

"That is tha stupidest thing ah ever did hear," Rogue bluntly tells him.

Clark smiles at that. God he loves her honesty. "Don't hold back there Rogue. Tell me what you really think," Clark jokily encourages her to continue.

Rogue slaps him gently. "Ah keep tellin ya that ya ain't that funny Space Boy!"

Clark mock pouts. "My ego and I are crushed."

Rogue can't help it when a chuckle escapes her. They walk closer to the mansion. "Clark...before tha creatures showed up...just so ya know...Ah had a really great tahme."

Clark takes her hand into his own. "Me too," he says in all seriousness. He stops and by doing so brings Rogue to a stop as well. He then encloses her in his arms and allows his hands to trace down her back to the curve of her hip which this dress so enticingly shows off. He then gently places his hands on her hips and lifts and places her down on top of his feet.

"What are ya doing?" she asks him.

He looks down at her and smiles. "One last dance," he explains before slowly dancing around the front entrance.

Rogue smiles back at him and knows now without question that her feeling earlier in the evening had been right. She is falling in love with him.

Clark looks right into Rogue's eyes and can feel his heart throb with emotion at the way Rogue looks at him. He lowers his head slightly and captures her lips in a long sensual kiss. Clark is certain at this moment he will never tire of kissing Rogue. To revel in the sweet taste of her and the feel of her of body next to his own. To finally have someone who didn't care less he was an alien and just saw the real him was Clark's dream. He was almost afraid at times it was a dream and one day he would wake up and Rogue would vanish. He subconsciously tightens his arms around her and holds her as close as he can.

Rogue is thinking that scrap this night being great. It was beyond great. Being in Clark's arms was always so warm and inviting and when they were wrapped around her she felt safe. He was so powerful yet held her gently like she was a precious object he would break if he wasn't careful. A voice at the back of her head points out that that is exactly what would happen but Rogue is far too caught up in this moment to pay any attention to that.

She of all people finally gets the good guy. The sweet kind guy who always treats her right and to top it off she can touch him without killing him. Yep. This night was beyond great. It was perfect.

Then a little suddenly the kiss ends and as Rogue regains her breath she can see Clark's gaze has turned towards Bayville. He then looks at her sadly.

Rogue lets out a breath. She has learned in the past few weeks what that look is. He has heard something or someone needing his help. "It's alright," she tells him. "Go."

Clark a little reluctantly vanishes in a gust of wind and reappears in his black costume a few seconds later. He gives Rogue another kiss. "I'll be back soon," he promises.

Rogue then watches him blur away and leap over the wall. As much as she is sad that their moment there had to end she can't help but smile at how selfless Clark is in helping people. He doesn't ask for anything in return. Not even a thank you. If only more people were like Clark Rogue thinks to herself then the world would be a far better place.

Rogue turns and walks up to the door. She then stops and turns around and looks out where Clark vanished and she can't help but smile a little in humour as she wonders how long it will take him to realise he forgot to wipe her lipstick off.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; I'll do a little bit of the aftermath of Amanda now knowing about Kurt. I want to write something about that._


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

**At Bayville High...**

After the debacle at the dance Principal Kelly had inevitably had to close the school while the police did their investigation. That would take a day and then the best guess was that another two days would be needed to repair the damage done and patch up all the claw and teeth marks.

So far Kelly had spent most of his morning on the phone trying to placate concerned parents after their children got home and informed them about the 'lizard monsters' that almost ate them.

'God I could do with a drink right about now,' Kelly thinks to himself as he finishes yet another call with a concerned parent.

There is a knock at his door and Kelly's assumption is that it is another police officer going to ask questions that he doesn't have answers to. After all how in the hell is he suppose to know where the strange lizard creatures came from. 'I should never have taken this job,' Kelly thinks to himself. Bayville was turning out to be the centre of weirdness and of migraines the size of Manhattan.

He sighs. "Come in!" he tells whoever it is.

To Kelly's surprise it is not a police officer that enters but "Lionel Luthor?"

"Principal Kelly?" Lionel inquires.

Kelly nods stunned that the famous prominent businessman is standing in his office.

Lionel offer his hand. "Lionel Luthor. Nice to meet you."

Kelly stands up, takes the hand and shakes it. "Y-yes. You too. Um...please take a seat," Kelly offers suddenly remembering his manners.

Lionel sits down. "So terrible business all this," he comments in relation to the events at the school.

Kelly sits back down. "Indeed. Forgive me if this seems rude but what brings you here Mr Luthor?"

"To offer my assistance," Lionel says sounding very genuine. "I know how tight your budget must be and so many odd things happen to this school. Unexplained earthquakes and mysterious damage. Not to mention what happened to your car and as a citizen concerned about the education of our nation's youth it occurred to me that your budget must be under great strain with all these increased costs in maintenance."

Oh yes. His car. Kelly still had no explanation how his car ended up miles away outside Bayville looking like it had been dropped from the sky. To top that migraine off the insurance company wouldn't pay up without a proper explanation so Kelly had had to just take the hit in his pocket of getting a new car. On the issue of the school's finances Kelly has to say that Mr Luthor has no idea how much strain Kelly's budget is under. He was looking at having to lay staff off. "What is it you propose?" Kelly wonders.

"That I take care of all repairs for this incident. I hire the company to carry out repairs and pay for all materials used and labour."

That would save Kelly one massive headache. He wasn't looking forward to the next parents' meeting and explaining job cuts on top of no doubt fending off another hundred questions he can't answer about the lizard creature. "That is very generous of you Mr Luthor," Kelly has to say.

Lionel smiles warmly. "Nonsense. Just a small way to pay back the community that has welcomed Luthorcorp so warmly."

Of course it is also a handy way for Lionel to sneak in some of his people to do a thorough investigation of just what went on here last night. Maybe they will find something interesting and more importantly useful to Lionel's agenda.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Kurt is making his way outside to where the Professor was enjoying the spring sunshine with Beast. He is very nervous about what he is about to do but knows that he must. "Um Professor?" he queries with great hesitancy.

The Professor turns his head to face Kurt and can sense a lot of nervousness from the teleporter. "Yes Kurt. What is it?"

Kurt fiddles with his tail in what is his nervous habit. It was something he developed whenever he had to tell his parents something he thought they might not like. "Somezhing happened last night. Zhose creatures cornered Amanda and I and I...uh...sort of had to teleport us out of zhere."

Both Charles and Hank look at Kurt with both surprise and of course immediate concern that their secret is blown.

Kurt then adds quickly "But she knew about my powers and my appearance before zhe dance."

"Are you saying that she already knew about you?" Hank seeks to clarify.

"Ja," Kurt says. He then goes on about to explain the incident in which Amanda first saw him at the school and how at the dance she admitted she knew. "It's great isn't it!" he says with lots of enthusiasm. "I mean I never thought anyvone would be interested in me in that vay because of...vell...you know," he says gesturing at himself.

Charles steeples his fingers together under his chin. "What else does she know Kurt?"

"Vell...after zhe dance ve talked and I told her about mutants and zhis institute and vell I vant to invite her over so she can see my real life and met zhe others."

"Are you sure she can be trusted Kurt?" Charles inquires.

"Of course!" Kurt says without hesitation. "She has known for months and never told anyvone!" he points out.

Charles ponders this carefully. The fact she hasn't told anyone was a hopeful sign but there are too many others at stake. One person in particular. "Before I say anything Kurt I have to know what did you tell her about Clark?"

Kurt knows what the Professor is on about. Clark's extraterrestrial origins. "Um nozhing really. I sort of skirted around zhe issue. She probably assumes he is a mutant like me."

"I see," is Charles non-committal reply. He thinks over his next course of action for a few moments. "Very well Kurt you may invite her over so we can have a chat. I know you trust her but I have to be sure like I did with Clark's friends. I have to think of the others."

Kurt sighs and nods. He knew about Clark's friends having their minds scanned and can guess the Professor will do the same with Amanda. He is a little sad at having her looked at like that with suspicion but understands that the Professor has the others' well-being to think of. "So vill I go and give her a call to come over today?"

Charles nods. "That would be fine Kurt," he gives his approval. With the school closed today was as good as any and the sooner this was done the better.

Kurt vanishes with a **bamf! **and a puff of blue smoke as he teleports to the nearest phone.

"Well with any luck Amanda will be as trustworthy as Clark's friends were," Hank says hopefully.

"The fact she hasn't said anything before now is a good sign," Charles says back because as always the alternate was the rather distasteful prospect to him of having to alter the girl's memories. It was something Charles never wanted to do but had had to do on occasion.

Hank suddenly smirks. "You know Logan is not going to be happy," he points out and the smirk is Hank imagining Logan's reaction.

"Is he ever," Charles jokes back making Hank chuckle because it is a good point. Logan is not exactly the most cheerful person in the world. "But I am certain someone we both know can handle him."

Hanks nods knowingly. Charles is referring to the only person Logan is really nice too. Storm.

* * *

Later that day Amanda is standing outside the gates to the Institute. She was kinda...well truthfully she was extremely nervous about all of this. After Kurt had told her all about mutants and what went on here she wanted to be able to get know the real Kurt but a part of her can't stop thinking about what if she screws this up or the others don't like her or something. What if she says something wrong or offensive?

Amanda tries to take a few deep calming breaths. Kurt said it was fine to come over although he mentioned that she would have to have a talk with Professor Xavier. She had only seen the man a few times like when he attended the school play for example but had never talked to him.

Amanda summons up the nerve and presses the buzzer on the intercom. "Yes. What is it?" the male voice on the other end asks. A voice with an accent that reminds her of Kurt's friend Clark.

"This is Amanda. Amanda Sefton. Kurt's friend. He said I could come over."

"Of course. We've been expecting you. Come on in," the voice warmly ushers her in as the gates open.

'Well that guy sure sounded friendly,' Amanda thinks to herself. Maybe she doesn't need to feel as nervous. She starts her walk up the drive to the mansion amazed at the size of the place. With all the high walls it was hard to appreciate its size until you were inside.

She approaches the door when it flies open and a boy, Bobby she thinks his name is, runs out laughing. Following on shortly after him is a girl with red hair and orange eyes and a ball of fire of all things in her hand. "Drake!" the girl yells. "Get back here so I can kill you!"

She then throws the fireball but as he runs away Bobby holds his hand back and freezes the ball. "Oh lighten up. It was only a joke!" Bobby shouts.

Claire's eyes literally glow with fire. "You froze my bed!" she shouts and then adds, "While I was still in it! Now get back here and take it like a man!"

Bobby's response to that is to blow a raspberry at her. Claire then runs after Bobby while all this time the two of them have been completely oblivious to Amanda who watches on amazed at the display of powers.

"She's getting better," a voice suddenly says from next to Amanda. She turns her head to see a middle-aged man with blond hair.

Jonathan continues his explanation. "When she first arrived she would destroy a room or two when Bobby did that." Jonathan watches the arguing teens for a few moments. Fire and Ice was an apt metaphor for how Bobby and Claire got on. Seeing Ororo glide down out of the air, something she often did as she enjoyed to fly so Martha tells him, and take care of Bobby and Claire Jonathan turns his attention to Amanda. "You would be Amanda?" he queries.

Amanda nods shyly.

"I'm Jonathan Kent," he greets her with a warm smile.

"Kent?" Amanda queries. "As in..."

Jonathan can guess who she means. "Yes. Clark is my son," he confirms for her.

"You live here?" Amanda asks.

Jonathan nods. "And work here. I help with the general maintenance of the house as well as farming a portion of land around the back to grow food on."

"Do you...um...well you know...have powers too?"

Jonathan laughs kindly. "Oh some days I wish but no. I am just a normal person like yourself. My wife and I came here...well it's a long story," Jonathan says not having time to tell the whole thing about losing the farm. "Lets just say that while I was unsure at first about coming here since then I have decided that it was the absolute correct thing to do."

Jonathan starts to lead Amanda inside. "Well why don't you come in and I'll show you to Professor Xavier. He wants to have a talk with you first."

Amanda lets him lead her in. He seemed like a good man. He had this caring aura around him. They step inside and Amanda's eyes widen at the size of the foyer and of the huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "Whoa," she whisper in awe.

"So you're the elf's girlfriend?" a gruff and not entirely friendly voice says. Amanda's eyes are drawn to a man with a wild hair and a slightly scruffy appearance. He had this commanding and Amanda will say slightly scary presence.

Jonathan shakes his head. 'And so it begins,' he thinks to himself. "Amanda this is Logan," Jonathan makes the introduction.

Amanda gulps. Kurt had told her all about Logan. That he might be a little overprotective. Kurt forgot to mention that he would be so intimidating though.

Logan looks her up and down and Amanda feels like prey being eyed up by a predator. Storm had informed him of what was going on and had given him that look of hers that said in no uncertain terms he was to be nice but thanks to the Firefly and Popsicle's antics she isn't here right now is she.

Jonathan breaks the tension of the moment. "I was just about to tell her how nice it is to have a guest since we don't get all that many. I'm sure you would agree."

Logan has to admire Jonathan there. Clever throwing it into Logan's court making him say he agrees, or say something otherwise or say nothing at all. Logan goes with option 3 and says nothing at all before he, having seen what he wanted to, walks off.

Jonathan has to shake his head again. Logan did care about people and Jonathan even found himself liking Logan. It just takes a while to get through the gruff exterior.

"He doesn't like me does he?" Amanda supposes.

Jonathan turns his attention back to Amanda. "Oh I wouldn't say that. Logan's not so bad once you get to know him. He distrusts strangers. That's all. Don't let him get to you. Ok?" he says with a smile.

Amanda finds herself smiling back at the kind warm smile she is getting. They then resume their walk through the mansion to the Professor's office.

* * *

A short time later in the living room Kurt is sitting with a few of the others waiting nervously. It had basically gotten around the whole mansion by now that Amanda knew about him although Kurt is at a loss as to how. Seriously for a place designed to keep mutants secret from the world you could barely keep anything secret for more than about an hour before it is spread along the mansion gossip grapevine. Anyway back to why Kurt is nervous and that is that he knows Amanda is here and right now is with the Professor no doubt having her mind scanned. He can't but think about the negatives like 'What if it doesn't go well? What if the Professor finds she can't be trusted?' Then the Professor would have to erase her memory and then the first girl who has ever seen him and still said she liked him would no longer be available to him.

Kurt silently prays while he waits. He doesn't have to wait much longer as Amanda appears in the doorway. She smiles at seeing Kurt in his natural form. It makes her happy to think there is a place he can do that.

Kurt sees her and moves over to her. "So how did everyzhing go?" he asks with an abundantly clear tone of hope in his voice that everything went well.

Amanda thinks back on her meeting with the Professor. He had seemed like a good, caring and kind man too and she could understand his need to keep mutants secret. She should after all. In her life she had gotten some looks she would rather forget due to the fact her skin happens to be brown in colour. People can be very cruel in regards to things that are different. Anyway she agreed to having her mind scanned which had not been like she thought at all. For starters she thought she would feel something but never did. As for the result she tells Kurt what it was. "The Professor said he believed me," she tells him happily in regards to the fact she will keep their secret.

Kurt smiles and hugs her happily.

"Ah! Young love," Jubilee says with a mock dreamy tone.

Kurt gives Jubilee his best annoyed look.

Kitty joins in on the fun. "Brings a tear to your eye," she says sounding like she is starting to choke up while wiping a mock tear away.

Now Kitty gets Kurt's annoyed look while Amanda finds herself giggling at his reaction. "Don't you guys have better zhings to do?" Kurt asks the two girls.

"Not really," Kitty admits.

"Yeah. Scott and Jean are just too easy a mark," Jubilee bemoans at how easy it is to tease and annoy Scott and Jean.

"And Clark's too much work when you are trying to have a relaxing day," Kitty adds meaning that with Clark's senses she has to work really hard at coming up with ways to tease him and Rogue that he won't find out about beforehand.

"Kitty. Ah thought ah warned ya what would happen if you didn't lay off of Clark and meh," Rogue tells her room-mate as she walks in having heard Kitty's last remark. Rogue's warning had been her usual one about draining Kitty dry although that is a weapon of last resort. Rogue has many others to wield before it gets to that point.

"Ok. Like relax Rogue," Kitty says.

'That's unlikely,' Rogue thinks to herself. She was barely over being pissed about the fact Mystique showed up at the dance. Clark had told her earlier this morning all about the fact that that girl who had helped save her from one of the lizard creatures was Mystique in disguise. So along with being pissed that Mystique was there Rogue is also utterly confused about why Mystique helped her. Rogue just cannot figure the woman out. Mystique has used her, lied to her, manipulated her yet even though Rogue in no uncertain terms told Mystique where to go she still chose to save her last night so relaxing was not on Rogue's immediate agenda as she tried to come up with some explanation for Mystique's actions.

"Where is Clark?" Amanda asks since besides Kurt she knew Clark the best simply because he took the time to talk to her on occasion when most people ignore her. He was a really nice guy.

"On tha phone. Speaking ta his friends back in Smallville," Rogue replies. "He tries ta call at least once a week since he doesn't get ta see them anymore."

That is kind of sad Amanda thinks to herself but then again she knows that feeling from when she moved here to Bayville and had to leave her friends behind. Kurt guides her to the couch and they sit down next to each other. "Do they know about him?"

Rogue takes a second before she responds as she looks at Kurt and wonders if he had told Amanda the whole truth about Clark. Volcana hadn't even gotten that yet. It had been decided that when Volcana had proven herself trustworthy she would be let in on the whole alien bit.

Kurt catches Rogue's look and decides to be the one who answers the question. "Um. Ja. Zhey do. Bit of a story but basically zhey bumped into Clark on Christmas Eve in New York and zheir plane broke down so zhey spent Christmas here and Clark decided to tell zhem."

"I see," Amanda says suddenly feeling a little less special that others have been let into the secret before her. She then looks around the room. "So if it's not rude to ask what exactly is it you all can do?"

Jubilee holds her hand up and produces sparkling little globules of multi coloured lights. "I generate these what I call fireworks. There is a more scientific explanation of what they are but you would have to talk to the Professor about that."

Amanda turn to look at Kitty. Kitty smiles and promptly phases her hand and arm through the chair she is sitting on. "I can like basically move through any solid object," she explains.

"That's cool," Amanda remarks.

Rogue snorts at that comment. "Yeah. It's so cool that she doesn't knock before entering rooms anymore," she says in her best sarcasm.

Kitty scowls. "Hey!" she protests. "I do so! Most of the time."

Amanda puts her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh before looking at Rogue.

Rogue sighs and her face falls a little as she faces the inevitable. "If ah touch someone with mah bare skin ah absorb their life energy, their memories and their powers if they have any but ah can't control it which is why ah am covered up all tha tahme."

Amanda feels sad for Rogue but also very confused. "But I've seen Clark touch you," she points out.

"Clark is immune to mah powers," Rogue states simply.

Speaking of Clark he walks in at this moment talking on the phone catching up with Chloe. "No Chloe I didn't get you pictures of the lizards for the Wall of Weird...What do you mean why not?...I was a little busy trying to stop people getting eaten Chlo. Forgive me if that is more important...Jesus Chloe will you turn off the snark tap for 10 seconds and..."

Clark stops when he sees Amanda sitting next to Kurt. Sitting really close together actually. In fact Kurt has his tail wrapped around Amanda's ankle. "I'll have to call you back Chloe," he tells her before ending the call. "So what have I missed?" he asks having obviously missed the part where Amanda apparently knows about Kurt.

Rogue shakes her head. "Clark how is it ya can miss anything that goes on around here?" she asks him since even herself who hates all the gossiping that goes on around here had heard about what had happened with Kurt and Amanda.

"I don't eavesdrop on every conversation in the mansion Rogue. That would be rude. I respect people's privacy and still not wishing to be rude but can someone update me please?"

Kurt briefly fills Clark in on what has transpired.

"Ok I see." He looks at Amanda. "I could say something like 'Welcome to Disney Land' but Disney Land can't hold a candle to this place," he jokes and makes Amanda smile.

And to emphasise Clark's point Bobby passes the window on one of his ice-slides shouting taunts. He is shortly followed by Volcana throwing fire balls at him and threatening all kinds of physical harm she will inflict when she catches him. They are shortly followed by Storm still trying to calm the two down and so far failing.

Amanda looks on rather befuddled by how little reaction there is from the others in the room at that scene. "Does that happen often?"

"There's always someone tryin' ta kill Bobby," Rogue remarks lightly. "And most of tha tahme he deserves it for those damn practical jokes of his," she adds.

Amanda turns her attention to Clark. "So what is it you can do exactly?"

Clark takes a breath. "I've got superspeed, superstrength, superhearing, heat vision, x-ray vision and I'm basically invulnerable."

"You know you really should like write that down," Kitty says since it is quite a lot to list in one breath.

Amanda's brain fixates on the one power all members of the female sex seem to. "X-ray vision?" she queries as she folds her arms across her chest.

Clark almost rolls his eyes. 'Why does everyone think I use it to peek through their clothes?' he asks himself. "I don't...I have to concentrate to activate it," he tries to explain to her.

Kurt decides to move off that subject. "Tell her vhat else you do," he says to Clark.

"There's more?" Amanda says not quite able to believe that because Clark...from what Kurt said about mutants...Clark seems to have an awful lot more powers than a mutant should.

Clark looks at Kurt a little lost at what he means. There isn't any more apart from him being an alien which he hopes hasn't been revealed without asking him first.

Kurt clarifies what he means. "Your night-time activities."

"Oh that," Clark says realising what Kurt meant. "That...that's nothing," he dismisses it as he always does as something he doesn't want praise for.

"What's nothing?" Amanda asks curiously.

"You know about zhe Bayville Blur ja?" Kurt asks her. Amanda nods and Kurt holds his hand out in Clark's direction. "Vell say hello to him in zhe flesh."

Amanda looks at Clark wide-eyed like she is suddenly seeing an entirely different person from the slightly shy person she thought she knew. "T-That was you?"

Clark shrugs. "You're welcome."

Kitty raises her hand. "Um why does it like feel that we're missing something?" she queries.

Amanda clarifies. "Last month I was out shopping with my parents. It was late at night and we were on our way home. We stopped at a set of traffic lights when two guys tried to steal the car. They had guns and I thought for a second they might shoot us but then this black blur appeared from nowhere and next thing we knew the two guys were at the side of the road wrapped up in a twisted road sign. Clark possibly saved our lives."

At hearing this Kurt gives Amanda a hug totally shocked that he could have lost her. Amanda hugs Kurt back. She looks at Clark. "I want to say thank you since I never did before."

Clark responds in a kind but serious voice. "Amanda you don't need to thank me. No-one ever needs to thank me. I simply do what I have the power to do and that is to help people."

* * *

**At an undisclosed location...**

Colonel William Stryker enters a secret underground base. Not his but the one belonging to his once upon a time colleague Bolivar Trask. While they were colleagues they never did see eye to eye on how to deal with mutants. Stryker bought into the fighting fire with fire philosophy. The way to deal with rogue mutants was to use other mutants against them. Trask was obsessed with his robots particularly the giant ones he called Sentinels which Trask believe would be the ultimate weapon with which to defend humanity against the 'Mutant Menace'.

Stryker is escorted by a couple of Trask's men. As he wanders through the corridors he shakes his head slightly as how SHIELD like Trask has this place look. Despite Trask's renunciation of SHIELD due to its refusal to deal with mutants head on it seems all those years Trask did work for them left its imprint.

Stryker is escorted into what he assumes is Trask's office and there sitting behind a desk is Trask.

Trask looks up upon Stryker's arrival. "Dismissed," he tells the two men who escorted Stryker who salute and leave. "Have a seat Bill," Trask offers.

Stryker sits down in the chair across the desk from Trask.

Trask takes a few moments to observe more closely the changes time has wrought to his old colleague. "Well now. How long has it been since you and I spent any time together?"

"16 years," Stryker answers succinctly.

"16 years," Trask repeats. "Since the failure of Weapon X."

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a failure. We did successfully managed to create Weapon X," Stryker points out.

"And for our reward he escaped, killed many of our former colleagues and virtually destroyed everything on his way out," Trask says with some bitterness. "They should have listened to me. I warned them what would happen by placing their trust in mutants," Trask reminds Stryker of the many times he warned his then superiors that what they were doing would only end in disaster and guess what? In the end Trask was proved right.

"I still believe mutants, properly controlled, have a use," Stryker says in defence of his belief.

"Actually this may surprise you Bill but I agree with you. Properly contained and controlled I believe mutants powers can be utilised to benefit mankind. It is the method of control where we differ."

"Yes of course. Your Sentinels."

"Once I show what they can do the government will come to see that placing my Sentinels in charge of mutants is the only way to ensure the superiority of the human race." Trask then gets to his feet and goes over to a drinks cabinet on the wall. "Drink?" he inquires.

Stryker nods and Trask pours both of them a drink before handing over one to Stryker and sitting back down.

"So is Lionel providing what you need?" Stryker queries.

"Yes. We will have the prototype finished soon." Trask takes a sip of his drink. "Speaking of Lionel he doesn't know about Xavier does he?"

"What makes you think that?"

"He gave me access to your MRD files and surprisingly there is no mention of Xavier's 'school'." Not that Trask buys it is a school. It is a training facility for a mutant army.

Stryker takes a sip of his drink. "If I told him he would make me storm the school. By not telling him I make sure more money is funnelled to my organisation and giving me time to re-equip, refurbish and rebuild."

Trask shakes his head in what could be called amusement. Bill never changes.

"You going to inform Lionel about my omission?" Stryker inquires.

"No...because you're right. If he knew he would force both of us to act before we desire. In this undertaking timing is everything."

"I believe we can both get what we want out of this Bolivar," Stryker expresses his opinion.

"Perhaps," Trask muses. "It depends on what you are really wanting isn't it Bill and it is not to be Lionel Luthor's lap dog. What are you really up to?"

"I told you."

"You're buying time so you can what...restart your experiments?"

"Mutants have to be studied and understood. It is the only way to learn how to properly control them."

"And replicate their powers and copy their powers from one mutant into another which was what you were attempting to do when Weapon X was destroyed." That was Bill's area of study at Weapon X; Mutant Genetics.

Stryker takes issue with that. "I wasn't attempting. I succeeded."

Trask scoffs. "I hope you are not referring to Deadpool. I would not call that psychopath a success."

"Deadpool was only a first attempt...a prototype. When I try it next time I have a much better subject in mind. One of Xavier's students as a matter of fact."

"A subject no doubt my Sentinels could help you capture. I did create them for that purpose."

"Really?" Stryker asks sceptically. "And all the weapon systems I saw on the schematics are for... what precisely?"

"For the most troublesome mutants the option of lethal force must be available," Trask defends his design. He eyes Stryker carefully. "You know something Bill I will never understand what it is you feel for mutants. At times I can remember you almost admiring them and then at other times I have seen you filled with hatred at them."

Stryker makes what he feels is an apt point. "I can't feel both?"

Trask will never show any admiration for them. Only hate and a practical realistic vision of what must be done. Mutants were a threat to the survival of the human race and he, alone if needs be, would create the means with which humanity would survive. No cost was too high in Trask's mind. Yes mutants and their powers properly controlled could be used to benefit mankind. However if that proved impossible then to ensure the survival of the human race his Sentinels would have the fire-power to extinguish mutantkind. Humanity had to survive even if that meant the extinction of mutants.

* * *

_Author's Note: I knew I had to explain sooner or later whether Stryker knows about Xavier and the school and if he did give a reason as to why he hasn't told Lionel. I'll get into this more later but lets just say Lionel, Stryker and Trask are all working their own agendas which won't always coincide with each other. I mentioned Deadpool here and I'll say that you will get to see the Merc with a Mouth a bit later on. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews._


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

It was the 3rd and last day off school and many of the students were planning at taking the opportunity of the fact it was a warm spring day to blow off some steam in the pool. Currently Clark is not one of those people. He is down in the lower levels with Forge and Beast listening to the what he felt was an overly technical explanation of Forge's latest creation. It is not that Clark can't understand what is being said because he can...well most of it anyway. Some of it was a little above his current intellect but he thinks he can sum it up. "You've created a lightweight fabric that can block electromagnetic radiation. That about right?"

"Well only about 97% of it," Forge corrects feeling a bit unhappy at his failure to make it 100% but he was working on it.

Hank says to Clark, "We've tested it on all varieties of radiation and it can block them all including the one you are most susceptible to."

This is what it was actually about. Hank had been studying kryptonite for a while and its effects on Clark. Clark's body could absorb almost any wavelength and form of electromagnetic radiation. All except one. The one kryptonite emits. It completely disrupted the mechanism within Clark's body that converted sunlight. The best analogy was that it was like food poisoning and like food poisoning if it was severe enough it could very well be fatal to Clark.

Therefore as it was his job as the Institute's resident medic Hank had felt a responsibility to try and protect Clark as best he could. Any attempt to come up with a way to alter Clark's physiology was an almost hopeless path of research. Clark's biology was too complicated to come up with a solution in any reasonable time-scale.

It had occurred one day to Hank that perhaps the best solution in the short term was to find a way to prevent the radiation from being absorbed at all. To create a protective layer around Clark. That is when he went to Forge. Forge's genius for creating well frankly almost anything had come up with a material that was perhaps decades ahead of any that currently existed.

Hank expected Clark, who is incredibly intelligent, to be showing a little more enthusiasm than he appears to be right now. "Is there a problem Clark?"

"It blocks all forms of radiation?" he asks them to repeat what they said.

"Yes."

"Including the ones that feed my powers?"

"Yes."

Now Clark is grateful that they went through this much effort for him but a material that blocks the wavelengths of light that feed his powers means he would have to tap into his energy reserves almost constantly and he would run himself down in short order. It is a major shortcoming in his opinion which is why he is not sounding all that enthused about it right now. He points out his concern to Forge and Mr McCoy.

In response Forge adopts an expression of deep thought as his mind looks for a solution. "Give me a few hours and I'll solve this," he tells Clark before he goes back to the white boards on the wall and starts rubbing off the equations and molecular diagrams as he redesigns the material.

Clark looks at Beast for an explanation as to what Forge is doing. In return all he gets from Beast is a 'I don't know' shrug. Seeing how this might take a few hours Clark decides the best thing may be to go join the others in the pool. He could do with swimming a few laps. It helps him relax.

* * *

Up poolside a few of the girls are lying on loungers taking advantage of the warm spring sun. Amanda is amongst them. Now that she knew the truth about mutants Kurt had been able to invite her over. When she saw his reaction to her 2-piece black swimsuit which involved his jawing hanging open somewhat comically Amanda knew that this suit had been worth every penny she spent on buying it.

Also there dressed in a white 2-piece bathing suit is Volcana. Claire was slowly starting to let her defences down. She wouldn't exactly say she was really close to anyone in particular. Although saying that she has developed a sort of affinity with Amara because they had similar powers.

Jubilee, chewing on her favourite bubble-gum, pulls down her shades so they sit on the edge of her nose as she looks over the top of them and spots someone exiting the mansion. "Pay attention girls," she says to the others. "The best part of the day is about to begin."

Amanda, Claire, Kitty, Amara and Rahne all look where Jubilee is looking as coming out is Clark dressed only in a pair of swimming shorts which leaves the rest of him exposed and free to be ogled and admired.

"Jesus," Claire whispers at the sight of the broad chested, chiselled muscled, dark haired teen. She didn't know Clark that well because well she really didn't know anyone that well but he was always nice to her. He seemed a little dorky in those glasses of his which she had learned was his disguise as he was carrying off this secret identity thing as the Bayville Blur. Dorkiness aside her opinion of him what that he was a nice and friendly guy like his parents. Claire liked Mrs Kent a lot since she was always willing to listen to her. Mrs Kent is the first person who has ever taken time to listen to Claire and well she could see the older red-head's influence in her son.

Anyway after seeing Clark in that Blur disguise Claire knew he was well built. It wasn't hard to miss in reality in anything he wears but seeing him like this the phrase 'Greek God' springs to mind and he is only suppose to be 17. Heaven only knows what he will look like when he is fully grown.

"I know right," Jubilee says in enthusiastic agreement with Claire's whispered remark. "And the rest of the guys will show up sooner or later," she promises with much anticipation.

"You're just passing the time waiting for Bobby," Amara points out since it was now fairly evident that Jubilee had at least a soft spot for Bobby if not perhaps more developed feelings of attraction.

Claire looks at Amara lying in the lounger next to her. "Drake? Oh good lord don't tell me she has a thing for that annoying, immature, soon to be turned into a spit roast when I get my hands on him, excuse for a boy."

"He isn't that bad," Jubilee says in her usual defence of Bobby. "So he likes to play a few jokes so what? He has his sweet moments too."

"When?" Claire asks pointedly because she sure as hell has never seen them.

"Yeah I have to agree with Jubilee," Kitty says. "Bobby is alright."

"Says the girl who is sort of dating one of the Brotherhood," Amara undermines Kitty.

"Which one?" Claire asks since she has never met any of them since it is not really safe for her to leave the mansion very often due to Lionel Luthor no doubt wanting her back. For that reason she also doesn't go to school so she has only heard stories and seen pictures of the Brotherhood.

"Avalanche," Amara answers Claire's question.

"The tall dark haired one?"

"Yep."

"Well she could be doing worse," Claire remarks because in her opinion out of all of the Brotherhood he was probably the best looking.

"Yeah like Toad," Jubilee just can't help but say jokingly.

Kitty makes a face and shudders at that image. "EW!"

"By the way Amanda where is Kurt?" Jubilee asks.

Amanda frowns slightly, picks up her watch off the ground next to her where she had laid it down and checks the time. Kurt had gone off to get changed but that was an awful long time ago for someone who can teleport. Not that she is feeling too out of place without him. Since she had been let in on the mutant secret everyone had been really nice to her. She had also been caught up on some of the stories and boy did everyone here seem to lead the craziest lives. The Danger Room had been a surprise to her and a sliver of worry went through her for Kurt's safety about him training in a room full of lethal death traps. The Brotherhood had also been explained to her and now the weirdness of that lot made sense.

**Bamf!**

Kurt reappears in his usual puff of blue smoke dressed in Hawaiian shirt and shorts. "Sorry," he apologises. "Couldn't find my clothes," he explains although if Amanda had actually ever seen the less than pristine state of Kurt's wardrobe she would understand why he couldn't find them.

Clark makes his way to the edge of the pool oblivious to the conversation the girls were having and dives in so he can do some laps before the others come out and the pool gets too full.

As Clark is doing his laps Rogue steps out of the mansion to the poolside dressed in her usual green one piece swimsuit. It didn't cover her arms and legs so she ended up keeping her gloves on. It was one of the unhappy compromises her powers had forced her to make over the years. Another compromise is that she has to end up sitting apart from everyone else. She sits herself down on a lounger with an umbrella since her skin is extremely pale and she burns easily. Rogue gets herself comfortable and starts reading the book she brought with her.

It is a few minutes after she starts that the splashing of water nearby grabs her attention and she looks up just as Clark pulls himself out of the water and it streams down off of him. He shakes his head to dry his hair some before pushing it off his face. At this moment Rogue can't help but think that Clark may be the most drop dead gorgeous guy on the planet.

When Clark spots that Rogue is out he can't help but smile a little. He makes his way over and bends down next to her. "Hey there," he greets her warmly. "Want some company?" he asks knowing why she is away from everyone else but he doesn't want her to be lonely.

Clark's smiles are infectious so Rogue finds herself smiling back at him almost without realising she is doing it. "Sure," she replies.

It is only the gust of wind that gives it away that Clark moved at all and the fact that another lounger has suddenly appeared next to her. It is a sign of how comfortable here Clark is that around people he trusts he barely even thinks about the fact he is using his powers.

As he sits down Rogue takes several long moments to view Clark's physique. Truth is that despite how long they had been dating this was probably the most of Clark Rogue had ever seen. For anyone Clark's physique would seem impossible. That goes doubly for someone who is only 17. He looks more like he was sculpted than he is a being of flesh and blood.

Clark lies himself back, closes his eyes and simply basks in the sunlight that feeds his powers. His skin even tingles a little bit like he can almost feel the photons striking him.

A short time later a soft spoken low moan catches Clark's sensitive hearing and he cracks an eye open to locate its source. He tracks it down to Jean who by now was out too with Scott. Clark reckons that the cause of her moan might be something to do with the fact that right now she is lying on her front with her long red hair pushed to the side as Scott rubs suntan lotion on her back. Judging by the smiles on both their faces they were enjoying every second of it.

Clark glances over at Rogue still reading her book and an idea hits him.

It is the gust of wind blowing her book's pages about that gets Rogue to look up to find Clark standing over her, bottle of suntan lotion in hand. She quirks an eyebrow. A simple facial movement that in Rogue's case has the ability to transmit a thousand words.

"Hey what kind of boyfriend would I be if I just laid here and let you burn," Clark explains trying to pass off his best boyish expression of innocence but not quite succeeding.

The word 'dork' pops into Rogue's head but in Clark's case he is an adorable one so he gets away with it. As Clark sits down next to her and starts to gently rub lotion on her arms and legs Rogue finds herself letting out a small moan. When he gets down to her feet and starts to gently massage them the word 'heaven' floats through her mind as the word to describe the feeling. For the first time in a long time Rogue actually lets herself relax and the tension ebb away at Clark's ministrations. She leans back, shuts her eyes and lets herself enjoy it. The words 'Oh yeah' and 'That's the spot' escape Rogue's lips in a whisper making Clark smile.

"Done," Clark announces as he finishes much to Rogue's disappointment and frankly his own as well.

She opens her eyes and looks at him and decides to do to Clark in kind what he had just done for her. As she picks up the bottle lotion from where Clark placed it on the ground she puts on this sultry smoky look with a smile of pure sexy anticipation.

Clark ends up blinking...twice. 'Whoa,' he thinks. Rogue could look incredibly sexy when she wants to. Unfortunately all that his somewhat addled brain can come up with at this moment is the rather lame point, due to his inherent invulnerability, "I don't burn."

Rogue, stifling that urge to laugh at her aforementioned adorably dorky boyfriend, can see she will have to take charge of this situation. "Clark. Lie face-down," she orders him.

Clark knows that tone and not to bother arguing with Rogue so he does as ordered and lies himself down lying on his front. He hears Rogue squirting some lotion on his back and then the feel of bare hands on his skin as Rogue must have taken off her gloves.

While she and Clark have had many a make-out session Rogue decides not to waste this moment and takes her time to slowly rub the lotion into Clark's skin enjoying the sensation of his warm smooth skin underneath her hands. As she does so she can feel some tension or at least she thinks it is tension. Clark's muscles feel like steel so it could be simply that she is picking up.

However showing unusual patience for her Rogue slowly starts to make progress against muscles that are not only big but also incredibly dense due to the sheer fact Clark's body itself is dense. Eventually Rogue can feel the tension leave his muscles making it a bit easier. As time passes and Rogue slowly works her way down his back it is Clark's turn to utter whispered words along the lines of 'Oh Yeah' and 'That's the spot'.

While she works Rogue wonders if the tension she feels is due to what Clark spends his nights doing. He talks to her about it, his rescues and crime stopping heroics and what always strikes her is how much he downplays it. It means she thinks that he ends up carrying a lot of the burden on himself which leads her back to her initial thought about what is the cause of the tension in his muscles.

All too soon in Rogue's opinion she is done. When she mentions this she suddenly finds Clark has flipped himself over and pulled her into his arms. She gulps at the almost hungry way he is looking at her. In fact as she peers into his blue eyes she can see his irises rimmed with fire. He kisses her gently. "You're not done," he whispers.

"Ah'm not?" she asks, her voice barely sounding like her own to her.

"Definitely not," he says in almost a growl before kissing her again deeply and passionately. Rogue's ministrations had done a good job of both relaxing him and making his blood boil with heated passion. She probably has no idea what she can do to him so Clark determines to show her

At this point Rogue's whole world shrinks to her and Clark and the way his hands feel as they slide over the skin on the exposed parts of her body leaving trails of scorching fire.

Of course all this is going on with both Rogue and Clark oblivious to the fact that most of the faculty is now out and enjoying the sun and the pool and seeing what Rogue and Clark are up to a couple of them can't help themselves. Well one in particular.

The next thing Clark and Rogue know is a the shock of cold water soaking them._ Ice _cold water.

Rogue's head whips round and glares at the one in the pool whom she knows is responsible. "Drake! You're dead!"

In the next instant Rogue is off Clark and after Bobby who tries to make a quick getaway using one of his ice slides only to find it melted just as he reaches the poolside. He lands with a bump and focusses his glare on who he knows was responsible for that; Volcana who is sitting there looking extremely chuffed at herself. Oh she is so going to get it Bobby vows...later as he sees Rogue close in on him, her expression murderous. Definitely later assuming Rogue doesn't drain him dry.

"Bobby!" Rogue angrily yells after him in a tone of voice that promises pain.

Bobby picks himself up and runs for it.

Clark watches on not all that much less angry than Rogue is at Bobby for ruining their moment but he decides to leave Rogue to get payback for the both of them since she can think of revenges way more malicious than Clark can even dream of.

* * *

Watching all this from the sidelines as it is are Martha and Jonathan with no little amusement as they keep an eye on everyone to make sure they are playing safe. For Martha especially it fills her with joy to see the children happy. It was good for them to find ways to blow off some steam after being off school for 3 days. Her more rational part knows that perhaps she is overly bonding with the children because it is the one thing biologically she is now never likely to have; children of her own. However it feels good that she can help them with their problems more particular the normal ones girls have as they go through puberty. It feels good that they feel able to come to her with their problems. It means she has earned a level of trust with them.

Her eyes drift to her son who is watching with a smile as Rogue chases Bobby around and she makes an observation to her husband. "He's in love with her you know."

Jonathan looks at her a little lost. "Who?"

Martha rolls her eyes. "Clark."

Jonathan looks at his son and tries to see what it is Martha is seeing. Jonathan knows Clark is happy and certainly cares a lot about Rogue but love?

Jonathan isn't sure about that. "How can you tell?"

"I'm his mother," Martha says like it is obvious.

"He hasn't said anything."

"Of course not. He hasn't realised it yet. He is a little slow in that regard...like his father."

Jonathan looks at Martha and can see the teasing twinkle in her eye. He frowns slightly and Martha can't stop herself laughing at Jonathan's expression. She leans over and kisses his cheek affectionately. One of the little joys of their marriage was the way they could affectionately tease each other.

Jonathan shakes his head slightly but with a smile at his wife whom he loves. He turns his attention back to the children playing. "I never imagined we would end up like this," he admits.

"Neither did I," Martha says in agreement. "But we made the right choice coming here," she says with total belief. She says this for a few reasons. One Clark was happy and it was plain to see how being in a place he could be himself lifted an immense weight off of him and if Clark was happy part of Martha is always happy. Another reason Martha believed their choice was right is her being slightly selfish in that she had made friends here with whom she didn't have to hide facts from or lie to.

Back in Smallville Martha had lost count years ago of the lies she had had to tell to protect Clark. Not that she regrets doing it. To protect Clark she would do it all over again but it always left a tiny sliver of guilt eating at her. Here she did not have to lie.

Martha knows Jonathan has similar feelings. They had talked many times about it. Of course he misses the farm. It had been in the Kent family for generations and losing it had wounded him. He hadn't even had to say that for her to know it to be true. He is her husband and she knows him. Knows him well enough to know that helping the children here grow and develop into adults with good hearts gives him a sense of pride and accomplishment. Yes coming here had definitely been the right decision.

Martha takes Jonathan's hand into her own. "I love you," she tells him.

Jonathan looks her in the eye so she knows it is true when he says in return, "I love you too."

* * *

After lunch Clark goes down to the lower levels to check on Forge who shoos Clark away saying he needs a few more hours. Clark thought of volunteering to help. After all give him a few hours and he can usually grasp the basics of almost anything which actually leads onto kind of a problem he is currently having. Mr McCoy had made a point during one of their extra tutelage sessions that while there is nothing wrong with having a wide knowledge base Clark's issue is that he doesn't focus on one area. He doesn't have any kind of set goal for his life, career wise.

If you had asked Clark what he would be doing after school back in Smallville he would had probably just said he would be following in his father's footsteps on the farm. That is no longer really an option so it has left Clark without any real direction for his future life beyond continuing to use his powers to help people but he couldn't do that 24/7 and it would certainly not pay the bills.

It probably sounds strange for a 17 year old to be thinking about how he will pay the bills but growing up with his parents where he saw them worrying about that on almost a weekly basis it is something he is extremely familiar with.

Anyway Mr McCoy and the Professor as well had made the point recently that Clark should start to think about what is he wants to do with his life except Clark hasn't a clue. Inevitably when he asked Chloe she had given him her fixed opinion; journalism. Clark had given her a non-committal response since while he has nothing against journalism can he really see himself doing that for the rest of his life?

After all he has never wrote anything approaching the depth and skill Chloe possesses. Clark isn't even sure that is a skill he possesses. He had asked Jean and Scott for advise since they were older than him and therefore closer to having to decide to what to do after graduation. Their plans involved going to college after high school. Jean even mentioned that she is thinking of sort of following in the Professor's footsteps and studying genetics.

Clark could see how Jean would be interested in that and she was certainly easily smart enough to get the necessary degrees. Truth is of course if Clark was interested in that he could probably get the degrees too. Truth is, Clark thinks, and he is trying not to sound egotistical here but he thinks if he applied himself there was probably nothing he couldn't do which is of course the problem. If he can do anything or be anything he wants how does he choose?

To sum it up at the moment his possible future career choices is a subject he needs to think a great deal more on.

Back onto the original issue about helping Forge it wouldn't matter if he volunteered to help because as Mr McCoy explained it Forge was in 'The Zone' and had refused even Mr McCoy's help stating he needed no distractions. Mr McCoy said not to take it personally. It was just something Forge did from time to time.

Clark rarely takes anything personally so that is not an issue. Since Forge is going to be a few more hours he goes back upstairs and after talking with a few of his friends they decide to go out into town to the ice-cream parlour since it is such a nice day.

They all end up sitting at the outside tables as they devour their cones. It takes a moment for Clark to realise that the 6 of them that ended up coming out are the 3 couples. Himself and Rogue. Scott and Jean. Kurt and Amanda.

'What is up with that?' he wonders without having any answer since he only just realised it. Do couples have some sort of herding instinct or something?

Clark then wants to hit himself for thinking something so totally idiotic. Herding instinct? Where in the hell did that thought come from? He has seriously got to lay off watching those Discovery Channel documentaries. Clark goes back to finishing off his cone. A few minutes later a shadow of someone washes over him as a person comes to stand behind him.

"Well now Clark Kent. It's been awhile."

Clark's eyebrows drop way down at that voice. He stands up, turns around, pushes his glasses up his nose and looks straight at the person he wants to meet least in this world. "Mr Luthor."

Now this may seem strange for the billionaire owner of a multinational company but Lionel was in his office when he had this sudden craving for an ice-cream. Now he could have ordered an underling to go get it for him but it was such a nice day Lionel decided to get out of his office, get some fresh air and come get the ice-cream himself and lo and behold who should he spot but the very boy who brought him to Bayville in the first place. Interesting part here despite that being the case this is the 1st time he has actually bumped into the erstwhile Clark Kent. "How have you been?" Lionel asks feigning polite conversation.

"Fine," Clark answers as politely and blandly as he can manage considering Lionel attempts to spy on him and the Institute not to mention the fact Lionel was behind the team of mutants they fought during the whole Sirens incident and god only knows what else Lionel is up to.

"Your parents?"

"They're doing fine too."

"That's good," Lionel remarks before turning his gaze to the other teens who are sitting nearby that he assumes are Clark's friends. He can make that assumption by the sour looks he is getting. No doubt Clark and the Kents have been telling less than favourable stories about him. "So I read about what happened at the school dance. I hope none of you were hurt," he says with false concern.

Clark may be still young but unfortunately he has had plenty of experience of Lionel Luthor and knows when Lionel is fishing for something. In that case what he had learned was to keep the answers short so as to prevent any opening for Lionel to pry into. "No. No-one was hurt."

"So giant lizard creatures I read."

"Never got a good look," Clark outright lies.

"It is funny though isn't it how no matter where we go Clark strange events seem to occur. First in Smallville and now here in Bayville. Of course here we have our very own hero to protect us don't we. The Bayville Blur. You or your friends had the fortune to run into him?"

At that Amanda is about to say yes since she has no idea about the truth about Lionel. Kurt catches her opening her mouth and gently nudges her in time. Amanda looks at him to see him shaking his head as in telling her not to say anything. She looks at him a little puzzled and Kurt leans over and whispers in her ear, "I'll explain later. Just don't say anyzhing please."

Well at least he said please but Amanda will be wanting a good explanation.

Clark still keeps his answers short. "No."

Lionel can see Clark is still as secretive as ever. His currents projects with mutants does absorb a lot of Lionel's time so to be truthful he hasn't spent as much effort lately trying to get Clark's secrets and the time he does spend is less than fruitful. Charles is very good at keeping his secrets and putting up a wall around his school and around Clark. It has made it all the harder for Lionel to make any headway in discovering the truth. Though once Lionel has gotten what he wants out these mutant projects he will focus more of his time and energies back into getting to the bottom of Clark Kent. Lionel's projects involving mutants may save his life and grant him a lot of power but it is nothing to the power he could have once he gets his hands on the Traveller and Lionel is still convinced Clark is the key. It just isn't his current number one priority.

Lionel has never been one to pursue projects beyond the point they can deliver him results and right now he can tell that Clark and his friends are going to give little away. He briefly ponders in congratulating Charles next time he sees his old friend at so ably teaching children the art of silence. He says his farewells in the way of saying he has to return to work as he has much to do which is true. As Lionel gets into car and departs he sees out of the corner of his eye the girl with brown hair with a white stripe stand up and wrap her arms around Clark's arm in a protective gesture.

Well now maybe this meeting has not been a complete loss because through that he can see enough that tells him that there is something going on between Clark and this girl. This gives Lionel knowledge of a weakness to use against Clark as potential future leverage.

Once Lionel is gone Clark lets out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

"Ya alright?" Rogue asks him.

Clark looks down and can see the concern in her green eyes. "I'm fine," he assures her.

Scott moves next to Clark. "What was that about?" he asks.

"With Lionel who knows. I don't think it was about anything particular. If you want my best guess I think he was just fishing hoping one of us would let something slip."

"But he could have been up to something else," Scott presumes.

"Lionel is always up to something else but even I don't know what and believe me I have tried."

"Vhat does zhat mean?" Kurt asks getting in on this conversation.

"After we found out Lionel was behind that group of mutants I went to the roof of the building across the street from the Luthorcorp building to see what I could see and hear," Clark tells them.

"And what did you find out?" Jean asks.

"Nothing. The entire building is surrounded by some kind of electromagnetic field that interferes with my senses. It was probably designed to jam surveillance devices."

"How can you know that?" Jean asks him because she doesn't see how he could know that there is some kind of EM field present.

"I have a visual spectrum that stretches well beyond what you would call the visible spectrum Jean. I can see the EM field around the building."

Well that's news to Jean because she doesn't think he has mentioned that before to them. A point she makes.

"I really didn't tell you that?" Clark queries. They all shake their heads. Clark rubs the back of his neck and apologises. "Sorry. I thought I did. It was when Mr McCoy was wanting to study my x-ray vision," he goes onto explain. "During the test we discovered I could see many other wavelengths along the electromagnetic spectrum." That now includes the aura that surrounds living beings as a point of interest.

"So vhat now?" Kurt asks as in what do they do now.

"Well I've lost my appetite," Clark says with a sour expression which is not unusual after any meeting with Lionel Luthor. "I don't know about the rest of you but I think I'll just head back to the Institute."

'Maybe Forge has finished by now,' Clark thinks.

No-one argues against it and they all decide to head back with Kurt trailing behind while he explains about Lionel Luthor to Amanda who manages an unhappy frown at what she hears. She had thought Lionel Luthor was an alright guy but from what Kurt says the guy is not nice. In fact if what Kurt says is true if Lionel Luthor found out what Kurt was he would probably lock Kurt up and experiment on him.

Therefore it goes without being asked that Amanda won't be saying anything to Lionel Luthor if she can avoid it.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Later as Clark makes his way back down to the lab where Forge is working his mood has not really improved any from since his run in with Lionel. Only a short meeting with Lionel Luthor could ruin the otherwise great day he was having and he had been having a great day. All he has to do is close his eyes and he can remember exactly how it felt to hold Rogue this morning. How soft her bare skin felt against his own. How warm she was...

The elevator doors open and Clark's mind comes back to the here and now.

Shortly after he enters the lab he has found that Forge has finished creating a new synthetic material for Clark to wear. A material that until an hour ago had not even been conceived of let alone created. Of course this is after Forge had first created a machine capable of synthesising the material which is what took him this long.

Forge lays out the piece of black cloth he has created on the table in the middle of the lab. "The material has two states," he starts to explain. "In it's natural dormant state it allows radiation to pass through including the wavelengths that feed your powers. However run a small electric current through the material and the molecules realign creating a 97% effective shield against radiation."

Mr McCoy speaks up. "What we were thinking is that we could place a switch in the buckle of the belt you wear connected to a battery allowing you to switch between the two states when you deem it necessary."

'Huh. Clever,' Clark thinks to himself as he picks up the piece of cloth and examines it.

"Of course this will still leave your face and hands exposed unless you decide to change into a full body cover costume," Hank points out.

Well since Clark is not about to do that he will just have to live with partial protection. Still doing a quick calculation in his head a costume made of this material that should reduce the amount of kryptonite radiation able to reach his skin by at least 80%. Now all he has to do is ask his mother to help him make a few new costumes out of it assuming one thing. "You can make it in other colours right?"

"Sure," Forge says.

Ok then. That's that settled.

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

It is night and Lionel finds himself standing at his office window looking out at the city, drink in hand, and thinking over things. There are always so many issues he has to deal with beyond just the normal day to day running of his company. Keeping Lex under control and keeping Lex out of his business. Lionel has been doing his best to make sure Lex is unaware of the projects he has undertaken revolving around mutants.

In that area Essex was currently still building his new Genetic Manipulator to replace the one that was stolen. He still had not been able to track down the leak responsible. That was annoying because it meant this leak had to be still here and feeding information off to parties still unknown.

Other ongoing issues involved Stryker going through the candidates for the new Beta Squad to replace the lost Alpha Squad and Lionel was having his scientists evaluate the schematics Trask had given him for his Sentinels. It was part of the deal for Lionel's help that Trask allow Lionel full access to the technology behind his creations.

All this going on had forced Lionel to invest in some upgraded security. Stryker had come up with the EM field that now surrounds the building that can block all known and even some unknown surveillance devices. Technology developed for Weapon X that Stryker still had possession of.

As he was thinking earlier in the day all this has left Clark, Charles and that school a little down Lionel's priorities but he'll get back around to it. A shooting pain shoots through Lionel's liver. That is the main reason it is a little down his list. He has to cure himself first and then he'll have all the time he needs to discover what it is both Charles and Clark are hiding.

The intercom on Lionel's desk goes off and he makes his way over and activates it. "Yes?"

His secretary speaks up. "Dr Groll on the line for you Mr Luthor," she informs him.

"Thank you." Lionel picks up the telephone to speak to his head scientist. "Dr Groll," he announces his presence.

"M Luthor," the voice on the other end greets him.

"What do you have?" Lionel asks the doctor as he sits himself down in his chair.

"I was looking over the schematics to these Sentinels...brilliant piece of robotics by the way."

Lionel rolls his eyes and snaps impatiently, "Get to the point Doctor."

"Oh yes of course. Well do you remember the Prometheus Project?"

"Yes."

"Then you remember one of the reasons we had to abandon it was because we couldn't make the power distribution system work correctly."

"I know all this Doctor. Your point?"

"Well I was looking over the schematics for these Sentinels when it struck me that if we shrink down their power distribution system it would solve all the problems we had. Prometheus could be made viable."

"Interesting," Lionel remarks as he contemplates this and the possibilities. The important one being it could lead to another way to save his life.

"So I have your permission to restart Prometheus?" Dr Groll inquires.

"I will require daily updates," Lionel informs Dr Groll with no room for argument present in his voice.

"Of course Mr Luthor," Dr Groll promises.

The phone call ends and Lionel leans back in his chair with the ghost of a smile on his face. That was for once one piece of good news and some days Lionel doesn't get an awful lot of that.

Outside his door Mystique, as always, had been listening in as she continues her role of working as Luthor's secretary so she can spy on him for Magneto. This 'Prometheus Project' was not something she knew about but she was going to find out. Magneto would demand it of her although he had been unusually quiet lately. Any interactions she had had had been with Sabretooth. It makes her wonder if something is wrong.

* * *

**At a secret SHIELD storage facility...**

A security guard sits in the monitoring room looking over the footage of empty corridors and rooms with equipment he didn't have high enough clearance to know about. He could guard them but not actually be told what it was he was guarding.

He thought being a member of SHIELD would be more exciting than this but noooo. Well at least the pay was good and in reality he was happy doing a job that didn't mean risking his life and this job certainly meant that. After all the security here was so tight no-one would even think of trying to breaking unless they were stupid...or desperate.

That is when the monitors started to wink out one by one. This is followed by a strange rumbling noise just before the perimeter alarm goes off. He jumps to his feet and tries to check in with the perimeter guards but gets nothing. He tries to contact anyone and still nothing. The radio isn't working.

Another alarm goes off at the Level 5 vault. The one that is never to be opened...period. The guard checks his gun and runs to the area. When he gets there he finds other SHIELD guards either knocked out or bound up by pieces of twisted metal.

'What the hell is going on?' he asks himself.

He takes deep calming breaths and heads into the vault past the huge metal doors that look like some great force just bent them open. He quietly steps forward until he spots something or more accurately someone.

"FREEZE!" the guard shouts and aims his gun at the intruder.

The gun flies out of his hand. Metal strips rise up from the floor and bind him. When he is cut free later all he will be able to give is a vague description of the man he saw, of some weirdo dressed in some kind of red armour and helmet with a purple cape.

* * *

_Author's Note: Smallville aficionados probably won't need telling what the Prometheus Project is. For everyone else I deliberately left it unsaid to save it as a surprise for later. It is something borrowed from season 8 but I wanted to bring it in now. I had a few people bring up suggestions about doing something to address Clark's vulnerability to kryptonite so I decided to do just that. Hence having Forge derive a new material for Clark's costumes to be made out of. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Rebirth._


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

It is a couple of weeks after the school dance and Logan had taken the opportunity with the kids in school to go out for a bike ride by himself. It wasn't that Logan was desperate to be away from people. He is just a loner by nature and every so often he needs to be by himself. Also it is not a bad thing if is he far away from everyone when he blows off the steam built up by living in a mansion full of kids.

It is as he is tearing along the highway that his sensitive hearing picks it up. A soft whirring cutting through the air. He lifts the visor of his helmet and sniffs the air and lets out a low growl at what he smells. He extends the claws on his left hand and uses the reflection off them as a mirror to see what is the air above him. A helicopter...in stealth mode. Only a few organisations Logan knows have access to that kind of technology and Logan has no interest in dealing with any of them.

Logan guns the throttle and veers right into the forest. He darts through the trees using them as cover. Two black Humvees join the chase. Logan manages to lure one into following him into a too small a gap between two boulders and the Humvee ends up wedged in. The other manages to veer round but it gives Logan the time and distance he needs.

He extends the claws on his right hand, digs them into a passing tree and uses that to flip his direction 180. He then drives straight at the Humvee before veering to the left at the last second and using his claws tears right along the right side of the vehicle destroying both its tyres. The Humvee loses control and flips over onto its roof.

With a satisfied grunt Logan guns his bike and heads back off into the forest. He heads for what at first looks like a clearing until he reaches it and sees it is a cliff. He slams on the brakes hard and slides to a halt. He leaps off his bike with his claws drawn in anticipation of anyone else they send after him and whoever they are Logan swears they are in for a world of hurt.

The helicopter rises up behind him over the edge of the cliff.

"Hold it there Logan," a voice orders over a loudspeaker. A voice Logan knows and never wanted to hear ever again. What the hell does _he _want?

The helicopter pivots in the air so that its side-door is facing Logan and painted on the door is the insignia of an eagle with a shield within. The door slides open to reveal a man with grey hair and an eye patch over his left eye. "Or should I say Weapon X?"

Oh yeah. Logan so doesn't need this. He snarls. "Fury."

Colonel Nicolas Joseph Fury, leader of SHIELD, an espionage and law-enforcement agency above all the ones people might be familiar with and completely secret. Fury leaps down from the helicopter. "Actually you're going by...Wolverine now aren't ya."

Logan points a finger at Fury. "Fury. I've only got one word for ya. Good. Bye."

Logan then turns his back to Fury and walks towards to his bike.

Fury thought Logan might react like this so he uses another method of incentive. "Gunner," he orders his subordinate in the helicopter. "Target that bike."

The helicopter swoops round and aims its weapons at Logan's favourite bike. He lets out a snarl. That's it. No-one threatens the bike. Logan turns round and strides purposefully and menacingly back to Fury. "Alright Patch. What is this about? I don't work with SHIELD anymore." A fact Logan is quite proud of. The fact he once upon a time did work for them not so much.

"Rebirth's been stolen," Fury says in a somewhat quiet tone.

The shock of that statement makes Logan audibly gasp. He grabs the lapels of Fury's jacket. "Impossible!" he proclaims. "Rebirth was destroyed. Rogers and I made sure of it."

Fury glances down at where Logan is holding him and then back up into the feral mutant's eyes. Logan lets him go.

"There was a back-up," Fury informs Logan. "SHIELD discovered it 17 years ago. Since it was kind of a...touchy subject we mothballed it under level 5 security."

"And still it got stolen," Logan somewhat mocks. "Ya see this is precisely why I quit because of crap like this ya keep pullin."

"I do my job anyway I see fit," Fury says with no regret in defence of his actions. "And I don't have to justify it to you."

The two men lock stares for a good minute before Logan decides to be the mature one, put his and Fury's issues aside and get back on topic. "Who did it?" he asks in relation to who stole Rebirth.

"Unknown," Fury replies as he reaches into his inner jacket pocket and pulls out a photograph. He shows it to Logan. "But whoever it was managed to do this to a Titanium-Steel door."

The picture is of a massive door twisted and bent open. Fury continues, "As well as knock out SHIELD security with some kind of magnetic pulse. We're talking mutant here."

And Logan knows which one. "Magneto."

* * *

**At Bayville High...**

Rogue is walking with Kurt after class when Clark jogs to catch them up. "So how did your test go?" Clark asks his girlfriend in relation to her history test on World War 2 that he had been helping her prepare for.

Rogue hands over her test paper to Clark who takes it and reads aloud her mark. "B." He bends down and kisses her cheek. "That's great Rogue," he says with great pride in her since she really doesn't like history all that much.

Rogue smiles a little embarrassed. "Thanks. Without ya though ah would probably have gotten a D."

"I've sure you would have done great either way," Clark assures her with total belief in her abilities.

Rogue elbows him in the side. "Flatterer," she jokes. "By tha way how do y'all know so much about World War 2 anyhow?" she wonders since when helping her he just seemed to be able to quote it all from memory.

Clark rubs the back of his neck in his nervous gesture as he is pretty certain his next admission will be a little bit embarrassing for him. "Um when I was a kid I was kind of a big fan of all those Captain America comics so I read up everything I could find on the War."

"Oh man you read zhose comics too?" Kurt exclaims in a very excited tone.

"You read them?" Clark queries a little surprised.

"Of course," Kurt states like it should be obvious. "After all who doesn't love Captain America?"

Both Clark and Kurt end up looking at Rogue with questioning expressions.

"What?" she asks them. She gets spared from answering by a fat kid walking into her and nearly knocking her over.

"Watch it!" he snaps rudely.

"Ah think tha phrase you're looking for is 'Pardon Meh'," Rogue says back causing the kid to stop in his tracks.

"What was that...skunk-head?"

Clark's whole expression darkens at that. It really annoys him when someone refers to Rogue like that. It's just plain rude to start with and then on top of that it happens to be his girlfriend they are insulting. Not to mention that Clark finds it one of her most attractive features. If Kal was around he would punch the kid's teeth in.

Unfortunately for the boy who is now squaring up to Rogue he has no idea who he is squaring up to. "Oh ya want ta push meh around. Go ahead and lay a finger on meh," she dares him tapping on her cheek. "See what happens."

The boy draws his hand back only to have it caught in an iron grip. Clark's iron grip as this boy pushes his nice guy nature to the limit. Kurt tries to intervene only for the boy to grab Kurt's wrist and squeeze Kurt's holowatch which flickers out revealing Kurt's true form. The boy's eyes widen in horror at what he is seeing. He takes a few steps back. "What the...? What are you? Some kind of rat?"

"Hey!" Rogue snaps angry for Kurt at her friend being insulted like that. "Look whose talking!"

The boy turns round. "I'm going to..." he never finishes that thought as his face goes blank. That is when all 3 spot Jean with her hand to her temple. "You're going to forget," she commands him. "You don't remember any of this. You're going to leave now."

"Yeah," the boys says. "I'm going to leave now," he says obeying Jean's telepathic command. Jean turns her attention to Kurt. "You ok?" she asks with concern.

"Yeah. Growing up like this..." Kurt lets out a sad sigh. "I've heard it all before." Kurt then vanishes in a puff of blue smoke.

Clark really feels for Kurt. The look on that boy's face...that is Clark's fear of how people would look at him if they knew he was an alien. His only advantage is that he looks human. Kurt doesn't get that luxury. It goes to prove people can judge too easily on appearances because Kurt is a great funny guy if you spend the time to get to know him. He is one of Clark's closest friends and after school he will have to do something to try and make Kurt feel better.

* * *

**Later that day at the Institute...**

Jamie is sitting under a tree in the shade doing his homework. Rahne is sitting next to him in her wolf form. She was taking some time in it. It helped her develop her senses if she spent a few hours solely in her wolf form.

"Lets see," Jamie says thinking out-loud. "The Ancient Greeks invented the sport of javelin throwing and...what else?"

Rahne picks up a Frisbee she had been playing with earlier to give Jamie the hint.

"I don't think they invented Frisbee Wolfsbane," Jamie says.

The red-furred wolf rolls her eyes at her friend's inability to get it.

"Discus. They invented Discus. That is what she is trying to tell you."

Jamie and Rahne look up to see Volcana standing over them. "Um...t-thanks," Jamie says with a stutter as he desperately tries to keep himself from blushing in the presence of the fiery red-haired girl.

Claire shrugs. "You're welcome," she says trying to be a little more friendly with people before she continues on with what was her having a walk to stretch her legs after her lessons with Mr McCoy.

After she is gone Jamie lets out an audible sigh of relief. Rahne looks at Jamie as she can detect a change in his scent. 'Is he crushing on Claire?' Rahne asks herself and if he does can someone explain to her why it grates her insides.

At the same time walking beside Charles as he rolls along the poolside Logan is telling Charles about his encounter with Fury and of Operation Rebirth. How it was an early attempt at Genetic engineering to create Super Soldiers for World War 2. Logan then tells the Professor about the one soldier it was used on; Steve Rogers and how he was transformed into the almost myth now; Captain America.

"It sounds like you almost knew Rogers personally," Charles comments at the way Logan is talking.

"Yeah...well...I did," Logan admits.

Charles has to do a quick recalculation at just how old Logan is after that revelation. "I knew you were older than you appeared," he says in astonishment. "But World War 2...your regenerative powers are impressive." However one part of this puzzles Charles. "I thought parts of your past were lost to you," he says in relation to Logan's memory or lack of.

Logan sighs. "Yeah well truth is before that all I have are small flashes and pretty much right after that...that is when it goes all fuzzy." Logan is thankful to whatever force spared those memories because it was the greatest honour he has ever had to know and fight alongside Captain America.

Putting that aside Charles moves onto another part of the story which puzzles him. "If Steve Rogers was indeed the famous Captain America that would seem to imply Rebirth was a success."

Logan quickly corrects that notion. "No. It destroyed him...and now it is in the hands of Magneto."

'Oh Erik,' Charles thinks to himself sad at the fact his former friend is continuing along this path. 'What are you up to?'

* * *

It is now after school and Clark's thought about cheering Kurt up had manifested into inviting Amanda to come back with them. After hearing what happened she was more than willing to come over and cheer up her boyfriend.

This had now ended up with the 4 of them in the Rec room playing pool in pairs. Him and Rogue against Amanda and Kurt. Pool is a fairly simple sport. It is all about physics and mathematics so Clark is actually quite good at it. That and during last summer when he ran away he turned himself into a pool shark to earn money when he got bored of knocking off ATMs.

However even 'Kal' would have had a hard time trying to pull that off on Rogue who as it turns out is a seriously mean pool player. A fact reinforced when she pots two coloured balls in two different pockets in one shot.

"Oh man," Kurt mutters. "Next time ve have got to find somevone else to play against," he tells Amanda.

Amanda agrees but at least despite them losing this has put Kurt in a better mood.

Rogue puts them out of their misery by potting the 8-ball. As it falls in the pocket a triumphant smile forms on her face.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Clark has to ask his girlfriend.

"Oh here and there," she answers vaguely. It comes from a childhood where she ran away from home a lot. How else was she to earn money except by taking from some fool who thought they could beat her and this was before she could cheat by absorbing the skills from someone else. It is one thing she learned to do without her powers so she is very proud of her pool skills. "What about ya?" Rogue asks him back because Clark was a seriously good player. Rogue might ask him to a one-on-one game later just for the sheer thrill of the challenge it would be.

Clark hesitates for a second before he replies. "Last summer. Kal found he had a liking to humiliating people at pool and taking their money."

"Oh," Rogue says as she can hear the guilt in his voice over his actions.

"Whose Kal?" Amanda asks since she still didn't know the whole truth about Clark.

"Zhat's a long story," Kurt says. Amanda looks at her boyfriend expecting to be told this long story.

What saves Kurt is that at that exact moment the lights flicker. "Power Surge?" Amanda wonders as to the cause.

Kurt works it out first. "Cerebro at full power!" He takes Rogue by the arm. "Lets check it out!" They both then vanish.

Clark finds himself alone with Amanda. Now he likes Amanda just fine he just isn't ready to tell her his alien origin just yet. "I...um...err...I should go and check on Kurt and Rogue...will you be alright?"

Amanda open her mouth to answer but doesn't get a chance as Clark vanishes with his usual gust of wind. She folds her arms across her chest in a huff. "Now that's just rude," she grumbles swearing when Kurt gets back he will get a piece of her mind for disappearing like that.

Clark arrives outside Cerebro where Rogue and Kurt are already here listening in on the Professor and Logan.

"Man they're all over the place," Logan comments as the Professor's search for Magneto has brought up a map of the world showing where all the mutants are and they are everywhere. There had to be thousands of them.

"The percentage of the population possessing the x-gene is increasing exponentially. It's becoming difficult to keep track of them all," Charles admits.

"No way mutants are going to be under wraps for much longer," Logan contemplates as he strokes his chin.

"Yes," Charles says in agreement with his friend. In fact it was going to be sooner than Charles originally anticipated. The growth of the x-gene had surpassed even his most generous model of its growth. "I suspect that is what Magneto feels as well which may well explain his most recent activity."

In short if Magneto believes a war is coming soon then it makes sense that Magneto would steal a machine he thinks can create an army of Super Soldiers.

"So you found him yet?" Logan asks.

Charles lets out a weary sigh as the toll of trying to find Magneto catches up with him. He shakes his head as he removes the Cerebro helmet. "No. Magneto's cloaking technology has been keeping pace with Cerebro's enhancements. I have no idea where he is."

"Ah...um," Rogue starts to say before stopping herself.

Logan looks at the doorway. "Well now. The Rogue has something to say."

"Come in Rogue, Kurt, Clark," Charles beckons them.

The 3 teens walk in.

"Ya know ya could wait for a gal ta volunteer," Rogue complains.

"No time," Logan tells her. "Spill it."

The 3 teens near the control console as Rogue says what she was about to say earlier. What popped into her head when she overhead Logan and the Professor talking. "Ya remember when ah touched old Buckethead in New York. Ah got a dose of memories. They're kind of confused," she says as she places her hand to her head and tries to focus on Magneto's memories. "But one is of this metal dome half buried in rocks."

Logan and Charles share a look. It was a possible lead. "Where?" Logan asks her.

"The Sahara desert."

"Well that narrows it down to about 3 and half million square miles," Logan grouses. "You couldn't maybe be a little more specific could ya?" he asks her as he gestures by bringing his finger and thumb close together indicating he wants her to narrow it down a lot more.

Rogue places her hand to her chin as she concentrates on the memories. "Ah'm sure ah could recognise some landmarks."

Logan points at her. "You are not going along!" he says in no uncertain terms.

Rogue folds her arms across her chest. "Then ya ain't findin it!" she snaps at him. "Besides from what Ah can figure no-one can get through that dome without tha power of magnetism."

Charles contemplates this. "Or..." he starts to say and points at Kurt.

"Teleportation! Yes!" Kurt says excitedly as he double punches the air. "Zhe fuzzy man is on zhe mission!"

Kurt and Rogue high five each other. Logan places his hand to his head as an enormous headache threatens to strike. He looks at Clark. "And what's your reason?" he asks having a feeling Space Boy will want to come along too.

Clark stands up straight and folds his arms across his chest. "Look me in the eye and say the near invulnerable guy isn't an asset," he dares Logan. Besides however much he knows Rogue can look after herself there is no way he is letting his girlfriend go off on a dangerous mission without him. Though if Rogue ever asks he is coming along for Kurt which by the way is a valid reason too. If it was just Kurt Clark would want to go along and help his friend.

"Magneto knows your weakness," Logan reminds Clark.

"True but I have a new suit made out of the material Forge created and I promise to avoid glowing green rocks."

Logan growls in frustration and palms his face knowing they all had valid points and that like it or not they were coming.

* * *

**Over the Sahara Desert...**

In the Velocity the 3 teens are all dressed in their x-men uniforms as Logan, dressed in his orange and black uniform, finishes telling them the story of the Rebirth machine, Captain America and how Magneto has stolen it.

Clark is in his new Superboy suit which looks just like his old one with the sky blue suit, red boots and red coat except it is made from Forge's new material and the belt has a switch which would realign the molecules just like Forge promised. They had only tested it in the lab and it worked really well. Sure the kryptonite still made Clark feel ill but it was nowhere as severe as it was before. It didn't reduce him to a helpless mass on the floor. It still weakened him somewhat but he was still able to function at a percentage of his full capacity so it was a good step forward. This, though, would be the material's first field test. Clark hopes it is up to the job because as Logan said Magneto knows his weakness.

Anyway that aside Clark at this moment is trying to come to terms with the revelation that his childhood comic book hero was an actual real flesh and blood man.

His attention is caught by Rogue suddenly yelling. "There!" she says pointing at a ridge of rock that she recognises from Magneto's memories. "Head east," she instructs Logan.

Logan steers in that direction.

"So if Rebirth made such great heroes vhy vas Captain America zhe only vone?" Kurt asks Logan.

"Because greatness isn't suppose to come that easy elf. There was a price to pay. The procedure had a flaw in it for humans. Cellular breakdown. Captain America was dying."

Logan remembers how near the end of the war Cap had been in such pain he could barely stand at times but he never let it show and he never let it stop him doing what needed to be done.

After awhile they spot the metal dome. Logan lands the helicopter as it will be safer to go on the ground as who knows what kind of aerial defences Magneto has in place. If they go on the ground perhaps they can avoid detection until they are inside.

They pull out two XTV off road vehicles. "You're with me Space Boy," Logan tells Clark.

It is not in Clark's nature to argue but in this case he feels he has to make the following point. "It's probably better if I go on foot. I can keep up and if you recall I'm pretty heavy. I would slow you down if I ride on it."

Logan has to say the kid's point is valid as he gets on the XTV.

Rogue gets on the other one, bomb attached to her belt, with Kurt sitting behind her. "Can ah ask what happened with tha Rebirth Project? Ah mean did they solve tha problem?" she wonders.

"They didn't get a chance," Logan says in a low solemn voice. "Captain America was determined not to allow them to put anyone else through what he'd suffered. Cap and...um...another guy shut down the Rebirth Project permanently."

Logan and Captain America blew it up to put it simply.

"But apparently there was a back-up and now Magneto has it."

"Not for long," Clark states with steely determination. If his hero Captain America thought it was too dangerous to even exist then there is no way Clark will allow this Rebirth machine to stay in Magneto's hands.

"Good attitude bub." Logan looks at Rogue. "Just don't drop that bomb."

"And with that inspiring motivational speech," Rogue says sarcastically which makes Clark smile. He always loves Rogue's sass.

"Lets rock and ride!" Kurt yells enthusiastically as Logan and Rogue gun it. They take off into the desert with Clark easily keeping up with them.

"Wonder how long before we get spotted!" Rogue shouts.

Clark is the one that hears it first. The sound of a rocket engine. He stops dead, turns round and unleashes his heat vision hitting a missile which explodes. Unfortunately it is only the first of many he sees flying at them. What gets his interest is that when he used his heat vision they all veered off course towards him. They must be heat seeking.

He zips off and catches up with the others in a few seconds. "They're heat seeking!" he shouts to them. "I'll draw off as many as I can!" he promises them.

"Clark! No!" Rogue yells in fear for him.

"I'll be alright!" he promises her before he veers off at a right angle and concentrates on summoning up his heat vision without letting it escape from his eyes. The side-effect of which is to increase his core body temperature. As he hoped many of the missiles descend on him as he weaves and dodges his way through the sand dunes narrowly avoiding being hit as missiles explode around him. The explosions make his ears ring so he doesn't hear one of the missiles until it is too late to dodge it. It hits Clark dead on and explodes sending him flying into the air. He crashes into a sand dune and vanishes from sight.

"Clark!" Rogue screams in panic.

"He'll be alright!" Logan shouts without being 100% certain of that. "We have to reach the dome and complete the mission!"

Without Clark to divert them the missiles hone in on the two XTVs. Luckily Clark has bought them enough time as they climb a ridge of rock up to the dome. The fly off into the air. Kurt grabs Rogue with his hand but Logan is just out of reach. Kurt uses his tail and wraps it around Logan's wrist.

"Any time Nightcrawler!" Rogue shouts as they are about 5 seconds from going splat on the dome.

They vanish in a puff of smoke and reappear inside the dome where Logan lands on his feet and Rogue and Kurt land in a heap.

"Oh yeah that was smooth," Rogue says sarcastically. She pushes Kurt off of her and gets to her feet. She looks at Logan clearly unhappy. "Clark..."

"Would want us to complete the mission," Logan says trying to keep her mind focussed. He was concerned about the kid too but this mission had to be completed. "Besides he's invulnerable. You know that. He'll be fine."

Rogue tries to push her raging emotions and deep worry about Clark down to her stomach and focus on the here and now. They head to the centre of the dome where the Rebirth chamber is and it becomes clear that someone is already inside. "Lets move," Logan says with renewed urgency at this sight because it meant they had little time.

Logan runs forward only to be kicked in the side by Sabretooth emerging from the shadows.

"Nice of ya to pay us a visit runt," Sabretooth greets his old foe.

Logan snarls as he pulls himself back to his feet. "So this is your new litter-box huh fuz-bub?"

Logan pops his claws in anticipation for what is always a very bloody confrontation with Sabretooth. "Destroy that chamber!" he orders Kurt and Rogue. "I'll handle this." Logan then charges at Sabretooth as the two old enemies renew their decades long fight.

Kurt and Rogue run towards the centre of the chamber when a figure steps out in front of them. A figure with flaming orange hair dressed in a flaming red and orange bodysuit with aqua-coloured goggles and a fuel tank strapped to his back which fed the twin lighters on the wrists.

"Greetings there mates. Name's Pyro," he says in a thick Australian accent. "And I will be your chef for the day. Want to take a guess at what we will be throwing on the barbie?" Flames suddenly erupt from the lighters and rise upward in a tower. Pyro grins manically. "You!" he says as he directs the flames at them while now laughing insanely. Pyro is a pyro-kinetic who could control fire but not create it. It was good enough for him as it suited his like of burning things.

Kurt and Rogue dive out of the way but the flames actually follow them even as they try to hide behind the metal girders that are holding the dome up forcing them to keep moving and dodging.

As all this is going on inside the chamber Magneto, his appearance now of an ancient man, watches on, his life fading and his powers waning as he waits for the machine to power up. A process that still has a few minutes to run before the chamber will activate. Taking this machine from SHIELD had exhausted the last of his powers. His weakness was why he had had to let a couple of his Acolytes in on his condition. He was now too weak to defend himself and Sabretooth was only one. A few more minutes though and he will reborn. His protectors just need to buy him that long.

As Rogue runs away from Pyro's flames at a right angle to the chamber an idea hits her. "Nightcrawler!" she shouts as she unclips the bomb from her belt. "Go long!"

Kurt nods in understanding and teleports. Rogue throws the bomb and as she hoped Kurt reappears in exactly the correct place to catch it. "Watch out!" she suddenly yells before she is forced to dive to the side to avoid Pyro's fire.

Kurt frowns slightly in confusion only to suddenly sense a presence behind him. He turns round to find a huge metal man towering over him.

"Apologies," Colossus says regretfully to the blue furred teleporter in his Russian accent as he doesn't want to do this but orders are orders for as long as Magneto has Illyana. "But I cannot allow you to proceed further."

Ok so the guy who wants to squish him is apologising beforehand. Well that's new Kurt thinks to himself as he takes a couple of steps back. Then in the space between Kurt and Colossus red hot molten metal drips onto the floor. Kurt looks up to see a piece of the roof is glowing red hot as a hole is melted. Then someone drops down. That someone being Clark. He lands on the ground and Kurt can see that Clark's coat is torn and shredded around the edges but apart from a couple of smudge spots on his face he looks unhurt.

After Clark had come round from being hit by the missile he had dug himself out of the sand and raced here as quickly as he could using his heat vision to melt himself a way inside. "Nightcrawler. I've got this. Go," he tells his friend.

Kurt vanishes in a puff of blue smoke to appear behind Colossus atop of part of the Rebirth control console. Colossus starts to turn to stop Kurt only to find his arm grabbed by a hand carrying substantial strength behind it. Colossus swings round with his fist connecting with the boy's face. To his surprise a punch that would knock-out anyone else simply has this boy taking a few steps backward.

Clark rubs his chin. He had felt that more than he felt it when Rhino hit him. He had better be more on his guard.

Colossus charges at the boy and unleashes another punch only this time Clark is ready. The metal man may be strong but not fast. Clark blocks the punch and counters with one of his own using about as much strength as he had used to knock Rhino out.

It is now Colossus' turn to take several steps back. "You will have to hit me harder than that if you want to stop Colossus comrade."

Clark cocks his slightly looking at the metal man with a bit of puzzlement. His words could be construed as boasting but the tone of voice was too serious and regretful even. He was telling Clark what to do to stop him. Of course it still leaves the question of exactly how much strength that will take.

Colossus shoulder charges Clark in the gut and it takes Clark a few steps to dig his feet in enough to bring them to a stop. He lifts his knee into Colossus' gut forcing the metal man to release his hold. There is actually an audible 'oof' that escapes from Colossus' lips.

Colossus is surprised at how much he felt that and just how strong this boy is. He is also inwardly pleased that he has encountered someone who might be able to stop him. He doesn't want to aid Magneto but he can't not fight even if he gives less than 100%. If this boy does possess the strength to stop him then Colossus just has to give the boy an opening without looking like he is giving the boy an opening. Well he better get on with the show he realises as he stomps back into the fray to be met by another head ringing punch to his jaw. Colossus retaliates with a haymaker of his own which creates a sound like he just punched a lump of metal and still he barely staggers the boy. This could take awhile.

As Clark and Colossus re-engage exchanging blows that echo around the dome Kurt is taking his chance to plant the bomb. "Hey mister," he says to the man in the chamber. "I'm doing you a favour. Zhis chamber is not good for your health."

Kurt sets the bomb for 5 seconds and is about to pull the pin and teleport away when the man in the chamber speaks with a croaky ancient sounding voice. "On the contrary..."

Kurt now looks for the first time at who is in the chamber and lets out a gasp of surprise at seeing how old the person looks. "Magneto?"

"This chamber is going to save my life," Magneto explains to Kurt.

Across the dome Logan and Sabretooth are still engaged in their battle. Logan manages to slam his claws into Sabretooth's shoulder causing Creed to howl in pain. It gives Logan a second to see Kurt by the machine but hesitating to pull the pin.

"Vhat happened to you?" Kurt asks Magneto.

Magneto leans against the glass of the chamber. "I'm an old man," he admits to Kurt honestly. "My genetic enhancements have kept me alive until now but this Rebirthing chamber is my last chance to survive."

"But zhis thing is suppose to be dangerous," Kurt thought.

Magneto shakes his head. "Only to humans. To us it grants long life. By destroying those controls you take away my only chance."

Kurt looks at the pin as he considers Magneto's words and tries to decide what to do. He doesn't want to be responsible for killing anyone, even Magneto, but he can't let Magneto keep the machine either. And then Magneto says something that makes Kurt's mind up.

"Are you that much like your mother?"

Kurt freezes. He never wanted to be anything like his mother after learning what she had done over the years.

"Kurt! Forget him! Just get on with it!" Rogue yells between dodging Pyro's flame attacks.

"What are you waiting for kid? Pull the pin!" Logan screams at him. The pause gives Sabretooth enough time to pull Logan's claws out of his shoulder, deliver a punch to Logan's gut and then physically throw Wolverine through the air.

It all becomes academic as the chamber activates and a blinding bright light fills the dome. It makes Colossus stop to look. Clark decides that if this man is willing to tell him what to do to stop him then he'll forgive Clark for taking the opportunity. Clark zips forward and delivers a punch, this time using more of his strength than he has ever used before. It connects with Colossus' face sending the huge metal man flying across the entire dome before he slams into its side and slivers down to the floor unconscious. Clark has to actually shake his fist out after that and wonders briefly just what that metal is that covers Colossus.

At seeing the light Pyro laughs in manic delight. "You're in it fer now sheila," he warns Rogue, whom he has managed to surround with a ring of fire, as he knows this is Magneto being restored. Then without warning the fire dies out. "What the bloody hell?" he yells as he looks at his lighters only to find that they are no longer connected to the fuel lines.

Pyro looks around to find his lines in the hand on the tall boy who had been fighting Colossus. A quick scan around finds Colossus on the floor unconscious. "Oh, crikey," Pyro croaks. If this boy can do that to Colossus then he is in real trouble. Pyro backs up holding his hands up in surrender. "Now then mate. Let's not do anything hasty."

"Me? I'm not going to lay a finger on you," Clark promises. He then points behind Pyro. "Her on the other hand..."

Pyro spins round just as Rogue runs in her fist drawn back the second before she unleashes it connecting with Pyro right in his stomach winding the Australian native. Rogue then delivers a spin kick to the side of Pyro's head and he Pyro crumples to the ground in a heap. God that felt good Rogue has to think to herself. She was getting so sick of being chased around by this weirdo.

Clark looks down at Pyro and then at Rogue and cocks an eyebrow. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Rogue smiles playfully. "Good idea sugah." She is also palpably relieved to see Clark is unhurt.

At this point the metal girders all start to vibrate as Magneto's powers are restored by the Rebirth machine. Logan finds himself pinned to the ground suddenly. Sabretooth leaps, planning to land on top of Logan and rip him apart with his claws. Just before Sabretooth lands Logan finds he can move his legs. He hoists them up and uses his legs to propel Sabretooth right into an electrical transformer. Sparks fly as Sabretooth yells out in pain before falling to the ground unconscious.

That won't put Creed down for long Logan knows but long enough as he finds he can move again. Logan flips to his feet and runs to the Rebirth chamber just as the light is fading. He cuts some of the tubes and other pieces of equipment before slicing open the glass chamber. "Time to bail!" he tells the kids as he drags Magneto out who is no longer the old man he had been but in appearance looks like a man in the prime of his life. As Logan runs past the bomb he uses his claws to pull the pin as he and Kurt try to get as much distance as possible.

Clark wraps his body around Rogue to protect her just as the bomb explodes obliterating the Rebirth chamber.

The explosion knocks Logan off his feet and he drops Magneto. The newly restored Master of Magnetism comes round and sits himself up to be greeted by the sight of the Rebirth chamber in ruins. He stands up and glares at who he blames for this. "Wolverine!" he shouts in rage.

Magneto gestures at the broken pieces of metal girders and they move through the air to form 2 assemblies that resemble closest giant scorpions. One of them walk towards Clark and Rogue and he pushes her out of the way as a claw reaches for him. Clark grabs hold of each end of the pincers and strains against their attempt to move him while the other scorpion closes in on Nightcrawler and Wolverine.

Clark's eyes glow red as he unleashes his heat vision and cuts the pincers to pieces. Magneto spots this and makes moves to counter.

"Clark! Look out!" Rogue tries to warn him but it is too late as metal strips rise up from the floor and twist around his ankles. Next thing Clark knows he is getting lifted into the air and slammed into the side of the dome hanging upside down where more metal moves to wrap him until he is completely encased like a mummy.

Magneto reforms the pincers of his creation and sends it after Rogue who can't get away fast enough before it has grabbed her and got her tight.

"Rogue!" Logan shouts as he slices a piece off the creation he is fighting.

"I'm on it!" Kurt says as he grabs a metal bar and teleports over to Rogue to try and pry her free. What Kurt doesn't see is the short piece of girder detach behind him and clock him on the back of the head. He falls to the floor unconscious where Magneto has his creation pin Kurt down.

Logan snarls and leaps from atop the scorpion he is on at Magneto. Magneto looks at Wolverine in the air and with a simple gesture of will diverts the metal on Wolverine's bones and therefore Logan himself to the floor where he soon pins Logan down using his second creation.

Magneto brings Rogue down to the floor as well where he brings 3 sharpened pieces of metal hovering over them ready to deliver the fatal blow.

At this point Clark bursts free of his metal prison drops to the ground and in an instant has blurred over to Magneto. The next thing Magneto knows is being lifted off the ground by an immensely strong hand around his throat.

Sabretooth who has come back round by now leaps at Clark to protect Magneto only to be greeted by a burst of heat vision which sends Sabretooth flying backward the way he came. Clark turns his full attention to Magneto. "Release them," he orders.

Magneto remains calm despite the fact he knows the boy could break his neck in a second. "Impressive," he has to remark. "Your powers have grown since out first encounter."

Clark squeezes Magneto's neck ever so slightly and narrows his eyes. "Release them," Clark repeats his order.

"No," Magneto states calmly. "They are at my mercy..." Magneto looks Clark dead in the eye. "Unless you plan to kill me of course," he dares Clark.

A fleeting thought of 'Don't tempt me' passes through his mind but of course Clark won't kill him. He places Magneto down on the ground and releases his hold.

Magneto rubs his neck before summoning his helmet and cape. "Wise choice," he comments to Clark as he puts them on.

Clark folds his arms across his chest. "Release them," Clark repeats once more calmly but firmly. "Don't make me make you," he says as a warning.

Magneto remembers when he first met Clark Kent he noted how the boy had a presence...an aura of power and it is stronger now than it was then. He turns his attention to Kurt. "You spared my life so I will spare yours," Magneto offers. He then dissipates the magnetic force holding his creations together. They fall apart and to the floor in a heap of metal.

This releases Logan, Rogue and Kurt. Clark zips over and helps Rogue up to her feet checking her over for injury as he does so before they both help Kurt up.

Magneto opens the side of the dome for them to leave through. He turns his attention to Wolverine. "There was a small boy in Poland who owes you that much," he says cryptically since no-one but Logan understand what he means. Magneto had been but a small boy the day Captain America and Logan freed him from the Concentration Camp he was being held in by the Germans. It was a debt he had owed for a long time but it was now repaid in full. "We have an agreement?" Magneto asks of Wolverine.

Logan knows what Magneto is asking. That they agree to go their separate ways without any more trouble and since Rebirth has been destroyed there is no more reason for them to be here. The mission was complete as this was never about taking down Magneto. That's for another day. Logan nods as his signal he agrees and he, Rogue, Kurt and Clark depart.

Magneto watches the 4 walk away as Sabretooth, thanks to his healing factor, stands next to him. Colossus and Pyro were still out. "You're just letting them go?" Sabretooth asks with some surprise.

"I have my reasons," Magneto says coldly as his way of saying that is all he is going to say on the matter.

Sabretooth growls quietly clearly unhappy at the matter as he rubs his still healing chest where the boy hit him with whatever it is he shot from his eyes.

Magneto glances at Sabretooth. The boy's powers had indeed increased since their first meeting. However he still had the trump card of knowing the boy's weakness to the meteor rocks. Magneto did not have any on him on this occasion because he couldn't risk the radiation the rocks emit interfering with the Rebirth machine. Next time...next time would be a very different story.

As they walk back to the Velocity Rogue has to ask Logan "What small boy in Poland?"

"It's a long story and I ain't got time for it now."

"Vhy not?" Kurt wonders. "Isn't zhis mission officially over?"

"Not yet. I've got to pay a visit to an old friend."

* * *

**At a secret SHIELD facility...**

Logan stands next to what looks like a glass coffin. It is in actuality a cryogenic storage box in which lies Captain America preserved as he had been at the point of death. As the only man to ever be turned into a Super Soldier SHIELD had to preserve him for within Captain America's body was the secret to the Super Soldier Formula that SHIELD has been trying and failing to recreate and perfect since the war.

"Its been a long time Cap," Logan says, his voice solemn and tinged with emotion as he remembers all the time he and Cap spent together during the war and the bond of friendship they had. "But I'm still fighting the good fight. Today we had a victory. For you," he tells the frozen form.

Logan places his hand on top of the glass box. "You've got to know that we'll find that cure," he swears in relation to reversing Captain America's condition. "I promise you that. You and me...you and me we made a great team. Yeah. Great team. I'll be here when you get out."

"It's time to go Logan," Fury tells him.

Logan glances out of the corner of his eye to see Fury has showed up. Fury had promised Logan he could visit Cap for a few minutes. Logan will give Fury credit for keeping his word. Logan turns and walks towards the door.

"You do remember. You were never here," Fury reminds Logan as this place does not exist.

"Yeah. Yeah. I know the routine," Logan says with a kind of sad acceptance.

They leave the room holding Captain America and head off down the corridor.

"So teaching children. How's that working out for ya?" Fury asks Logan.

"Don't even go there," Logan warns him off knowing where this conversation is headed.

"Look Logan I know we had our...differences."

Logan snorts rudely. Differences? Is that how he wants to phrase it? When Logan quit SHIELD he vowed next time they met they would settle it. Just the two of them and the 3 claws in each of Logan's arms. Fury is lucky Logan has calmed down since they last met to the point he didn't do that the first moment he laid eyes on the Colonel.

"But SHIELD could still use someone with your skills," Fury insists making the offer to Logan to rejoin.

"Forget it," Logan tells him bluntly. "I ain't anyone's weapon. Never again."

They turn a corner and Fury can tell that Logan ain't budging. "Have it your way," Fury concedes. He instead reaches into his inner jacket pocket and pulls out 2 photos. Mug shots actually. He hands them over to Logan. "Rhino and Shocker. You familiar with them?"

"I watch the news as much as the next guy."

"We currently have them detained since SHIELD is the only organisation with the facilities to hold this breed of supervillain."

"Ya goin to get to a point any time there Patch?"

"During our investigation and questioning what do we find but that Rhino was taken down by some kid who seems to be even stronger than he is. Coincidentally the little town your institute currently resides in has the benefit of being protected by its own superhero. I'm thinking there's a connection."

Logan knows what Fury is trying to find out and Logan ain't about to indulge him. "Yeah well thinking was never your strong suit was it."

"Don't play games with me Logan," Fury warns him. "I tolerate Xavier's little school because he has the sense to try and keep mutants off the front pages and out of the news. I have enough problems as it is dealing with people who think they can play hero and anyone who can take down Rhino would have to be pretty powerful. I'm thinking at least an Alpha level mutant. Perhaps even an Omega one." An Omega level mutant being the most powerful. One whose power is in theory limitless. An Alpha level is still extremely powerful but have upper limits. "Now you want to explain to me why Xavier is suddenly letting someone like that run around playing hero?" Fury demands, not asks, to know.

"No. I don't want to explain it to ya and I ain't goin to because in case it escaped your attention I don't work for ya anymore."

"Have it your way but just remember that if this Bayville Blur crosses the line it is my job to take him down and I will...with extreme prejudice."

Logan growls. That is it. No-one threatens one of his kids. He slams Fury up against the corridor wall. "You even try it and you and I will have that little talk I promised we would have on the day I quit."

"Well that's something to look forward to isn't it," Fury dead-pans.

* * *

**Later at the Institute...**

Logan stands at the cliff edge looking out at the sea trying to get his mind off of his conversation with Fury while puffing on one of his cigars. The guy never changes. He only came to Logan in the first place because he had exhausted all his own avenues to find Magneto and needed help. Not that Fury ever said that or will ever admit it.

Fury also still has the knack for winding up Logan to the point that it takes all his self-restraint not to kill Fury where he stood. His temper unfortunately no doubt gave Fury what he was looking for. Confirmation that the Bayville Blur is one of the students at the Institute. Logan knows that is what Fury will assume.

Logan also knows Fury won't drop it until he finds out precisely who the Bayville Blur is. Bottom line though is if Fury tries anything he will have to get through Logan first and Logan guarantees that all those scenarios he knows Fury has drawn up to try and stop him...well Logan guarantees that not a single one of them will stop him.

Logan sniffs the air as a scent catches his attention and a few moments later he finds Clark standing next to him. "What brings ya out here kid?"

Clark frowns slightly at the kid remark. "Just thinking," he answers which is true. He had been thinking over things since they got back from the Sahara. "Logan can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Sure kid. What's on your mind?"

Clark goes onto explain about the metal man he fought and how he told him what it would take to defeat him and Clark couldn't figure out why.

"Sounds like to me he may not be overly enthused about working for Magneto," Logan expresses his opinion.

"You mean he might be working against his will? Like Magneto is forcing him somehow?"

"Or Magneto has something on him," Logan speculates.

Clark contemplates that for a minute. "Then if we found out what kind of hold Magneto has we might be able to help him," Clark says hopefully.

"Maybe but Magneto isn't likely to be forthcoming about what so it probably isn't likely we can help him any time soon."

Clark shoves his hands in his jeans' pockets and frowns some more. It could be his overdeveloped good guy streak but he thinks that somehow they should be able to help that Colossus guy. The two of them stand there in silence for a few minutes until Clark says "It was you wasn't it?"

Logan looks at the kid rightly confused. "What?"

"When you said Captain America and another guy destroyed Rebirth the other guy was you wasn't it?" Clark's hearing is way more sensitive than most and there was just something there in Logan's voice that got Clark thinking that Logan was describing it like he was actually there.

Logan decides not to deny it. "Yeah. It was me."

"You really knew him?" Clark asks with a hint of wonder in his tone that he is speaking to someone who met the real Captain America.

"Some of my memories are a bit hazy but yeah. I knew him."

Clark lets out a breath. "I use to read the comics when I was little."

Logan smiles slightly as he tries to imagine how Cap would have felt about being idolised as a comic book character. Of course it is a reflection on how mythical Cap had become that the only way people remember him now is through comic books.

"This is probably going to sound silly but when I'm out in Bayville being the Blur and I run across some situation I'm terrified I'm going to screw up so every single time I ask myself what would Captain America do and then try to do what I think he would do."

Logan doesn't usually go in for all this touchy feely lets open up our feelings and share crap but feels he needs to say something. "Kid I'll never admit I said this so listen good. I fought alongside Cap for years. Saw him defeat the odds no matter how big time and again because he believed what he was doing was right. He saved I can't tell ya how many lives but more than that I got to know the man personally and you want to know something?"

"What?"

"I can see the same spark in you that was in him. And you're terrified that you will screw up? Well fine because so was he every single time he went into battle because he knew if he screwed up fellow soldiers and innocent civilians would die but he did anyway because it was right. Now answer me this why do you go out every night?"

"To help people."

"Why?"

"Because...because it is the right thing to do...oh."

Logan smiles. "See but don't try to be Captain America," Logan cautions Clark. "It's fine you want to try and follow his example but always be yourself and do the best you can because that is all any of us can do."

"That's surprisingly philosophical...for you," Clark just ends up saying.

"Yeah well call it the wisdom of old age."

"Um...how old are you?" Clark's curiosity has to know.

"Not sure but you had to be at least 17 to sign up and from what I can remember I looked about the same as I do now so you do the maths."

Clark does it in a second and Logan has to be nearing 90 at least if not over it considering Logan looks to be around 30 or so. "Your healing factor?" Clark queries in reference as to how.

"Yep."

"What's it like...to live so long?"

"Can't tell ya since I can't remember most of it but this is more than idle curiosity isn't it?" Logan asks just having the feeling there was more to the question than that.

"My healing factor is just as good as yours. Maybe better."

Logan lets out a sigh. Crap. The poor kid. Having to face this at his age.

"We'll outlive them all won't we," Clark says his voice solemn and full of sadness.

"More than likely," Logan says sadly. It is not anymore a pleasant thought to him than he guesses it is for Clark.

Clark tries not to think about it. Outliving everyone he cares about but one thing in particular keeps flashing up in his head. Something that happened a couple of years ago when he met a physic named Cassandra who showed him his future. A future where he stands alone on an empty Earth in an endless graveyard full of everyone he had ever know because he had outlived every single person and he just suddenly needs to say it...to tell it to someone what he thinks that vision means. "I think...I can't be certain...but I think I might be immortal."

"Does Rogue know?"

Clark shakes his head. "No. I'll tell her though. I will...just not today."

"Fair enough," Logan accepts.

The two of them end up standing there for some time staring out at the sea contemplating just how long they both have left to travel to reach the end of their journeys. Well they have each other to keep company although you have to wonder is that necessarily a good thing?

* * *

_Author's Note: As I was thinking through this chapter I came to realise that considering Magneto's position of using Rebirth he wouldn't be foolish enough to have a piece of kryptonite on him at the same time because as I say in the chapter who could tell what would happen when you start mixing those kind of things together. Also you have to be careful not to overuse kryptonite as a crutch. In Smallville it happened way too often that whenever they needed Clark temporarily immobilised there was a convenient piece nearby. However saying that there will be a moment involving Clark, Magneto and kryptonite after I bring in the Scarlet Witch. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. _


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Clark is currently bent low behind some bushes which he is using as cover. He and the X-Men are currently on a mission to rescue some mutant prisoners from a secret research facility. They had split into two groups. He, Evan and Kurt were taking out the appropriate guards to make the escape possible while inside the facility were Rogue, Kitty, Jean and Scott whose job was to disable the alarms and surveillance system.

Clark's speed could have been useful on either team. Although his x-ray vision was useless as the facility had been lined with lead. Anyway his speed was useful to take out the guards as he could just zip in behind them out of seemingly nowhere and disable them before they know what hit them.

Clark crouches down lower as two guards, dressed in black security uniforms with flak jackets carrying radios and sub-machine guns, on a patrol pass him by. He had been timing them as they went by, gauging their schedule, and by his calculation if he takes out these two that will create a sufficient gap for the escape portion of this escapade.

Clark zips in behind the guards and before they can react to the gust of wind he generates he has tapped both on the head knocking them out cold. The next second finds him dropping them back down behind that bush he was hiding behind and tying their arms and legs together using the cable ties the guards carried on them. Add a strip of ripped material off his coat as a gag and that should see that they are undiscovered long enough to complete the mission.

Clark looks up to the roof where there were guards posted as well and can see blue puffs of smoke and smell the brimstone as Kurt no doubt teleports quickly from place to place as he takes those guards down. Elsewhere he spots Evan luring a couple of other guards at the front gate in by pretending to be just some skateboarding punk being where he shouldn't be and it works right up to the point Evan generates his spikes and pins the guards up against the perimeter wall unable to move.

So far. So good. He wonders how the others are getting on.

Inside the facility Rogue quietly walks along the wall of the corridor while her partner, Kitty, scouts ahead and uses her powers to disable the cameras. They had split into pairs. Jean and Scott had taken another way in while Rogue was teamed up with Kitty. The idea being if they split up better chance one of them makes it as far as the security room. Once there they can disable the alarms.

Kitty's head appears from out of the wall next to Rogue.

"So what did ya see?" Rogue asks Kitty.

Kitty pulls herself fully out of the wall. "I've like found the security room and disabled the cameras en route," she informs Rogue.

Rogue nods and follows Kitty. They turn the corner to where the security room is and run right into...Jean and Scott.

They stand outside the door. Scott points at it and the holds 3 fingers up indicating that they go in on 3. Rogue pulls her gloves off in readiness.

Scott counts down using his fingers. On zero Kitty fries the electronic lock by phasing her hand through it. Scott kicks the door open. He fires an optic blast at the first man he sees. Jean slams another into the wall. Rogue rolls under Scott's blast and before the 3rd guard can react her hand is in contact with his face. Rogue doesn't like doing it but it is effective at disabling people quickly and quietly.

It is all over in seconds. They drag the guards to the corner and tie and gag them. While this is going on Kitty is looking at the monitor feeds trying to locate the mutants. "Found them," she reports as she brings up the image of a row of cages with people inside them.

Scott moves to stand next to her. "Where is that?" he asks as in which part of the facility are they.

Kitty groans when she sees where it is. "Sub-basement level."

Scott palms his face as he thinks. That makes it more difficult as they will have to secure either the elevator access which is vulnerable to having the power cut and trapping them or the stairs which are a narrow confined space. Easy to block them in. "Shadowcat. Disable the security on the access points to and in the holding area itself," he orders to at least try and prevent their detection as long as possible.

Kitty nods and gets to work.

Scott turns to Jean. "We'll need the others," he tells her as they'll need the extra numbers to keep the exit clear.

Jean nods and closes her eyes and she sends out instructions to Kurt. Using her mind as a guide it only takes a minute for him to appear in a puff of blue smoke with Evan and Clark. Evan coughs and waves the smoke away. "Man. Will you warn a guy before you do that," Evan complains at Kurt just popping in next to him and then the next second teleporting the two of them away.

Clark won't say it but he agrees with Evan. If you breathe in at the wrong time the sulphurous smoke is pretty horrible on your lungs but back to the mission. "So what's happening?" he asks.

Scott explains the situation.

"Couldn't Clark just punch us a way down?" Evan asks as an alternative.

"Only if you want every guard in the place to hear me. It's steel reinforced concrete with lead lining. I can't get through that quietly," Clark points out.

"Can you hear anything?" Scott asks.

Clark closes his eyes and listens. His brow furrows. "It's all muffled. Like..." He tries to think of an apt metaphor. "Like there is cotton wool in your ears. There's some kind of...soundproofing," he guesses.

"Then we'll do it the hard way," Scott decides. He turns his attention back to Kitty. "Shadowcat?" he queries as to her progress in disabling the alarms.

"Done," she reports chirpily.

The group then move out and make their way to the stairs after Scott decides the elevator is too risky and only to be used if they have no other choice. They reach the door to the stairs to the lower levels and Scott has Shadowcat phase through first just in case the door has an independent alarm of some sort.

Once that checks out Scott leaves Evan on guard as the rest of them head down. They reach the area where the mutants are being held in cages. They are just about to open them when a huge metal door slams down sealing them in. Klaxons blare as alarms sound everywhere. They all tense up ready for whatever happens next.

"Superboy. The door," Scott orders as they will need an exit.

Clark charges right at the door planning to just burst through it. He hits it and to his immense surprise and not inconsiderable discomfort bounces right off of it leaving a Clark shaped dent in the metal.

During the few seconds it takes to clear his head dozens of heavily armed men pour in from other doors and onto a catwalk above until the group find themselves utterly surrounded with weapons pointed at them.

Kitty throws her hands up, not in surrender but in exasperation. "We blew it!"

"Ya got that right half-pint!" a gruff voice over the PA announces as the room dissolves away to reveal that this is all a Danger Room simulation. After what they had learned from Volcana about Lionel's activities involving mutants this kind of scenario seemed a prudent one to practice along with others involving some kind of armed assault on the institute.

Clark picks himself and dusts himself off as Logan enters the Danger Room.

"How did they know Logan?" Scott has to ask. "I thought we disabled everything."

Logan lets out a small grunt. "You forgot to check for a secondary control room or in this case that the sub-basement levels had a separate system only linked to the one up top."

Scott mentally kicks himself for that oversight.

"Ah have ta know one thing," Rogue asks. "How come none of Clark's senses worked? Did ya do that on purpose?"

"Of course I did," Logan says like it is obvious. Hank had helped him program a way to do it since Hank had spent the most time studying Clark's powers "Can't make it too easy on ya Stripes."

Rogue snorts. Easy? Right.

Logan continues. "Look I'm trying to train ya for the worst case scenario. Now probably most times the Boy Wonder's senses will work but in case for whatever reason they don't or he isn't there you still need to be able to do this." Basically he doesn't want them to become too dependant on Clark's powers and therefore risk becoming complacent because as soon as you do that is when it all goes to hell.

Rogue hates it when Logan makes sense. "Ah suppose," she concedes.

"What was that door made of?" Clark asks his head almost still ringing.

"Adamantium," Logan states.

The whole group look at Clark with expressions ranging from awe to amazement. "What?" he asks them.

"You like put a dent in an indestructible metal," Kitty points out as to why they are looking at him since the Danger Room computer is programmed to have the holograms react as the real world material would.

Actually that surprised Logan as much as the kids. It seemed like Clark was getting more invulnerable to go along with his his growing powers. That aside he addresses how Clark, Kurt and Evan did. "Porcupine, Elf, Space Boy not bad with eliminating the guards. Just be mindful for the future that if you take out too many it will raise suspicion when they don't check in and they'll raise the alert level in response."

The 3 of them nod in response as they make a note of it.

"Alright so better," Logan praises them knowing they need to be given encouragement and it was better than the last attempt. "You can go hit the showers now."

* * *

As Clark finishes his shower the odd thought pops into his head as to whether he really needs to take one right now. After all he doesn't sweat. He tries to shake that thought away as he grabs a towel and dries himself off. He ties the towel off around his waist and heads to the changing room to get dressed.

Somehow, don't ask him how since he possesses superspeed, he ends up just about the last out. The only other one is Scott who is slowly tying up his shoe laces. If Clark knows his friend at all he guesses Scott has taken so long because he has been beating himself up about their failure in the DR session.

"You're not solely to blame Scott," Clark says. "I mean any one of us should have remembered to raise the point about a redundant system."

Scott appreciates the attempt to make him feel better but it doesn't work. He is the leader after all. His gaze drifts briefly to Clark who goes from one second being only in a towel through a blurred whirlwind to being fully dressed. "How do you do that?" he has to ask.

Clark shrugs. "Practice. Sometimes I hear stuff out in Bayville and I need to change quickly."

"Are you going out...um..." 'What did Clark call it again? Oh yeah.' "...patrolling tonight?" Scott asks.

"No. I promised Rogue a date."

"Same here," Scott comments until he realises what he said. "Um...I mean I promised Jean a date," he hastily corrects himself.

Clark chuckles. "I got what you meant Scott. How's it going? You and Jean?"

"Great. Really really great," Scott says with a happy smile. It was just so natural for the most part. Like all couples they have small arguments but for the most part he and Jean just click naturally like he always dreamed they would. It meant already his feelings for Jean were developing into something pretty strong. "What about you and Rogue?" Scott asks Clark in return.

"I think like you said great covers it."

The why does Scott hear a but? "Is something wrong?"

"What? No. Not really."

Scott looks at his friend with a compassionate expression. "You know Clark like I said to you once if you ever need someone to talk to I'm here," he says offering himself as a sympathetic ear.

"It's a minor thing," Clark tries to play it off yet if that was true then why is he mentioning it at all.

"Like?"

Clark sighs and sits himself down. "She doesn't talk about herself. You know about her past."

Ah. That. Yes Scott understands now. Rogue says almost nothing about her past.

"I'm not saying I expect her to suddenly open up or anything. I mean I get keeping parts of yourself secret. I'm a master at it. It is just...in all the months I have been here I have only gotten a few bits and pieces out of her. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Maybe I have some foolish notion in my head that for a relationship to be perfect it is about being open and honest with each other."

Maybe it comes out of the fact Clark and Lana bombed so spectacularly for the very reason one of them, him, was keeping this huge secret.

"I don't think it's foolish," Scott says in sympathy with Clark. "I may not be an expert or anything but I think you're right. You do have to be honest with each other."

"Are you and Jean?"

"Yes but that's different. We basically grew up together since we were about 12. We're best friends so there isn't that much left secret to start with." Scott shifts himself over to sit next to Clark and places a hand on Clark's shoulder. "You know I've seen the way you look at Rogue and the way she looks at you. You are obviously crazy about each other. Even I can see that and honestly Clark if you've managed to even get small pieces out of her you are doing better than the rest of us. She never talks about herself. No-one here, say perhaps the Professor, even knows her name."

"I know her name."

Scott looks at Clark wide-eyed under his shades. "You...how did you manage that?" he asks in total astonishment. "And what is it?"

"Sorry. Rogue made me promise under threat of mortal harm not to say."

And Scott knows Clark doesn't break promises. "I'm not sure what to say Clark beyond that the one thing I know about Rogue is that it takes time for her to trust people and even more time before she opens up even a little. I almost had to die before she trusted me enough to come here."

"Well I would like to avoid that. I've had way too many near death experiences already," Clark jokes although saying that he did have a few back in Smallville usually thanks to kryptonite. More seriously though what he thinks Scott means is "I just have to be patient."

"Basically...yes."

"I can do that," Clark vows.

* * *

**At the Bayville Boarding House...**

Mystique watches on as Alicia takes on Lance in some hand to hand combat down in the basement. Lance may be bigger but Alicia is quicker, more agile and most important of all a good pupil. Lance barely listens to Mystique most of the time while Alicia has become quite proficient.

Lance throws a punch to find his wrist caught, then twisted hard which leaves him completely open to the kick that hits him square in the stomach bending him over. As quick as a flash he finds a knee connecting with his head before his legs are wept out from under him. Next thing he knows is a foot being placed firmly on his chest and Alicia looking down at him with a cold expression.

"There's no way I'm going next yo," Toad whispers to Blob who nods in agreement. Despite his huge size advantage Fred is not eager at all to take on Mystique's little prize pupil.

Mystique looks on with some pride at her adopted daughter and some extreme disappointment at Avalanche at how easily he was taken down. As good as Haze is Lance should have been able to manage at least one minute. It is like he doesn't listen to her.

What is she thinking? Of course he doesn't listen to her. None of them really listen to her except out of fear. They really need to recruit more people like Alicia.

"Avalanche. That was pathetic," Mystique tells him in her brutally honest opinion.

Lance angrily pushes Alicia's foot off his chest and gets back to his feet. "Well you said powers were off-limits," he reminds her like that is an excuse.

"Ok I have had enough of this!" Mystique snaps and they all jump slightly in fear. It is always bad when Mystique raises her voice. "All of you apart from Haze seem to keep thinking you can do this half-heartedly. Now do any of you actually believe that mutants and humans can live together in peace like that fool Xavier?"

The response is a mumble of half-hearted 'nos' which kind of proves Mystique's point. "I'm going to be generous here and give you all time to have a long hard think about what it is you want," she makes the offer. "If you believe in Xavier's dream then go and join him," she tells them because Mystique has just had enough. "If you believe that Magneto's way is the only chance for our species then I expect no more of this garbage. I expect 100% commitment. The choice boys and girls is yours."

Mystique then watches Tabby, Lance, Pietro, Fred and Todd march up the stairs leaving her with alone with her adopted daughter.

"Pietro will never leave until he proves he is good enough to be Magneto's son," Alicia makes her observation.

Mystique smiles proudly. Alicia had learnt well about observing people. "Which will be never," she says in relation to Pietro proving himself to Magneto. "Because he can't turn his focus off girls and stealing for more than about 10 minutes."

"You know you really can't kick Pietro out," Alicia argues as Magneto will never allow his own son to join Xavier.

"Yes but he doesn't know that." Which is the point. Mystique looks at Alicia. "Any other observations?" she queries curious at seeing how much Alicia has learned.

"Not sure about Lance. He likes that Pryde girl. He might leave just to be with her."

"A possibility," Mystique will concede. "Yet I know he does not believe in Xavier's agenda. In either case my ultimatum will force him to choose once and for all what he wants and we shall see."

"Fred and Todd will stay although most likely their whining will continue unabated," Alicia gives her opinion.

Unfortunately Mystique agrees. "And Tabitha?" she asks of Alicia.

Alicia bites her lower lip. "I think she will go. Maybe not to Xavier's. Just leave town or something. Her heart is not in this."

"Yes. I had noticed she was going through the motions," Mystique delivers the conclusions of her observations of Boom Boom.

"You knew?"

"It was obvious. I have perhaps been too generous and patient hoping if I let her stay she would eventually come around and well I know she is your friend," Mystique gives her reasons. The second one showing she is not as heartless as people might think.

Alicia has been trying hard to shut off her emotions but there is still that sliver of friendship there. "Maybe she will change her mind," she says too optimistically.

"I will give her the same time as the rest of them to think it over. If she chooses to leave then I have a replacement in mind."

"You do?" Alicia inquires with some surprise.

"It has taken me far longer than I would have liked to set up. My job watching Luthor keeps me busy and it was difficult to find the person I required to train this girl."

"What girl?"

"It may surprise you to hear this but Pietro has a twin sister."

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

The X-Men and the Brotherhood are not the only ones being run through a training session. It had been a week since he had used Rebirth and now that he had been restored to full health Magneto was determined to get his Acolytes ready for the approaching Day of Reckoning for mutantkind. Magneto had come to see his Acolytes needed much more training and harder training if he was to get them ready in time. A fact reinforced by the way his protectors had been defeated in the Sahara. Magneto had had to abandon that base which was a loss but a manageable one.

Out of his newest recruits, the 3 taken from Lionel Luthor, only Ruckus was definitely fit and ready to join his Acolytes in Magneto's opinion. Sinister's manipulations had done an excellent job of preparing the young man both physically and mentally.

Justin Gaines, who is now going by the name Stryfe after making a comment once how he would use his powers to bring strife to humanity, is not ready. Magneto is giving the name a trial run so to speak. If Stryfe can prove himself worthy of the name Magneto will allow him to keep it. From the short time he has been here Magneto can see that Stryfe has much work to do. Stryfe had a cockiness to his personality that was unearned in Magneto's opinion. Oh there was potential there with Stryfe's telekinetic powers but it was unrealised potential and was quite some distance away from being fulfilled. In truth if Lionel Luthor wasn't looking for the boy Magneto would have sent him to live with the Brotherhood.

As for the Sandman Magneto hasn't decided yet where his place will be. His abilities were impressive. He was able to turn his whole body to sand. Magneto wondered if Sandman could alter his density the other way to make him more dense and perhaps create hardened weapons out of his fists. He had seen mutants with similar powers do this. He would make a note to have Sandman try it later. Only after some more testing and training will Magneto make his judgement as to where to place Sandman.

Magneto soon leaves them to it under the watch of Sabretooth as he has other business to attend to. He walks to the part of the base where he had been keeping Sinister's Genetic Enhancer. It was part of a lab now and in the lab was a figure in a black bodysuit with ghostly white skin, glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. Sinister in his true form.

Magneto walks up to where Sinister is finishing analysing his test results. Magneto had to be sure Rebirth had been a success in restoring him to the prime of his life. "Well?" he asks impatiently.

Sinister looks up from the computer he is working at. "All tests seem to indicate that you are a man no more than 40 years old. Rebirth delivered as promised. You are once more at the prime of your life," he confirms for Magneto.

Magneto nods satisfied. It means he is now ready and able to lead mutantkind into their new era.

"Shame the machine was destroyed," Sinister remarks with slight regret. "I would love to have examined it." He would have loved to gotten the secret of Captain America. Sinister had worked for the Germans during the war as they had been more than eager to provide subjects for his experiments and he had actually seen the legendary hero up close. An impressive attempt at genetic engineering for a bunch of amateurs who had no proper concept or any real understanding of what they were doing. Again shame he never managed to obtain a genetic sample of the great Captain to see if he could have recreated the Super Solider Formula.

"What is done is done," Magneto dismisses it not wishing to dwell on the past. He has a bright new future to plan. "Now tell me of your machine," Magneto instructs.

"Ut uh," Sinister cautions Magneto off. "My payment," he reminds Magneto of their deal. His machine for genetic samples.

"Very well," Magneto says with a scowl. He gestures with his hand and the metal in the wall warps and opens up to reveal a refrigerated case in which are genetic samples taken from every mutant here. The case floats over into Sinister's possession.

Sinister grins evilly. Who knows what wonders he will discover. These samples could lead to great strides forward in his research.

"The machine," Magneto says wishing to get back on topic.

"Yes. I have made many improvements on it since I first conceived its creation. Now that I understand how the meteor rocks create the mutations I have been able to write a program which will create stable mutations. It takes out the randomness that resulted in the mutants in Smallville being so unstable although I have yet to be able to conceive of a method of being able to control what powers the subjects will gain. You took it before I had completed my research. This fact will also apply if you intend to use the machine to enhance those in possession of the x-gene. The enhancements will be unpredictable in nature."

It's not perfect Magneto will admit but it will suffice. "What about those who are already meteor mutants? Can they be enhanced further?" Magneto wonders.

Sinister thinks on that for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "I doubt it. As the saying goes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The meteor rocks combined with the x-gene can create something greater than either can alone."

"What about creating something that would work on a larger scale?"

That peaks Sinister's interest. "How large a scale are we talking about here?"

"A city."

Sinister shakes his head. "No. Definitely not. The technology doesn't yet exist to blanket an area of that scale." Although give him a few years and Sinister might invent the technology required.

That is disappointing. Otherwise Magneto might have considered using such a device to create millions of fellow mutants. It is not as horrific a concept as others might think. It would simply be an acceleration of what is happening naturally. Homo Sapiens are a dying species. It is the time of Homo Superior to inherit the Earth.

Oh well. Magneto will simply cope with the hand he currently has and as for right now he will recruit suitable candidates to place in the machine. People who would welcome the power he can grant them in return for their loyalty to the mutant cause. The Brotherhood could certainly do with freshening up and extra numbers.

Magneto moves onto another topic. "You have been studying the meteor mutants for what? A decade?"

"At least," Sinister confirms the period of time he has worked for Lionel.

"In all that time have you ever seen anyone suffer an extreme reaction to the rocks?"

"Define extreme?"

"The ability to make them sick and weaken them."

"No. I can't say that I have except when they were exposed to large fatal doses of the radiation but I don't think you mean that do you?"

"No."

"Then what do you mean?"

"It's a simple theoretical question. In theory why would the rocks affect someone like that?"

Sinister has a feeling Magneto isn't talking in theory but he will humour him. "In theory someone who shares the rocks unique origin point would be extremely susceptible to the rocks' unique radiation."

"You mean an extraterrestrial?" Magneto seeks Sinister to clarify his meaning.

Sinister nods. "Indeed. I did a theoretical study for Lionel Luthor once," he explains as to how he comes to be able to theorise this. Now that he thinks on it Sinister had found it odd at the time as to why Lionel would ask for such a study but since he wished to stay in Lionel's employ to gain access to the rocks and study their mutational properties he simply carried out the study without asking too many questions.

Of course what this does is clarify for Magneto a point that had been causing him some puzzlement revolving around Clark Kent. The x-gene can't create a mutant that powerful but now Magneto knows the truth. Clark Kent is not a mutant. Clark Kent is not from this world at all. It is not as great a surprise to Magneto as one might think. He had encountered some evidence over the years that aliens were real and had visited Earth.

'Clever Charles,' Magneto has to think in praise for his old friend. With this boy Charles has recruited someone who may grow to be more powerful than any mutant can ever hope to be. The boy could be the ultimate weapon in the war to come against humanity...assuming of course the boy chooses to join him on the Day Reckoning. If he does Magneto will welcome him. If he does not then Magneto still holds the trump card. He knows the boy's weakness and should it come to a situation where Clark Kent tries to oppose him then Magneto will not hesitate to use it.

* * *

_Author's Note: Slowly and gradually people are going to figure out what Clark is and in this case people Clark would never want to know. The scene at the Brotherhood house is the start of an arc that will determine the future of Kitty and Lance's relationship. It couldn't be left in this situation where they sort of date and yet he still lives with the Brotherhood and she at the mansion so I'm going to bring it to a head. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark's actions get the Bayville Blur dead centre in Lionel's crosshairs._


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

New York City. The city that never sleeps. Clark had been starting to make the odd patrol come into New York. He was starting to draw too many headlines and too much attention to Bayville which is the last thing he wants since it made greater the risk the Institute's exposure. Perhaps this would even draw some of Lionel's focus away from Bayville if he is very very lucky.

Clark makes his way from rooftop to rooftop through a pretty unsavoury looking neighbourhood. He comes to a stop on the edge of a roof. As he contemplates which direction to go next he feels something hit his face. A raindrop followed by another followed by another as the heavens open up and the rain pours down.

'Great. Just great,' he grouses. Not that he feels the cold but even he dislikes being soaked through.

A noise catches his attention. Laughter. At least 5 male voices laughing and not happy laughing at something humorous laughter. It was the kind of dark laughter Clark had heard before in Bayville when a gang were up to something bad. Clark zips in an instant to where it is coming from to find 5 young males following one girl with red hair. Clark sighs because this is truly sad. He doesn't get what drives anyone to go and attack an innocent person.

The first guy makes a grab for the girl and just as Clark is about to blur into action she swings round and punches the guy right in the face before expertly managing to throw the next guy who grabs for her to the ground with a well practised martial arts like move. However the numbers soon add up as the other 3 all make a grab for her. Time to step in he thinks.

He drops down to the ground and at superspeed throws all 3 of the attackers away from the girl. Clark manoeuvres himself between her and the gang attacking her. He folds his arms across his chest and makes himself look as stern and intimidating as he can. "Did no-one ever teach you that's no way to treat a lady?" he asks as the 5 men pull themselves back to his feet.

One of them draws a gun. "Did no-one teach you to stay out of things that don't concern you," he says threateningly.

Clark smirks slightly. "Want to see a magic trick?" he asks.

The 5 look at him puzzled.

"Now you see me..." Clark vanishes in a gust of wind. The next thing the leader knows is someone whispering in his ear, "Now you don't."

All 5 let out cries of fear. "What the hell?" one of them exclaims as they spin round but Clark is already gone.

"Boo!" the yell comes from behind them.

The leader spins round his gun still drawn but he finds his wrist caught in an iron grip. Clark rips the gun from the leader's grasp and then before their eyes crushes it into a ball.

"What the fuck are you?"

Clark shakes his head looking disappointed. "I can see no-one taught you to mind your language either."

The leader having had enough charges at Clark his fist drawn back but Clark catches it easily and crushes it slightly. He then picks the guy up by his shirt and throws him into his 4 friends who catch him.

"What are you waiting for?" the leader demands to know. "Get him!"

What follows is not a very long fight as even as the four of them attack him Clark easily dodges every punch and in return it only takes a tiny fraction of his strength to knock his opponents out. His 4 attackers soon lay there on the ground unconscious.

The leader stands there frozen, looking on in disbelief.

That done Clark turns his attention back to the girl when she suddenly screams "Look out!"

Out of bravery, foolishness or simple desperation the leader had drawn a knife and charged at Clark. He thrusts the knife at Clark's back only for it to shatter on impact as if it hit a metal wall.

Clark turns back round, his point made. The leader looks at Clark pure terror in his eyes. Clark raises his hand towards the leader's head and...flicks him every so gently. The leader crumples to the ground. Clark's eyes scan the nearby trash cans and he spots some old cable he can use to tie these 5 up. In a blur of motion the 5 vanish as Clark takes them out to a main street and hangs them from a street-light for the police to find.

He returns to check up on the girl. Clark makes sure to keep a respectful distance. "I won't hurt you," he promises her as he takes a few careful steps forward. It is now he can take a moment to look the girl over. Red hair, green eyes, reminds him of Jean a bit. Though this girl was a little shorter but no less beautiful. She was really quite stunning if Clark was to be objective which he can't since to him Rogue is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Clark watches the girl look him over as if trying to decide whether to trust him.

"Those were some nice moves Miss...?" he tries to strike up a conversation.

"Watson," she finally says. "Mary Jane Watson."

Huh. The name seems familiar to Clark somehow yet he can't quite place it. "Miss Watson. Nice moves," he compliments her again.

MJ shrugs. "I'm a single girl living in New York. Defence classes are a survival necessity."

Her response elicits a smile from Clark.

"What about you?" she asks him. "Those were some nice moves yourself," she now compliments him.

"Oh I have this rather...insane teacher," Clark says in reference to Logan.

"You're not...no normal person can move like you can," MJ points out.

"It's normal for me," Clark decides to reply with.

MJ shakes her head. "Why does this keep happening to me?" she laments. "First Spider-Man saves me and now you. Is it me? Do I only attract men of the super-powered persuasion?"

"Um..." Clark says unsure how to answer that.

MJ waves him off from answering. "Forget that. I'm just venting."

"Ok...so is there somewhere I can take you?" he offers.

"First off answer me this. You didn't kill those guys did you?"

"What?" Clark asks taken aback by the question. "No. I just put them somewhere for the police to find."

"No offence but..."

This time Clark waves her off. "I know. You can't be too careful."

"Exactly and yes. There is somewhere you can take me."

* * *

Clark comes to a halt in front of the address Miss Watson gave him and he gently lowers her down to the ground from his arms. By now it has stopped raining.

As MJ regains her balance she finds her hands slipping over these incredibly defined muscles in this guy's arms. She looks up into these breathtaking blue eyes and when he flashes her this dazzling smile that shows up dimples she finds her heart starts racing.

'Down Girl!' she has to chastise herself. 'Peter. You like Peter,' she has to actually remind herself.

Speaking of Peter...

"MJ!" he shouts as he comes running out of his house, the one next door.

MJ looks in that direction and next thing she knows is a gust of wind blowing her hair about as her mysterious rescuer disappears. 'Wow,' she just has to think. She swung through the streets in Spider-Man's arms once and has to say that being run at superhuman speed by that guy is now number two in the greatest feelings she has ever had.

"MJ?" Peter queries as he comes to a stop by her side. He had seen Clark drop her off and then vanish. "You alright?"

"Of course Tiger," she assures him using that nickname for Peter only she uses.

* * *

Later that same night Peter is putting the garbage out for his aunt before he turns into bed. He had gotten the whole story out of MJ about what happened and he will have to remember to thank Clark next time he speaks to his friend.

"So that was MJ?"

Peter turns to find Clark standing there in his backyard appearing like a phantom. "You know you need to wear a bell or something round your neck," he jokily comments.

Clark manages a chuckle. "I guess so. Sorry. I keep forgetting how fast I move now."

"Now?" Peter queries as in Clark implying he was slower before.

"My powers have been going through some growth these last few months."

"Yep. Give me another reason to be jealous of you why don't you."

Clark laughs some more. Peter is always funny.

Back to Clark's original question. "Yes. That's MJ," Peter confirms. "And thanks for saving her."

Clark can remember Peter mentioning her during one of their occasional conversations. It wasn't a regular thing but they talked now and again on the phone. Of course that explains why her name sounded familiar. "So are you two dating? Or is it...Gwen you're dating?" he asks trying work it out from what Peter said about his life last time they talked.

Peter shakes his head. "Don't ask. There was a whole...thing where I had to go out and be Spider-Man and ended up doing a no show on Gwen and I's first date so she is not actually speaking to me at the minute. MJ...MJ and I are just friends."

"Sorry," Clark says as it seems like the thing to say.

Peter shrugs trying to make it appear that it hurts less than it actually does. "What about you? Has being a hero ruined your love life?"

"No. Rogue and I are still together."

"At least life is treating one of us alright," Peter says rather sullen.

Clark kind of wishes his parents were here. They would know what to say. He doesn't.

Peter tries to not to dwell on the suckiness that is his love life at the minute. "So what's happening with you? Anything new? What was up with those Sirens I read about? You franchising or something?"

"Err...no." Clark then goes on to explain the whole Sirens episode where the girls took offence to something he and Scott did and went out to prove themselves. "We all got grounded for that," Clark adds at the end.

Peter chuckles. One thing he'll say about that Institute. It doesn't sound dull. "So what is up with that Luthor guy that he sends out a team after you?" he asks.

"That's a long story. Lionel has been capturing and doing research into people with abilities and mutants for years not to mention very illegal experiments. He sent out his team because he wanted to capture the Sirens."

Peter's face darkens. "He experiments on people?"

Clark nods. "Not that you could prove anything. Back in Smallville every time we came close the place where the experiments were being committed was always conveniently cleared out when the police arrived or it was all the work of a rogue scientist and Lionel knew nothing about it. You get the idea."

Yeah. Peter does. He's had that happen to him a couple of times too. People like Luthor are always good at covering their tracks.

"It's because of me," Clark says.

Peter looks at him confused. "What is?"

"That Lionel came to Bayville. He followed me from Smallville. He's obsessed with finding out the truth about me."

"Going out and doing what you are doing is not exactly going to lessen that obsession," Peter points out.

"True but as someone wise once told me with great power comes great responsibility."

Peter smiles wryly at that one.

"I can't let my fear of Lionel discovering the truth stop me from helping people."

"So you and Luthor have a history," Peter assumes.

Clark nods. "Fraid so. It's a long..."

"Long story," Peter finishes.

Clark has not told Peter the truth about himself. That he is an alien. While he is not as paranoid about keeping it secret as he was before he just doesn't feel like he knows Peter well enough to unload that bombshell. However he will tell Peter some of what happened back in Smallville. He is about to begin when he hears something odd for this time of night. "You hear that?"

Peter listens for a second and shakes his head. "Nope."

Clark frowns and starts to head down the side of the house to the front. Peter follows and as he does so he starts to hear what it could be that Clark is hearing. A truck approaching. A large one. Both of them look to the right to see a black truck turn the corner. "Oh gee now that isn't suspicious or anything," Peter drawls sarcastically. A truck like that on a suburban street in the dead of night is obviously trying to avoid being spotted on the cameras that are on the main roads which kind of implies it is carrying something it shouldn't be.

It passes them by and Clark spots the logo on the side. The Luthorcorp logo. "Lionel," he says from between gritted teeth. 'What is Lionel up to this time?' Clark asks himself.

* * *

"A nondescript warehouse. I'm thinking these guys read Villainy for Dummies," Spider-Man expresses his opinion because it was just so cliched that bad guys hang out in a warehouse.

The Bayville Blur nods in agreement as he and Spider-Man stand on the roof of a neighbouring warehouse after they had followed the truck here. Clark activates his x-ray vision and inside the warehouse he can see the truck parked up as crates and equipment are unpacked. His hearing picks up a myriad of conversations but not one specifically that tells him exactly what is going on. Therefore the first thing to do it seems to him is to get a better idea of what is going on before charging in there. Clark guesses those DR scenarios Logan runs them through are starting to pay off.

Peter nudges Clark to get his attention and points at two guards walking the perimeter. Seems Peter is having the same thought Clark is about getting information and the two guards alone would be their best bet.

The two guards are walking their patrol when there is this strange 'thwip' sound and two strands of some kind of sticky substance hit each one on the back. Next thing they know is being lifted into the air with great force and speed. One ends up tied up while the other finds himself hanging upside down being held off the roof by his ankles. With the blood rushing to his head he makes out two upside-down figures. One dressed in a red and blue costume and the other in a black costume.

"So Chuckles. Care to tell us what is going on?" Spider-Man asks the guard.

The guard says nothing.

"Ah. The strong silent type. Hate those," Spider-Man comments. He looks at Clark. "Blur. If you please."

In response Clark releases the hold his right arm has on the guard.

"I should probably point out at this stage that that is his weak arm," Spider-Man tells the guard in reference to Clark's left and now sole arm which is preventing the guard from plunging head first to his very probable death. "So feel like talking yet?"

What the guard feels like is throwing up. He so doesn't get paid enough for this.

Spider-Man shakes his head at the still lack of response. "Oh well. Maybe your friend will be more talkative. Have a nice trip."

Clark swings the guard out like he is about to drop him. He really hopes this works because this is total bluff.

"Ok stop!" the guard pleads. "I'll talk. I'll talk. Just don't drop me!"

Clark pulls him back. Peter bends down. "Ok then. Talk. What's with the truck?"

"It's for the MRD," the guard says.

"MRD?" Spider-Man queries.

"Mutant Response Division," Clark expands the acronym. Since Volcana had arrived at the mansion she had explained everything she knew about what Lionel was up to. Admittedly that wasn't all that much as Lionel kept his cards close to his chest but she explained the acronym on the uniform she was wearing. Clark already knew from several months back that Lionel had created a meteor mutant hit-squad but last Clark knew Lex was in charge of it. Best guess was that Lionel decided to create his own branch of it here in Bayville with its own name.

The guard nods to confirm what the Blur said is correct.

"What is Luthor up to?" Clark demands to know.

"Mr Luthor is stockpiling equipment and weapons in several locations."

"Stockpiling in preparation for what?" Clark asks him since that is why you stockpile something. You are preparing for something that lies ahead.

"I don't know!"

Clark lowers the guard over the edge again.

"I don't! I swear!" he says in an utter panic.

"He's telling the truth," Spider-Man says. "You can't fake that kind of panic."

Clark has to agree and he pulls the guy back up over the roof. He reaches down and grabs the guard by his flak jacket and lifts him the right way up but still off the ground. "If I find out you have been lying to me I am going to be very upset," Clark warns the guy in his best bad-cop impression.

"And you won't like him when he is upset," Peter quips.

* * *

The guard is soon webbed up next to his buddy. Clark and Peter decide they need to get more information. Clark had spotted what you could call an office at one end of the warehouse when he was x-raying it earlier so that seems like a good place to start. They sneak in through a window.

They start looking through some documents scattered over a table. Peter lets out a whistle.

"What did you find?" Clark asks him.

Peter hands the sheet of paper over. "These guys have obviously never heard of the word overkill," he remarks.

Clark scans the paper. It is a manifest of what was in that truck and it includes weapons. Lots of weapons. Lots of really big powerful weapons for say taking down mutants with special powers. It is worse than Clark imagined. Lionel is slowly and discreetly building up an army designed to hunt mutants.

A tapping sound gets Clark's attention which is Peter tapping on a map pinned to the wall which has several locations marked in and around Bayville and the outskirts of New York. "What do think these are?" Peter asks.

"That guard did say they were stockpiling stuff in several locations," Clark remembers. Lionel wasn't just building an army. He was building a huge army.

"Wow you can really pick your enemies can't you," Peter quips. More seriously this Luthor looked to be not far off Kingpin's level so by that standard Clark was facing an extremely dangerous foe Peter would have to say.

Sadly it seemed like Clark could. "Yeah well. Remind me to tell you about Live Wire sometime," Clark tries to joke back.

Just then the door opens and two heavily armed men walk in, see the two of them and aim their weapons at the two young heroes. "Freeze!" one of the men orders.

Peter shakes his head. "Oh man," he laments. "Why does this always happen to me? I bet this never happens to Daredevil."

"Whose Daredevil?" Clark asks.

"I never mention DD?"

Clark shakes his head.

"It's a long..."

"Story," Clark finishes. That seems to be a theme for the evening. Long stories that they don't find the time to tell. He glances at the two men. "So you want to go first or shall I?" he offers the choice to Peter.

Peter taps his chin with his finger. "Decisions. Decisions."

The two men look on bemused at why the two costumed people are continuing to talk as if lethal weapons weren't being pointed at them. Then as quick as a flash the one in the red and blue aims his hands at them, a strange white sticky substance flies from his wrists, sticks to their guns which before they know it are being yanked out of their grasp. The last thing they know is the one in black blurring at them before everything goes black.

"Wow they just don't make goons like they use to," Peter jokes, implying how easy that was, as he webs up the two men.

Clark can't help but shake his head and laugh slightly.

Peter throws the two goons off to the side. They hit the wall hard. They hit a flimsy interior wall hard. Too hard as it promptly falls down revealing the two heroes to the rest of the warehouse where promptly about 3-5 dozen men aim their guns at them.

"Now I know for a fact this has never happened to Daredevil," Peter iterates strongly. He places his hand to his head as he contemplates what he and Clark are going to have to do now. "This is going to smart in the morning."

* * *

What follows next is a mass of gunfire, explosions and fistfights but when it is all over Clark and Peter manage to escape, leaving behind a blazing warehouse.

They end up sitting on a rooftop not far from where Peter lives, their costumes worse for wear and covered in smudges of varying types. Peter rotates his right shoulder a few times. "Yep. Definitely going to be feeling this in the morning," he remarks as he can already feel he has probably strained his shoulder.

That whole thing could also have gone way better than it did Peter contemplates to himself but it could have also gone a lot worse. It was almost miraculous that no-one was killed but they were the good guys so despite the fact they were being shot at and having grenades thrown at them and many attempts to just beat the crap out of them he and Clark had done what the good guys do and made sure they got everyone out before the whole place went up.

Peter looks at Clark sitting beside him. The taller teen has this kind of dark brooding expression going. "I know that look."

Clark looks at Peter and his brow furrows slightly. "What look?"

Peter points at Clark's face. "That one you're wearing. Seen it in the mirror a few times after I've royally screwed up. We didn't screw up...that much."

Clark turns back to staring out across the rooftops. "It's not that."

"Then what? I mean I know us hero types are kind of big on keeping secrets and all but then again who else are you going to share your thoughts with."

"It is just...I hadn't realised just how far Lionel had gone down this road. I may be invulnerable but my friends aren't and if he ever finds out what they are...how can I protect them? I need to do something."

Peter places his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Clark. Really think carefully before you say what I think you are going to," he cautions with this ominous feeling about what Clark is thinking.

"I need to take down the MRD before they take us down," Clark says with determination.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Peter says somewhat regretfully.

"I have to do something," Clark insists.

"I don't disagree but taking the law into your own hands is not the answer."

"Isn't that what we do now?"

Peter shakes his head. "No. It isn't. We protect people. We capture the criminals but we never become judge, jury and executioner. That's not our place. If I have learned anything since becoming Spider-Man than it is that."

"Except people like Lionel find ways to be above the law. Mark my words tomorrow that fire will be reported as some random act of arson or something and not a single thing will link Lionel to what was going on."

"Again I am not disagreeing with you."

Some part of Clark knows Peter is right about taking the law into his own hands but he keeps replaying the same image in his head over and over again. Of his friends in chains or worse. Of them strapped to a metal table while they are dissected for the secrets of their powers. Then he gets an image of Rogue like that and a rage forms in the pit of his stomach and what's worse if Lionel ever finds out the truth it is not some fanciful fiction conjured up his over-active imagination it will be reality. After all how can even he protect them from an entire army that Lionel seems to be creating. Clark will have to stop it. He will have to strike first and he can. Even though he only glimpsed at that map for a few seconds he has a photographic memory. He knows where every other storage depot that Lionel set up is and starting tomorrow night he will destroy every single one of them.

Peter gets to his feet. "You're going to take those places down aren't you," he assumes.

"I must," Clark says with pure determination.

Peter sighs. "Ok. Look I'm not going to try and stop you. Truthfully even if I wanted to I probably couldn't but I will say this. This road you are about to travel down...it will not end well," he tries to caution Clark.

Clark gets to his feet. "We'll see about that."

"Guess so. In exchange for not saying anything though I reserve the right to tell you 'I told you so' in my most childish manner if I'm proven right."

Clark's lips quirk every so slightly and he holds his hand out. "Deal."

Peter takes the hand and shakes it. "I don't have to say anything about heroes don't kill right?"

Clark shakes his head. "No. I promise I'm just going to destroy their weapons and equipment."

"Alright but trust me this will still not end well." And with that Peter leaps off the rooftop and starts swinging his way home while Clark blurs off back towards Bayville.

* * *

**A short time later at the Institute...**

When Clark gets back to the mansion he finds Logan waiting for him in the foyer as he enters through the front doors since he is late. He strides past the feral mutant as he heads for the stairs. "I know. I'm past curfew. I'm sorry. Stuff came up," he says avoiding details.

Logan sniffs the air and can smell the gunpowder and other chemicals related to explosives. "Kid you smell like a war zone," he gruffly says. Not to mention considering the tattered appearance of Clark's coat it looks like he lived through one.

Clark shrugs and tries to play it off since he knows no-one will approve of what he is about to do so he will have to keep it to himself. "They were more heavily armed than usual."

Logan looks at Clark sceptically because somehow he ain't buying that but decides not to push tonight. He will however be keeping a slightly closer eye on the Boy Wonder. "Just remember late or not you have an early morning session with the X-Men," Logan reminds Clark of the deal. He gets to go out and play hero as long as he attends all his classes, training sessions included, on time.

"I'll be there," Clark promises as he dashes up the stairs to his room. War zone. Yeah that's a good description of what he is about to bring down on Lionel because by the end of this week he swears that the MRD will be history.

* * *

**A few days later at the Institute …**

The mad morning breakfast rush was on. Truth be told Martha found it amusing watching them all race around the table and bicker and fight over boxes of cereal. She had found she was now quite attached to them all and knew them well enough to know all their own foibles. Underneath it all though they were good kids.

The radio is playing in the background broadcasting the morning news. _**"Another unexplained **__**warehouse fire last night. The 3**__**rd**__** one in 3 days as Bayville seems to be under attack from a serial arsonist."**_

"Any luck catching him yet Clark?" Bobby asks.

Clark looks up from eating his cereal. "Hmm? What? Who?"

"The arsonist," Bobby clarifies nodding at the radio.

"Oh. Right. No. Working on it."

Rogue narrows her eyes slightly at that answer because these last few days Clark has been...well different. Slightly colder. More clinical and the bit that was really worrying her more distant. When she asked him about his nights out he was also really vague in his responses.

Go back a few months and Rogue doubts even she would have actually spotted that something was off but she and Clark were really close now and she has a basic vibe for his moods except this was a new one for him. It had led her to having crazy thoughts like Clark knew more about these arson attacks than he was letting on.

Like she said crazy right.

Clark would never willing stand by and allow that.

Of course what Rogue doesn't know and what Clark is certainly not telling her is that he is the arsonist and those attacks were on Lionel's MRD storehouses. He had been taking down one a night. 3 down so far. 4 if you include the one he and Peter found. 3 more to go.

* * *

**That night at Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

Lionel is working late except he is not really working. He is waiting for the phone to ring to tell him yet another warehouse had been destroyed. 4 nights in a row this had happened now. The attacker seemed to know the locations like he had stolen them from Lionel's mind and had so far cost Lionel a small fortune. Not just in the equipment and weapons destroyed but in the pay-offs Lionel had had to make to make sure the contents of the warehouses remained off the news and out of the papers.

The person behind this also seemed to be a being of immense power from the reports Lionel had received. Those warehouses were also staging areas and were protected by dozens of heavily armed men but the attacker had been blowing through them like paper. Nothing it seemed could stop him. Certainly not bullets which if the reports are accurate bounce off this perpetrator.

Lionel picks up the folder on his desk and opens it up. Inside were blown up photographs of the scenes of devastation left behind at the warehouses. Also at every scene was what Lionel is interpreting as a message. At every scene burned into the walls is a symbol which resembles a S inside a diamond except that is not what it looks like to Lionel.

To Lionel it looks very reminiscent of the writing on the Kawatache caves in Smallville. To Lionel it hinted at a possible link to the Traveller he has been searching for for so long.

Before he can go too far down that line of thought the phone rings. He picks it up. "Lionel Luthor," he introduces himself.

"Mr...Luthor?" a voice says back but Lionel can barely hear it above the sound of gunfire and explosions.

"Hello!" Lionel speaks louder.

"Sir...this...is...Storage Depot 5. We are under attack...Look out!...On your right!"

There is another explosion in the background.

"Hello!" Lionel shouts. "You still there. Hello!"

"Hello Mr Luthor," a deep baritone voice greets him.

"Who is this?"

"This is the Bayville Blur," the voice identifies himself as. Clark had been doing what he swore he would and destroy another warehouse when he overheard the phone conversation the commander of this place was having with Lionel and Clark decided maybe it was time to leave more than a cryptic symbol. Maybe it was time to more directly tell Lionel what his fate would be.

Lionel remains calm. "So. You are the famous Bayville Blur. Mind telling me what you are doing destroying my property."

"Making sure you have nothing to equip your Mutant Response Division with."

"My what?"

"Do not treat me as a fool Luthor," Clark angrily tells him. "I know you are building an army to capture mutants. What? Experimenting on the meteor infected in Smallville not enough for you?"

'How in blazes can he know about that?' Lionel asks himself. Lionel tries to laugh it off. "I think you will find you are mistaken about what you think you know."

"Fine. Play that game if you want but know this. I am taking down your MRD and then I am coming for you and if you haven't figured it out yet there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"I do not respond well to threats," Lionel warns.

"I'm not making any. Oh by the way I would duck if I was you."

"What?" Lionel asks only to find the Blur has hanged up on him. Lionel places the phone down wondering what that meant. In the next second the window behind him shatters and Lionel instinctively dives to the floor. He looks up to see two red beams above his head.

When they stop Lionel cautiously gets up to his knees and looks around. It is then he spots it burned into his wall with it still on fire in places. The symbol once again. Lionel gets back to his feet and looks out his window and there on the rooftop opposite he spots a figure dressed in black. Then Lionel blinks and the figure is gone.

Lionel narrows his eyes. A message has just been sent. Crude but effective. He will give this Blur credit for that. What this Blur fails to realise is that he does not know just who it is he is taking on.

* * *

Another day has passed and Lionel is down to his last Storage Facility. True he could have relocated by now but that would defeat what he has spent the last day since the Blur's message doing.

"Mr Luthor. I must strongly advise against this!"

Lionel looks up from his chair in his office at one of his scientists; Dr Mitchell. Lionel gets to his feet to use his full height to its advantage. "I don't recall asking for your advise Doctor," Lionel reprimands the man.

Dr Mitchell continues in spite of this because he feels he must. "Mr Jones is extremely dangerous. I cannot emphasise enough how dangerous he is. His condition has severely altered his mental state. He is compelled to obtain power above all else. This impulse cannot be controlled. If you let him loose to do what you propose I guarantee this will only end in carnage."

"Please Doctor. Do not insult my intelligence. Contingency plans are being put in place as we speak to..._deal_ with the subject should he prove..._ineffective _at following orders."

Dr Mitchell shakes his head. Oh he got the hidden meaning laced in the words Lionel used but it won't make any difference. He has been studying and attempting to cure the subject for years without success. This will end very badly.

Lionel, accompanied by Dr Mitchell now head down to the specially set up cell which had been hastily built for the subject who had been brought in from another high security Luthorcorp facility in Black Creek. The subject in question was the result of an accident years ago during the Level Three experiments. An accident that leaves the subject the perfect one to capture the Bayville Blur. It was why Lionel did not relocate that last Storage Facility. He wanted the Blur to come and destroy it and walk right into the trap Lionel is setting.

Once he has him Lionel will possibly have a link to the Traveller. Considering the power the Blur seems to possess it is not beyond possibility that the Blur is the Traveller. In either case or in fact neither Lionel is certain a study of this Blur will be very useful.

Lionel reaches the cell. Its prisoner is hidden in shadow in the corner. Lionel activates an intercom. "Good Day Mr Jones."

The figure inside moves forward into the light slightly to partially reveal a segment of purple skin.

"Or do you prefer...Parasite?"

* * *

_Author's Note: When I made Clark immune to Rogue's powers I got a few reviews pointing out how in the comics the Parasite can steal Clark's powers so I figured the best way to explain the difference was to bring the Parasite into the story. Clark's actions in this chapter are also going to be a part of a lesson for him. He is in some ways still only an impulsive teenager and he will make mistakes and he will come to realise his actions here are a mistake and lead him to do some rethinking about his approach to Lionel. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Clark and the X-Men try to survive an encounter with the Parasite._


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Rudy Jones.

Once upon a time Rudy Jones had been a man. Not a rich or famous one. Just an ordinary hard working man. A janitor really only his clean ups happened to be in a top secret facility 3 levels beneath the Luthorcorp Chemical Plant in Smallville.

It had started as a not atypical day. He and a couple of other guys had been ordered to shift some barrels containing something hazardous. Rudy hadn't cared much to know what was inside. He wasn't paid enough to care and in fact essentially he was paid not to ask. Just take the barrels away and dump them.

He was lifting a barrel up to his colleague standing on the back of a truck. What Rudy hadn't noticed was that the lid was loose. His colleague dropped the barrel and a wave of purple liquid poured on top of him.

And that was the day Rudy Jones died.

And that was the day the Parasite was born.

* * *

"At first we had no idea what the chemical had done beyond the physical changes you can see," Dr Mitchell is explaining to Colonel Stryker.

Stryker had received a phone call from Lionel saying it was urgent he come and what does Stryker find when he gets here. A man with purple skin wearing white shorts in a cell.

Dr Mitchell continues. "It didn't take long to figure out that the chemicals had irrevocably altered Mr Jones' DNA."

"Oh. How so?" Stryker inquiries.

"From the fact the first person to touch him was reduced to nothing but a skeleton in seconds," Lionel darkly replies.

Dr Mitchell explains in more detail. "Mr Jones was left with the ability to absorb the life-force of anything that touches him but it is more than that. He needs the energy to survive. He craves the energy above all things. It has left him with a hunger for life energy that can never be satisfied. He drained the lives of over a dozen men before we were able to subdue him and we have kept him contained ever since, studying him. We feed him a rat a day. That provides enough life energy to keep him alive."

Stryker looks at Lionel, his expression not one of admiration for this idea. "You want to unleash...that," he says pointing into the cell, "into Bayville."

"No normal weapons are going to get us the Bayville Blur Colonel," Lionel explains calmly. "You've seen the same reports I have," he reminds Stryker.

Stryker has and yes the Blur seems to be a being of great power. However he can already see the major major danger with this plan. "If you set this..."

"Parasite we call him," Lionel fills in with a name.

"If you set this Parasite loose and he takes the Blur's power then you are risking losing control of him."

"He won't take all the Blur's power. Just enough for your men to swoop in and capture him," Lionel feels the need to explain more precisely what the intention is.

"And what is going to stop Parasite from taking as much power as he wants," Stryker argues.

"An implant at the base of his skull."

Stryker frowns and looks to Dr Mitchell for an explanation. "We fitted it just in case Mr Jones ever escaped. When activated it releases an electric shock directly into the brain. It can be set to varying voltages to either stun or if necessary kill Mr Jones," Dr Mitchell explains.

"You approve of this?" Stryker asks of Dr Mitchell.

Dr Mitchell shakes his head. "No. I do not. I have already warned Mr Luthor of Mr Jones' compulsion to absorb life energy and how it cannot be controlled. Letting him loose in a populated area will result in catastrophe."

"We seem to be forgetting that I am in charge around here," Lionel warns what he sees as his 2 subordinates. "I want the Blur captured and we are going to use Parasite. End of discussion."

Stryker eyes Lionel carefully because he just has to wonder what is going through the other man's mind that he is willing to risk unleashing this...thing. God even he at his worse wouldn't contemplate it. In fact it was because of creatures exactly like this that Stryker because involved in Weapon X. To create weapons capable of stopping the most dangerous mutants.

Stryker has this feeling of foreboding that this is going to backfire spectacularly. He better start making some contingency plans of his own.

* * *

**At the Bayville Boarding House...**

It is now night-time and Lance is in a foul mood. His mood had been foul for days. Ever since Mystique laid down her ultimatum. Who the hell does she think she is to tell him how he lives his life?

His brain provides an answer. The person who can kick his butt in about 10 seconds. That's who.

Lance is deeply torn on the issue. On one hand he really likes Kitty. On the other he doesn't buy into that stuff Kitty tells him Xavier preaches. Peace and understanding with humans. Please. Humans can't get along with themselves as is. What does Xavier actually think will happen when mutants become common knowledge?

Then again on the other hand he really likes Kitty. She's smart, beautiful, funny and...and...

Lance frowns. Ok here is an issue. Since he lives here and Kitty lives at that mansion the only time he really sees her is at school and how many deeply serious conversations have they ever had. A couple Lance can remember and what he can remember is Kitty babbling on about stuff that either bored him to death or was beyond his understanding or when she isn't doing that she is nagging at him to come live at the mansion or change his clothes or what he eats.

Lance wanders through the house continuing to think and trying to imagine what a proper relationship with Kitty would really be like instead of this half-committed thing they have going. Could it work? How much do they have in common?

Lance may not be a genius at relationships but he knows you have to have something in common with the person you're with. If you have nothing in common you have nothing to talk about.

Lance comes to a stop outside Tabby and Alicia's room and finds Tabby sitting on the bed looking miserable just staring blankly into space. Lately Lance had seen that look on Tabby a lot and even he could decipher it meant she was unhappy here. With Mystique's ultimatum he expected her to leave honestly.

He steps into the room and decides to start up a conversation. "So where's Alicia?" he asks her.

Tabby shrugs. "Out with Mystique doing...whatever it is."

Lance nods. Mystique had gone out a couple of hours ago and as per usual not indicated what she was doing or when she would be back. "You're leaving aren't you," he states.

Tabby looks at him and Lance can see the panic in Tabby's eyes. He moves and sits down on the bed next to her. "Hey. I'm not going to rat you out," he assures her to allay her fears. "Besides Mystique said we had a choice."

Tabby laughs bitterly. "Do you really think Magneto will just let us leave Lance?"

"Maybe..." he says a lot less than total conviction.

Tabby shakes her head at Lance and wonders how he can still be that naive. "You remember Live Wire?" she asks him.

"Sure."

"Want to know what happened to her?"

"You know?" He didn't.

"Alicia told me."

"And?" he prompts her.

"Magneto captured her and then he had a telepath screw with her mind until she was turned into a loyal little puppy. Want to bet that is our fate if we try and leave here."

"But Mystique said..." Lance tries to argue once more.

"Oh grow up Lance!" Tabby snaps, weeks of built up worries and fears bubbling to the surface as anger. "Mystique is as much stuck in this as the rest of us. She just doesn't want to admit it."

Tabby raises her hands and covers her face and Lance can hear the soft sounds of sobbing. He tentatively slides next to her and places his arms around her although he isn't really sure what he does next. "Tabby...um...don't cry...please?"

"I hate it here," she says through teary whispers unable to deal with it anymore. Deal with Alicia and Mystique and this insane path they are all on.

"Tabby. Then just go. Go back to Xavier's. I'll cover for you."

Tabby looks up from behind her hands, tears running down her cheeks and her make-up all messed up. "Y-you would do that...for me?" she asks with soft wonder at Lance's kindness.

Lance smiles softly. "What are friends for?"

Tabby manages a small smile and wipes some tears away. "I'm not sure Lance," she says a little hesitantly. "I didn't exactly fit in at Xavier's you know."

"I know but you would be safe there. I don't think even Magneto would try attacking that place."

"What about you?" Tabby asks him back. "If I go where does that leave you?"

"I don't know Tabby. I try to picture myself there."

"With Kitty," Tabby fills in.

Lance nods in concession. "I try to picture it and I...I just can't quite see it," he admits.

It occurs to Tabby that Lance is saying that he isn't just seeing not fitting in at Xavier's but that he can't see him and Kitty working out either. Tabby hopes he isn't making a mistake and letting his fears of what might go wrong guide him. "Maybe you should try harder," Tabby suggests to him.

Or maybe he should listen more to his doubts and accept he has been deluding himself. One thing for certain Mystique's ultimatum has at least forced him to analyse stuff he had been avoiding.

Tabby sighs at Lance's lack of response. This is not going to end well she fears. That being the case she leans over and kisses Lance gently on his cheek.

"What was that for?" he says with clear surprise.

"For being a friend," Tabby tells him. Well then that done she guesses she should pack and try to leave before Mystique gets back.

Before she can even start the front door opens and she and Lance hear Pietro screaming like a girl and then some banging sounds followed by the whole house shaking. She and Lance run down the stairs to see a girl in the hall dressed in a red top and black jeans with long black hair and a wild angry look in her eyes standing next to Mystique and Haze. Objects are flying around the place of their own accord and Lance and Tabby have to dodge out of their way and they end up hiding beside Pietro, Fred and Todd behind the couch. "What is going on?" Lance demands to know.

"She is going to kill me! That is what is going on!" Pietro says in blind terror.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Tabby inquiries since Pietro must have a long long list of hacked off exes.

"Worse," Pietro says with a gulp and fear etched into his expression. "She's my sister."

"Pietro!" Wanda growls out, her anger fully unleashed and aimed directly at her brother. The brother who along with her father abandoned her and left her to rot in that hell-hole but Wanda would make them pay. Both of them.

The coat stand embeds itself through the couch centimetres from Pietro's head.

"No offence Pietro but you guys needs some serious family counselling," Tabby remarks despite the fact she had no idea that Pietro had a sister and definitely not one who seems to hate his guts.

"You said it yo," Toad agrees with Tabby.

"Make her stop," Lance orders.

"You make her stop," Pietro says back in complete and utter terror of his twin.

"Fine," Lance says sharply. "I will." He gets to his feet raises his fists into the air and summons up his power making the room shake. A crack starts to go along the ceiling towards Wanda. She gestures at it and the crack reverses, heads back over Lance's head causing part of the ceiling to crash down on all of them.

Mystique smirks slightly at the sight as this is a harsh lesson this lot have been needing to have taught to them for awhile.

Wanda growls more and she advances on them as the Brotherhood push the debris off of themselves. "Oh man we are so dead," Pietro whispers in terror.

"Wanda!" a voice calls out.

The Brotherhood peers out from behind the couch to see an elderly woman with grey hair hold her arms out and Wanda levitates backward towards the woman. She then places her hand on Wanda's forehead and mutters what sounds like an incantation which miraculous calms Wanda down.

The woman then leads Wanda away to another room while the Brotherhood watch on in total bemusement about what just happened.

Mystique smiles satisfied. "And that is only a small demonstration of her power," she announces.

"Are you out of your mind!" Pietro yells at Mystique as he zips from behind the couch to confront her face to face. "Bringing Wanda here! Can't you see how dangerous she is? S-She's like a witch with those powers of her."

Mystique calmly folds her arms across her chest. "Precisely," she says like Pietro just stated the obvious. "I'm going to bring those arrogant, smug little X-Men face to face with power they never dreamed existed before in their worst nightmare and together you will finally beat them and knock them down a peg."

"Together? As in all all of us? Wanda included? In case you hadn't noticed I'm not exactly one of her favourite people," Pietro points out.

Mystique smiles some more. She finds it immensely satisfying to see the arrogant Quicksilver almost trembling in fear. "Oh I noticed but rest assured she shall not harm you. That woman you saw is an old friend of mine, Agatha Harkness, and she will teach Wanda to focus all that anger and rage into unbeatable power."

"How did you get her out of that Mental Institution?" Pietro has to know.

Mystique holds her hand out in Alicia's direction. "My daughter is a young woman of many talents."

Haze fills up with pride at the praise she is getting. Yes she helped get Wanda out. Not so difficult when you happen to be a teleporter.

Mystique moves on with a more serious tone. "Now listen up all of you. This will only work if Wanda believes she is getting the one thing she desires the most."

"Which is?" Lance asks as he still dusts himself down.

"Revenge. On Magneto. I promised her that one thing."

"You can't be serious!" Pietro shouts unable to believe what he is hearing.

Mystique rolls her eyes at his stupidity. "Of course not but it will take time for Agatha to do her work and make Wanda more susceptible and open to forgiveness and eventually joining our cause. Until then she thinks you work for me and that we will help her find Magneto and none of you will say anything to her to the contrary," she orders. "Is that clear?"

Everyone mumbles out an agreement.

"Good. I don't need to tell you of the consequences of disobeying my orders do I?" Mystique says with clear threat in her tone at what she will do to anyone who tells Wanda the truth.

They all shakes their heads except Pietro who is still just unable to fathom what he is hearing and what Mystique has done. "You're nuts," he tells her bluntly. "Why do you think he locked her up in the first place? Wanda cannot be controlled."

"Pietro I think your father would be sorely disappointed in you," Mystique chastises him. "I am doing this with his approval and if Wanda does indeed prove troublesome Magneto has a telepath who will..._persuade _her of the righteous of our cause."

"Told you," Tabby whispers into Lance's ear as Mystique just essentially confirms what she told him earlier about what happens if they try and leave.

"What was that Tabitha?" Mystique asks.

"Nothing," Tabby replies.

Mystique narrows her eyes slightly. "Well then at least it is good you are still here because in a few days you can bear witness to the power of the Scarlet Witch."

And so will the boy who hurt her daughter. Mystique looks forward to seeing how his powers stack up against Wanda.

'This isn't right,' Tabby thinks to herself. Using Wanda like that is just...well even for Mystique it is pretty low. Tabby can't allow it. Tabby won't allow it. Especially that bit about the telepath. So Tabby will stay until she can earn Wanda's trust enough so that she will believe Tabby about what the truth is. In that cause Tabby will endure living here for a bit longer.

* * *

**At the Docks...**

A little later that same night Clark finds himself down at the docks surveying the last warehouse on his hit-list. Looks pretty much like all the rest of them. Stocked full of weapons and other equipment meant to hunt and contain mutants. Guarded by a small army. Clark has to seriously wonder where people like Lionel manage to recruit these armies from. They must offer really good benefits.

Well first things first. He has to clear the place out of personnel before he destroys it and unfortunately if the experience of the last week has taught him anything it is that these people don't leave if he asks them nicely. He usually ends up having to beat up a fair majority of them and carrying them out. He'll destroy everything inside and then figure out how to live up to that claim he made about taking Lionel down. Truth be told he said it without thinking how to do it. Well as he said he'll figure it out later.

Clark is just about to start tonight's task when he spots something different in a corner. It looks like a cell and with his x-ray he can see...what in the world?

It looks...humanoid but with purple skin. Maybe a mutant they have captured. Maybe even an alien like himself. Well Clark can figure it out later once he has freed it. No-one and nothing deserves to spend time in Lionel's company.

Clark zips to in front of the large sliding doors that are the access to the warehouse where he finds two guards standing on duty. They immediately aim their guns at him. "Look," Clark says to them. "I have no wish to hurt you so if you'll be kind enough to tell your superior that the Bayville Blur is here and that he should evacuate the premises we can do this the nice and easy way," he offers.

At the name one of the guards gives into his nerves, having heard all the scare stories about what happened at the other storage facilities, and pulls the trigger. The bullet bounces off Clark harmlessly. "Or we can do this the hard way," he says with a resigned sigh. In the next instant he has laid out the two guards.

The hard way is also not the subtle way as Clark grabs the edge of the sliding doors and rips them clear away from the building. Clark strides forward purposefully into the warehouse. Now that he has everyone's attention. "You get one warning!" he tells all the personnel now practically all of them aiming weapons at him. "Leave!" he orders.

There is a pause before who Clark would call the commander orders his men. "Take him down!"

The men obey and a hail of bullets fly at Clark. They impact off his invulnerable body and fall to the ground like metal raindrops. Two red beams leave Clark's eyes and the guns in the men's hands start to be destroyed at an alarming rate from their perspective.

Clark zips into superspeed and starts to blur in and out of a closely packed together group of men who start to drop to the ground one by one as Clark carefully hits them as he buzzes by.

Unbeknownst to Clark all this is being watched on CCTV from a van parked a little ways down the dock.

"Incredible," Stryker says in a hushed whisper. He had never seen any mutant who possessed powers like this. Breaking out of his momentary but strictly scientific curiosity awe he speaks to the commander in the warehouse over the radio. "Keep up the act. We can't make it seem too easy," he commands so as to not raise any suspicion on the Blur's part until it is far too late. Stryker still had that bad feeling about this but he was ready should events play out as he feared.

Back in the warehouse Clark leaps up on top of some crates where a couple of men who still have weapons are. He disarms them and tosses them to the floor. The fall is not such that they will be hurt too badly. He notices a few men are starting to run. Good. It meant he was close to ending this when they realise how pointless it is to try and stop him.

Clark drops back down to the floor and completes what has been his roundabout destination. The cell containing the purple skinned humanoid. He tosses the last few guards in his way out of his way and rips the front of the cell off.

"It's okay," Clark says to the creature not sure if he is being understood. "I'm here to help you."

Clark holds his hand out. The creature hesitates at first before in a swift sudden moment grabs Clark's hand.

"And I'm here to tell you that you just walked into a trap," Parasite says with menacing intent.

Clark frowns for a second before he feels it and he gasps as he feels his powers being ripped out of his body.

Parasite had not expected the sheer volume of the power he was taking. It was burgeoning, overwhelming. He screams in pain and awe as his body tries to cope with the extraordinary amounts of energy that were now flowing through his veins.

Clark hadn't had time to work out exactly what was happening but he knew he had to break free of this creature's grasp. He yanks it forward out its cell and punches it with all his remaining strength sending it flying away.

Clark drops to his knees winded. He clutches at his sides as his whole body is lanced with pain. That creature stole his powers somehow. His mind comes up with what is the idiotic thought at this precise moment if this is what it feels like for others when Rogue absorbs them.

There is a gust of wind. Clark looks up to find the creature back standing over him and in his weakened state and with it having his powers he isn't sure he can stop it.

Parasite laughs giddily. Such power. The power of a god. Lionel had no idea what he had let him taste and now that he tasted it Parasite would be keeping it. "Oh don't worry," Parasite says at Clark's expression. "I won't kill you. No. I'll be keeping you. You'll be my daily pick-me up."

Parasite laughs some more and twirls around on the spot, his arms in the air. "Such power!" he yells out. "I will rule this world! All will tremble before me! All will bow down to me!"

Back in the van Stryker has heard enough. It has gone as he feared. "All units move in!" he orders and the many back up MRD units he has stationed around the dock area swiftly start to converge on the warehouse.

Parasite kneels down in front of Clark who is still clutching at his sides still in pain. "It won't be so bad you know being my prisoner. I promise to take good care of you." After all the charge he picks up only lasts about a day at most so if Parasite wants to continue to possess this power he will have to take care of Clark so he can drain him over and over and over again. "In fact I tell you what. I'll even do you a favour. I'll deal with Lionel for you. I know you hate him. Not as much as I do but hate him you do." Parasite despises Lionel. Lionel locked him up for years and fed him...eugh...rats. No-one can possibly realise how awful it is for him to have to live off what he absorbed from rats.

Clark wonders where this creature got that impression from. Not that it isn't true.

"Don't worry about a thing," Parasite tells Clark before he leans in closer and whispers the next bit. "Through me your power will reshape the world...Clark."

Clark's eyes widen as the revelation that this creature knows his name sinks in. Oh God. It is like Rogue's powers. This creature took his thoughts as well.

At this points the MRD soldiers pour in through the open entrance. Parasite smirks kind of amused.

They surround him aiming their weapons. "Parasite!" one of the men yells. "You are ordered to stand down and let us take the subject into custody!"

It starts off as a soft chuckle but the laugh soon gets louder and deeper until Parasite is actually clutching at his sides. When the laughter subsides he looks at them darkly. "Fools," he hisses. "You have no idea of the power I now yield. Lionel should not have let me out."

With the mention of that name Clark now realises how he has just blindly walked right into a trap Lionel set up for him and if that thought isn't bad enough it seems this...Parasite as it was called is about to double cross Lionel and keep Clark prisoner so he can keep using his powers and worse part is Clark has no idea at this precise moment how he is getting out of this situation.

Back in the van Stryker orders for the chip in Parasite's skull to be activated. The man hits the switch and...nothing.

All Parasite feels is a slight tingling. Clark's powers were extraordinary. He was now truly unstoppable.

"Take him down!" Stryker orders over the radio.

The commander of the men in the warehouse nods in obedience but Parasite is way ahead of them having heard the order using Clark's superhearing. Not wishing to risk his meal ticket getting killed in the crossfire Parasite as swift as the blink of an eye grabs Clark and tosses him into a far corner. With no sunlight to recharge the Kryptonian teen Parasite does not have to worry about Clark getting away.

The MRD units open up. Parasite can only smirk in amusement as the bullets harmlessly bounce off of him. In a purple blur of motion he charges in. He could kill them easily using Clark's powers but he does have that unending hungry for energy and while compared to Clark these men are insects it will still be a tasty snack.

Parasite ploughs into the men and starts to drain them. Watching this in the van Stryker starts to curse under his breath. He should never have allowed Lionel to proceed with this idea. It had done as Stryker feared. It had gifted Parasite with nearly unstoppable power and put the twisted creature beyond any kind of control.

Parasite is about half way through draining the MRD units when he spots a couple with bazookas. Seriously that is just pathetic. He watches in slow motion as one is fired and the projectile leaves the tube and flies through the air at him. He, with a nonchalant arrogance, flicks it sending it careening off course right at this pile of barrels right next to where he threw Clark.

"Nooo!" Parasite screams in horrific realisation of what is about to happen and even with Clark's speed he can't prevent the consequences. The projectile hits the barrels full of gasoline which explode and the last Parasite sees of Clark Kent is as the wall of fire consumes him and the entire warehouse.

The explosion does nothing to Parasite who stands there unharmed amongst the fire and debris and continuing smaller explosions. The MRD guys have mostly been incinerated.

There is no way the boy could have survived that in the weakened state Parasite had left him in which means...which means...in less than a day all this god-like power will be gone. Parasite has to think. There must be something he can do. Then it strikes him. Clark's memories. His memories of a mansion full of people with superpowers. It wouldn't be quite as good as Clark's powers but it would do.

He would have to hurry though. He would need to use Clark's powers to subdue them. In a purple blur Parasite is gone. He comes to a stop outside the gates to the Institute. He knows the place has defences but they are not enough to stop him. "Look out Kiddies," he practically salivates at the thought of draining them. "It's Dinner Time!"

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

That night Charles Xavier is spending time catching up with an old friend. The one who brought Clark Kent to his attention. Virgil Swann.

They had had dinner and were now in a vast sitting room in Virgil's New York home simply talking.

Virgil had been listening attentively to all Charles had to say. It had been awhile since they caught up. He was inevitably particularly interested in how Clark was doing. Clark seemed to be progressing as Virgil hoped. Happier. Less resistant to embracing his powers and his heritage which Virgil had discussed with Clark by an e-mail exchange they kept up.

It meant that Clark was nearing the next stage to his destiny. However he was concerned about one aspect. "Allowing Clark to go out risks Lionel discovering him," he expresses his concern to Charles about Clark's heroics.

Charles nods in concession. "I am aware and so is Clark but he is most insistent that he uses his powers to help people."

"Lionel's actions seem...desperate," Virgil observes from what he knows of what Lionel is doing and of what Charles has mentioned particularly this Mutant Response Division that Lionel has set up.

Charles lets out a breath. "He's dying," he tells Virgil of what he learned that one night he and Lionel met up.

"That makes him dangerous."

"I know but confronting him will only expose my students to him. So far to my knowledge I have managed to keep their mutant status a secret from him. I will not undertake actions that will risk changing that but rest assured Virgil should the day come Lionel finds the truth out my students are well able to defend themselves."

"I have no doubt of that."

"As much as I wish no ill will on any man even Lionel all I have to do is keep him in the dark until the good Lord decides his time is up."

"But will that be before mutants are revealed to the world?" Virgil asks as he is aware that the number of mutants are increasing. It can't be much longer now before the world will have to confront the truth that has been hidden from it for so long.

Charles shakes his head. "I don't know," he admits honestly. "As you know Virgil I always try to be an op...optimist..." Charles fades off and raises his hand to his head.

"Charles?" Virgil inquires with concern as the almost pained expression on his friend's face.

"Something's wrong," Charles says, his voice distant. His mind picked up a psychic...discharge would be an apt description.

Charles closes his eyes and concentrates his mind. Closer. Closer. Almost there. Got it. _"Professor!"_ a voice screams into the astral plane where all telepathic minds meet. A voice calling for help. A voice Charles knows well.

Jean.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

The mansion front doors lie shattered. Broken apart by an immense force. Lying amongst the scattered remains of the door are unconscious forms. Sam. Roberto. Rahne. More off down the hallway. You can follow them like a path. Jonathan and Martha. Jamie. Amara. Ray.

All of them taken down and drained before they could understand what was happening.

A cry echoes around the mansion. Follow it and you find it is coming from Jean in the sitting room as Parasite, with his fingers digging into her skull, absorbs her powers and her memories. Jean's last effort of strength is to call out to the Professor before she drops to the ground.

Parasite revels in the power flowing through his body. So much power. More than he has ever tasted before. Oh he will be keeping these kids around for a long long time to come. Once he has finished here he'll drop in on the Brotherhood and take their powers too because for Parasite he can never have too much power. He always relentlessly hungers for more.

A crimson red beam suddenly hits him and punches him through the wall.

Scott doesn't know much beyond that they are under attack. The alarms had been set off but the attacker had been so swift that he had managed to incapacitate many of them before they could mount an organised defence. Many including Jean which made Scott's blood boil.

He cares for Jean so much. To see her hurt...well it almost feels like he is the one who is hurt and angry. Oh definitely angry but he knows to keep his anger in check. Anger only leads to poor decision making.

Parasite walks back through the wall dusting himself off. "That wasn't bad Scotty. I almost felt that," he says with a flippant attitude.

Scott frowns. "Who are you? What are you?" he asks at the purple skinned man.

"I'm the Parasite."

"What do you want?"

Parasite chuckles darkly. "Your power. All your powers. Although yours I might skip considering your inability to control it Scott...oh wait that was caused by a brain injury. It is not an inherent flaw of your powers."

"How do you know that?"

"Well you see...how to explain this? Oh I know. Just imagine me as a superior version of Rogue."

"You take their memories," Scott comes to understand.

"Along with their powers including the one being on this planet she can't absorb." And to demonstrate what he means Parasite zips behind Scott.

Scott spins round on the spot. This was bad because this...Parasite must mean it took Clark's powers.

A bestial roar signal Beast's arrival as he ploughs into Parasite from behind.

"Beast! Don't!" Scott shouts but it is too late as Parasite manages to grab an arm and absorbs Beast. Parasite then tosses the unconscious form aside and gets back to his feet.

"To be or not to be. That is the question," Parasite quotes. "To be my meal or not to be my meal Scott is not a question because for as long as I have Clark's powers you can't stop me."

Scott hasn't been trying to stop him actually as he tries to think. If it is like Rogue then the powers will fade. He just has to try and stall until that happens.

Parasite usually isn't this chatty to be honest. He is more usually the meet them suck their energy from them kind but with so many minds, some highly intellectual, in his head it has an effect. "Now then. Where were we? Oh yes. The clichéd fight scene where you struggle heroically but ultimate futilely against the evil Parasite before he sucks you dry," he jokily narrates.

"Try sucking on this!"

Parasite turns his head just as he is hit by an icy blue beam which encases him in ice. Bobby, in his ice form, then slides to a halt in front of the frozen form.

"Not so tough now are ya," Bobby says a little arrogantly.

"Iceman! Step back!" Scott orders.

Bobby turns his head and looks at Scott a little confused.

"That won't hold him!" Scott knows for as long as Parasite has even just Clark's powers.

Bobby opens his mouth to argue that point but is cut off by the ice around Parasite cracking. Parasite bursts free, his hand reaches out and grabs Bobby round the throat and he starts to drain him. "Nice try Robert," Parasite mocks as Bobby vainly struggles to break free.

A fireball hits Parasite's back. "Put him down," Volcana growls, her infamous temper nearly at breaking point the second she found Mrs Kent unconscious. She really likes Mrs Kent and this freak is going to pay for hurting her.

Parasite is amused by her gumption. "Oh please," he snorts. "I know you hate him," he knows from others he has drained and what he is learning from Bobby right this instant.

Scott really wishes he had a clean shot but Bobby is right in the line of fire.

"No-one gets to hurt Iceman but me," Volcana declares.

Parasite laughs. "Oh man. That's a good one!" He then carelessly tosses Bobby aside giving Scott an opening and he blasts Parasite hard sending him sailing past Volcana, across the hall and through another wall.

"Volcana. I need you beside me!" Scott yells at the red-head since that has only bought them a few seconds.

Volcana is the type of person who does not normally take orders but she has been trying to fit in here and work as part of a team so she does as told.

"You must not let him touch you," Scott instructs her on the barely thought up idea in his head. "We have to slow him down and buy time for the powers to fade away."

A gust of wind indicates Parasite is back. "Good plan in theory there Scott except you have to know I am playing with you. If Mama Parasite was still around she would probably tell me off for playing with my food but hey ho. She shifted off the mortal coil awhile ago God rest her soul." He takes a step forward and Scott and Volcana brace themselves. "Now then how does this go again?" he asks himself before he recalls the memory. "Oh I know. CANNONBALL!" he shouts.

"Volcana duck!" Scott orders knowing that Sam is unstoppable when he flies and so therefore is Parasite.

Parasite flies over their heads and bounces himself off the walls a few times cracking them badly. Scott rolls onto his back and hits a blast that deflects Parasite up through the ceiling.

Parasite comes to a stop in the room above and wobbles on his feet slightly. "Whoa. Need to practice that one more," he says in a Kentuckian accent.

"Shut up Guthrie!" Parasite shouts at what is only the voice in his head. One of many. Maybe too many. No what is he saying. He needs the power. That is all that matters. He leaps back down the hole he made to find Kitty, Rogue and have now joined Scott and Claire. He is still missing...Kurt, Jubilee and Evan...oh they went out but he will get them. No-one gets away from the Parasite.

"Like gross," Kitty says at her first sight of the Parasite. "What is that?"

"Trouble," Scott grumbles.

"With a capital T!" Parasite says proudly. "Now then. Let me see. Whose power shall I try next? Oh I know. Lets see what the Princess can really do shall we?"

Parasite transforms into Magma's flame form. He presses his hand to the floor and a line of fire shoots at the teenagers who all dive out of the way except for Volcana who reaches out with her hand and commands the fire or at least tries to. Her brow knits in concentration as she tries to fight for control against the Parasite.

Claire is concentrating so hard on fighting for control she doesn't see Parasite's eyes glow red until the heat vision smacks her in the chest, the force sending her tumbling over the back of a chair.

"Scott. What is goin on?" Rogue asks from where she and him rolled to. Like Scott before her all she knew was the alarm going off until she managed to get down here from her room.

"Don't know" Scott gives what is the truthful assessment of the situation. "Only know this guy broke in and has powers like yours," he informs her.

"Mine?" Rogue says flabbergasted at that.

A gust of wind blows Rogue's hair about and she looks up to see Parasite standing over them. "Yes Rogue. Yours," he confirms for her. "Although unlike you I get to know exactly what goes through Clark's head. You want to know how he really feels about you?"

Rogue takes a second to take that in. This guy has Clark's powers and knows what he thinks about her? But "Where is Clark?"

"Ooh. Sorry. I hate to be the bringer of bad news but he got blown to pieces after I stole his powers," Parasite says bluntly and callously.

Rogue can feel her heart break. "What?"

Parasite shrugs one shoulder. "Sorry. That's just how life is. Sometimes it deals you a bitch of a hand." He then rubs his hands together. "Well I think we bring this little game to an end don't you?"

"Like keep on dreaming!" Kitty yells as she takes a leap from behind, phases right through Parasite and grabs Scott and Rogue before phasing all of them through the floor.

Parasite smirks. "Nice try pretty Kitty! But I have both Clark's and Jean's powers and there is nowhere you can hide from me!" he yells at the floor hoping she can still hear him. Now he can either use Jean's telepathy or Clark's x-ray vision or superhearing to find them. Parasite closes his eyes and tries...hmm oh superhearing.

He hears...he hears someone directly behind him?

**Snikt!**

"Ah!" Parasite screams in agony as 3 adamantium claws rip through the flesh on his back.

"You picked the wrong house bub," Logan growls menacingly.

The wounds close up in a few seconds but Parasite is definitely through playing games. He turns round and what features remain on his face indicate he is angry. "You'll pay for that Wolverine," he hisses.

**Snikt!**

The sheathed claws on Logan's left hand pop out to join the 3 from his right hand which he used to slash this guy's back when he wasn't looking.

"You are so out of your league," Parasite says dismissively of the threat Wolverine poses. He raises his hand and with a mere gesture of Jean's powers picks Wolverine up and flings him across the room slamming him into the wall and then he flings Logan into the ceiling and then to the floor and then across the room to the opposite wall.

The sight of Wolverine helplessly flying about improves Parasite's mood a little bit. It will improve more once he makes the feral mutant suffer a bit more before he takes Logan's powers to join the rest he has absorbed tonight. Then using Clark's hearing he picks up a heartbeat rising up directly behind him from the floor or should that be through it. Kitty.

Parasite spins round and grabs...Rogue. "No! Not you!" he shouts in a panic because of the nature of her powers. He had never planned to even try and absorb Rogue. Just kill her and remove the threat.

Rogue had borrowed Kitty's power once her friend had gotten her and Scott to safety by phasing them down into the lower levels. She pushed all her worries about Clark to the back of her mind and focussed on taking this guy down even if that meant using her powers of which she wasn't sure what the effect would be. Her rapidly thought up plan involved well basically exactly what happened. She would phase up behind him and try to use her powers on him. She grabs Parasite's arms with her now ungloved hands to make sure he can't get away.

Both of them cry out in pain as their powers try to outdo the other in absorbing their life-force. Rogue's skin even turns purple in patches before fading back to normal. The resulting clash ends up creating this fluctuating energy building up between then until it snaps like an elastic band. The force sends both flying in opposite directions.

Rogue lands on the floor groaning. That had hurt as well as being perhaps the strangest experience she has ever had. Her powers and the Parasite's obviously don't mix. She will have to remember not to try that again.

A gust of wind later and he is standing over her again, his eyes glowing fiery red. "You little pest!" he snarls angrily at her. "That hurt! You won't take my power! No-one is taking my power! Goodbye Rogue!"

Parasite's eyes glow more intensely as he prepares to fry her and he might just make it hurt a lot to pay her back. Then a horrible wave of nausea and sickness strikes him.

"All power comes at a price."

Rogue looks behind Parasite and standing there is Clark holding a lump of kryptonite out in his right hand. Rogue can see him gritting his teeth in pain although Rogue isn't sure whether that's the kryptonite that is responsible or the fact the left half of Clark's face is charred flesh.

"This is mine!" Clark proclaims.

Parasite turns round to be met with a solid right. Burning searing unimaginable pain scorches his veins. It doesn't matter how many other powers he has absorbed the effect of kryptonite is overwhelming. The fleeting thought, either Parasite's own or perhaps the part he took from Clark, tells him that this is what death must feel like.

Clark hits Parasite again and again with the lump of kryptonite. A punch to the stomach. Another to the head. "You will not take those I care about away from me!" Clark says through gritted teeth. "You will not destroy the ones I love. I would rather die first!"

Parasites drops to his knees groaning. Clark delivers one final blow with all his strength to Parasite's temple. Parasite's eyes roll over and he collapses completely, unconscious.

Clark drops to his knees, panting from exertion, exhausted. He drops the lump of kryptonite to reveal it has burned his hand where he held it. He is in agony. The kryptonite. His injuries from the explosion but none of it mattered as long as his friends and family are safe.

He looks at Parasite still lying unmoving. He did it. He stopped it. It's over.

* * *

_Author's Note: There have been a few Parasites over the years but I chose to go with the 2nd one; Rudy Jones who in the comics basically did what I had him be in this chapter. He did menial work until exposed to certain chemicals due to one of Darkseid's schemes which transformed him into the Parasite. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the aftermath of Parasite's assault as well as the obvious missing scene of how Clark survived._


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

**Earlier that night at the Warehouse...**

Clark can remember how a couple of weeks back he mentioned to Logan his belief that he is immortal. As he watches the bazooka projectile plow into the barrels next to him he knows that he is about to disprove that theory. With this Parasite taking his powers there is no way he can survive what is about to happen.

Strange thing about it is that even without his powers it still seems to happen in slow motion as the wall of fire comes at him. He manages to turn his head and the left side of it takes the brunt.

Clark more feels what happens next than actually consciously experiences it. He feels his skin becoming molten against the heat. He feels the force of the blast lift him through the air. He vaguely feels himself smash through the side of the warehouse. He has a fleeting memory of flying through the air and looking down at the dark water of the docks below.

More fleeting memories come to him. He remembers hitting the water and the coolness of it against his burning clothes and flesh. He remembers his body aching with a pain only kryptonite can surpass. He can remember not having even an ounce of strength to try and stop himself from sinking into the dark depths.

Clark remembers the light fading. He can remember that his life actually started to flash before his eyes. Images of the people he knew. His mother. His father. Pete. Chloe. Lana. Lex. Scott. Jean and all the rest but especially Rogue. The last image he sees is of her face lit up in a smile.

Then a hand grabs him by the collar of his coat and pulls him up. Somehow he ends up on the dockside coughing up water.

"That's it kid. Breathe," Clark is told as a hand slaps his back.

Clark turns his head to see his saviour. "Logan?"

Logan had been following Clark for the last 2 nights as a matter of fact as to why he is here. His suspicions had started the first night the kid came home smelling like a war zone and then every subsequent night was the same. It didn't take a genius to figure out that somehow Clark was connected to the warehouse fires so he started following the kid about. When he arrived here tonight and spotted the kid flying through the air and splashing down into the water he dove in and saved him.

Clark gasps in air and the smell of burnt flesh fills his nostril. Disgusting. Even more so when it happens to be your own flesh.

Logan bends down to get a good look at how badly off Clark is. A few swear words pop into his head when he gets a glimpse of the kid's face. And it is not just that. There are fragments of metal embedded all over and god knows what is ruptured internally. Not to mention his clothes look partially melted into his skin. Logan has seen enough death to know you don't walk away from a blast like that without some serious injuries. Except the kid shouldn't be hurt at all. "What happened kid?"

Clark coughs some more. Painfully so. "There was this...man I think. He took my powers."

"I would say not all of them kid or I doubt you would still be here to talk about it."

Clark coughs some more and nods in agreement. He must have still some left to survive that.

"We have to get you back to the mansion pronto," Logan tells him as he helps Clark up. Dealing with this man that stole the kid's powers can wait until Clark is alright. "You going to be strong enough to ride on my bike?" Logan queries sounding somewhat doubtful that Clark is.

"I'll just have to be," Clark says with a groan as he gets to his feet.

On the way back to the bike Logan says as a promise, "You and I are going to have a long chat about this once you're patched up."

Clark despite the state he is currently in still manages to conjure up some sarcasm. "Goody. Can't wait."

Logan manages a small smile at that but he is deeply worried. He has to get Clark back to the mansion ASAP.

Logan has to admire the kid's guts and strength of will that he manages to hang on while he drives his bike at insane speed back to the mansion. When they get there though Logan skids to a halt at the fact the gates are bent open.

"He's here," Clark says from behind.

"Who is?"

"Parasite. The guy who took my powers."

"How do you know?"

Clark gets off the bike and stumbles a few steps forward. Don't ask him to explain how he is even standing because he can't but he still is. "I can hear him. You were right. I still have some of my powers."

Logan hops off his bike. "Well then he is in for a whole world of hurt."

"Logan. You can't stop him. He has my powers and who knows how many others by now."

That may well be true but Logan isn't about to do nothing. "Well I ain't just standing here."

"What I mean is that I know you can't stop him but you can distract him."

"Until?"

"I get down to the safe and get a piece of kryptonite."

"What?" Logan asks confused at what the kid is planning to do.

Clark coughs again, only this time some blood comes up. Logan can smell it. There is no way this kid is up to doing anything. Clark explains his thoughts. "My powers have a price Logan. If you take them you take my weakness." Clark had learned that from when Eric Summers stole his powers. "Just keep him distracted and I'll do the rest."

"Kid. You can barely stand."

"And if we don't stop him nobody else will be standing either," Clark argues and adds to it by fixing Logan a hard steely look that leaves no room for argument.

Logan knows that this is a bad idea but can see the kid ain't shifting so the two of them go to work. They separate when they get inside the mansion. Logan goes and keeps Parasite busy while Clark goes and gets the lump of kryptonite. He picks up one of the small lead boxes they are stored in and heads back up to the mansion where he finds Parasite threatening to vaporise Rogue with his powers. Burning anger lights up in the pit of Clark's stomach because no-one threatens Rogue period so Clark does what needs to be done. He opens the box and it hurts like hell from the second he does so but it doesn't matter as he has to save Rogue and stop Parasite. He fights through the agony and does what has to be done as he beats Parasite unconscious.

* * *

"Clark!" Rogue shouts his name as she scurries to her feet and kneels down in front of him. "Oh Gawd Clark. What happened ta ya?" she asks at seeing close up his face. She reaches up with her hand but Clark turns his face away not wanting her to see him like this.

Kitty walks into the room with Scott feeling a little wiped out after lending Rogue her powers. "Did we win?" she asks before coming to a sudden stop, putting her hand over her mouth and gasping when she sees Clark.

Scott sucks in a breath through his teeth at the sight. Clark looked like hell. Loud whistling gets Scott's attention. Logan.

"Cyke. Half-pint. Go wake Beast up," Logan orders since they are seriously going to need Hank's medical skills. That snaps Scott and Kitty out of their shock and the two of them go and endeavour to wake Mr McCoy up.

Clark meanwhile drops to one hand while he wraps the other around his chest as he coughs heavily again and more blood comes up.

Logan kneels down next to him. "Hold on kid. Help's comin'."

Rogue places her hand on Clark's back and rubs it but otherwise she is feeling pretty dang helpless which she hates. She looks up at Logan. "What happened?"

"Long story Stripes which can wait."

Rogue frowns unhappy at that answer. Her eyes drift to the lump of kryptonite that Clark dropped which is still far too close to him. She goes and picks it up.

"No," Clark says stopping her. "He'll only stay unconscious for as long as he is near the kryptonite," he explains in relation to Parasite.

The last thing Rogue wants is for Clark to be anywhere near this rock but she doesn't throw it away. She places it on top of Parasite's chest instead.

Logan gets Clark's arm across his shoulder and pulls the kid back to his feet and together they head out of the room and away from the kryptonite. Rogue rushes over and props Clark's other arm across her shoulder as they take him into the hallway and lower him down to the floor.

"The kryptonite will only work for as long as he has my powers. Once they fade away you'll have to restrain him another way," Clark continues to say, more worried about his friends than himself.

By now Scott and Kitty have managed to wake Beast up whose eyes actually widen for the moment he first lays his gaze upon Clark before the professional medic kicks in. A quick initial assessment shows he needs Clark down in the infirmary as quickly as possible.

Logan helps and on the way past the room where Parasite is he orders, "Nobody touch him! I'll be back in a minute. Just keep an eye on him."

"Kitty. Go and see if anyone is hurt and see if you can wake them up. I'll keep an eye on him," Scott decides as much as it is killing him not to just rush over and check up on Jean but someone does need to watch Parasite for all their sakes.

Kitty nods and gets to work.

* * *

Down in the infirmary Hank is forced to cut Clark out of his clothes due to their melted state. His mind is swimming with a thousand questions about what has gone on tonight but he pushes them aside and focuses on the here and now.

Once Hank has got the top of Clark's costume off it is easy to see that most of Clark's left side has been burnt as well as a lot of his back. Not to mention on top of that the several pieces of shrapnel embedded in Clark's flesh. Hank is frankly amazed that Clark is still conscious let alone how he was able to disable that creature. Logan had told him on the way down what happened. Logan had now gone back up to deal with containing this...Parasite as he called it.

Standing in the corner is Rogue nervously playing with her white bangs. When she refused to leave Mr McCoy had said she could stay as long as she stood in the corner out the way but as Clark's clothes are peeled away and she gets to see the extent of his injuries part of her is wondering if she should have waited outside. Her stomach is clenching with fear and worry.

'Oh gawd what if he doesn't make it?' she asks herself. That thought makes this terrible empty void open up inside her. She couldn't imagine how she could go on without him. Part of her wants to burst out in tears but she hates crying or showing weakness in front of others so she keeps it in check.

Rogue's gaze turns to the door as it opens and Clark's parents walk in having finally woken up. Martha lets out a loud gasp at seeing the state of her son. She had never imagined ever Clark getting hurt like this.

Hank looks up and speaks gently but firmly, "I must ask you to wait in the corner while I work."

Jonathan nods in understanding. He wraps his arms around his wife and leads her to the corner next to Rogue where he does his best to reassure her Clark will be alright despite the fact he himself doesn't know that.

* * *

Back up in the mansion Logan is finishing wrapping up Parasite in some heavy chain he picked up from the garage. Once Hank is finished patching up Clark Logan thinks maybe some sedative might be a good idea and then once Charles gets back they will figure out what to do with their definitely uninvited guest.

"Whoa! What's going on?" Jubilee announces her return from her night out as she takes in the damage to the mansion. "Wolvie?" she queries before she then spots Parasite. She makes a face. "What in the world is that?"

"He calls himself Parasite."

Jubilee jumps a little startled and turns round to see the Professor and Storm are back. The Professor's expression is a deeply contemplative one as he uses his powers to get a picture of what has gone on tonight. Usually he is more restrained in doing that but time is more imperative than politeness and respect for privacy.

After hearing Jean's psychic cry for help he and Storm, who was his driver for the night, got back here as fast as they could.

Charles turns to Jubilee. "Jubilee. You'll find the others in the kitchen recovering. Go and assist them will you," he asks of her.

"Sure Professor."

Once Jubilee is gone Charles turns to Logan. "You and I need to have a talk," he says, his voice deadly serious.

Logan nods. "Yeah. Yeah. I know. About what Clark has been up to."

"And the fact you never stopped it or brought it to my attention," Charles says with some disappointment in his friend.

"One thing at a time Chuck. First we have to deal with this garbage," he says nodding his head at Parasite.

"It will take me some time to clear his mind of everything he has absorbed," Charles announces from a rudimentary scan of Parasite's mind. There are lots of minds and it will take even Charles some time spread over several sessions to remove it all.

"We'll need to keep him sedated at least until the powers he took fade...assuming they will?" Logan asks that last part.

Charles nods. "They will." He lets out a sigh. "Well now I'll deal with Parasite later. First I would like to check up on Clark."

Charles then turns his wheelchair around and rolls off leaving Ororo standing there, her arms folded across her chest and one delicate white eyebrow arched ever so slightly. She is accustomed to Charles inevitably knowing what is going on before her so she has learned patience knowing she will be told. What caught her attention and what she is waiting an explanation of is why Charles sounded so disappointed in Logan.

Logan catches her look and scowls slightly. "What?"

* * *

**In the kitchen...**

"You like think he is ok?" Kitty asks Scott as the students, some nursing monster headaches, hang around the kitchen. A few even have frozen goods out the freezer held to their heads.

"Who?" Jean, who has a bag of frozen peas held to her pounding head, asks.

"Clark," Kitty answers.

Jean looks at Scott with a quizzical expression and Scott explains everything he knows. Admittedly that isn't a lot but it includes the state Clark is in.

"How can he be hurt?" Ray asks understandably confused since Clark is invulnerable.

"Parasite has powers like Rogue," Scott begins to explain before Roberto interrupts.

"We're calling it Parasite?" Roberto queries as to who came up with that lame name.

"It is what it...he called himself," Scott tells Roberto.

"Oh. Right. Continue."

"Except unlike Rogue Parasite can take Clark's powers. It was how he was able to take you out so fast."

"Ok how can it take Clark's powers when Rogue can't?" Jamie is the one to ask.

Scott shrugs clueless. "Don't know."

"Still don't see how this leads to Clark's current state," Amara says since that point has been made no clearer.

Scott scratches his head. "Don't know that either."

"Well you're just a bundle of help aren't you," Bobby says sarcastically in a somewhat bad mood, a rarity for him.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Claire asks from the corner where she stands aside from everyone else. Her concern comes as much from thinking what it would do to Mrs Kent if Clark is seriously hurt as much as her concern for someone she would just about call a friend.

Scott sighs and Jean manages to rub his arm in a comforting gesture despite her headache. "Truthfully I don't know that either," Scott tells them seeing no point in lying to them.

Jubilee walks in at this point at looks at all her friends a little worse for wear and just has to say it. "Rough night huh?"

* * *

Hank wearily rubs his eyes as he looks over Clark's test results. He was still feeling the effects of being absorbed by Parasite but he had been fighting it off with gallons of coffee as Clark's medical needs were far more important. It had been a few hours now and he had managed to stabilise the alien teen and was just trying his best to understand Clark's current state.

This would be difficult under normal circumstances but when you are dealing with someone who has a completely alien biology it takes it to a whole new level. Bottom line as far as Hank can figure is that Clark is stable and certainly showing no signs of his condition worsening. Hank would attribute that as a testament to the robustness of Kryptonian physiology. It had survived forces that would have killed a human being.

"How is he doing?"

Hank spins round in his chair to see Charles behind him. He must be tired as he never heard Charles come in. Hank explains to Charles that Clark is stable and is asleep in bed.

"Do you know when his powers will return?" Charles asks.

Hank shakes his head. "I haven't had time to study Parasite yet so I am uncertain how like Rogue's powers the ones he possesses are." What complicates that is the fact that neither he nor Charles completely understood how Rogue's powers work let alone Parasite's let alone on top of that they haven't figured out how Clark's powers work either. "Where is Parasite?" Hank asks, both curious and concerned about the current state of the one that attacked them.

"Locked up. Logan is keeping an eye on him," Charles informs his friend.

"He shouldn't bother. I gave Logan enough sedatives to keep an elephant asleep for days." It is a half-joke. He never actually gave Logan that much to keep Parasite unconscious. Although it was a quite a lot just to be on the safe side as they had no idea about what Parasite's metabolism is like. Usually Hank would be reluctant to do such a thing but from what Charles had managed to scan from Parasite's mind keeping the energy leech unconscious was the wisest course of action. "How goes the mind wipe?" Hank wonders.

"Progressing. As the powers he took fade so does the strength of those minds he took making it easier for me to remove them," Charles explains. To Charles this was distasteful to say the least but he had gathered enough from Parasite's mind to see how dangerous he is but for the safety of his students, Charles number one priority, it had to be done. "Still it will be another day before I finish," he points out since he has to do it in stages. He needs time to recover and rest himself between each session on top of the fact he hasn't actually gotten any sleep so far tonight.

There is little more to say after that. Until Clark wakes up Charles will have to wait for the entire story of what has transpired and how everyone came to be in this situation. He turns his wheelchair around and heads into the room where Clark lies asleep. This would be Charles' second visit to night and even though Clark is practically covered in bandages and coverings from head to toe especially down the left side of the boy's body Charles had belief Clark would recover. Hopefully when Clark's powers return all the injuries will heal. Essentially Hank is just working to keep Clark stable until then.

Clark is not alone. On one side of the bed is Rogue who hasn't left him since he was brought down here. She is asleep as well resting her head on Clark's arm and holding a bandaged up hand. On the other side is Martha who has been down here from the second she woke up after Parasite's drain and was told about Clark's condition. She too is asleep and like Rogue is holding Clark's hand.

The door opens and Jonathan walks in, two cups of coffee in hand. One for himself and one for Hank.

"How are you doing Jonathan?" Charles asks him.

Jonathan hands Hank's coffee off to the blue-furred doctor and then runs his free hand through his hair which is ruffled in a manner that shows Jonathan has been doing that a lot this evening. How is he doing? Worried out of his mind is how he is doing. He never imagined seeing his son like this. Clark seems so indestructible that it had barely ever crossed his mind and because of that he is having trouble conjuring up the words to describe how he feels.

Charles didn't need Jonathan to answer to have a good idea of how the man was doing. A man who Charles considered a friend. He and Martha had brought much to the lives of the children. Patience and understanding which all teenagers need. Martha in particular had been marvellous at helping Claire slowly start to settle in and open up. They brought an experience of raising a super-powered boy which neither he nor Ororo nor Logan had. In many ways Charles admired them for the terrific job they had done in raising Clark. With the power Clark possesses he could have so easily taken a much darker path but in reality was perhaps one the most kind spirited people Charles had ever met. A testament in Charles' mind to Martha and Jonathan.

He watches Jonathan pull up a chair next to Martha and gently nudge her awake before he takes her free hand into his own and squeezes it in a reassuring gesture that he is there for her. Their love for each other and their son was clear to see. Charles could make a point about them needing rest but has a feeling he would be wasting his time. He'll simply let them be.

* * *

Later Rogue's eyes flutter open at the sensation of someone stroking her hair. She looks around to see it is Clark who is awake.

"Hey," he says softly to her.

"Hey yourself," Rogue manages to say back with a tiny smile despite the state Clark is in because of the fact he is awake and speaking to her. As she sits up straight she takes his bandaged hand into her own and holds it gently.

"You should be in bed," Clark tells her seeing how it is obvious she has been here all night since she is still in yesterday's clothes.

At that Rogue arches an eyebrow. "And leave mah boyfriend all alone in this state? Ah don't think so."

"It's not as bad as it looks," Clark tries to assure her and he is so totally lying because he feels like hell but on this occasion he thinks lying to Rogue is the better idea.

"Clark. Have ya seen yourself? Ya look..." she can't finish it and tears well up in her eyes.

"Hey. Hey. Don't cry," Clark says hating to see her upset. "I'll be fine."

"He told meh he saw ya blown ta pieces," she says her voice thick with emotion.

Clark closes his eyes as the images and pain flash through his mind. "Yeah. From his point of view I can understand why he might have thought that. The explosion blew me clear."

"Explosion?"

Clark opens his eyes and sees Rogue's puzzled expression. "Oh. You probably don't know what happened," he realises since he hasn't had a chance to tell her yet.

No she doesn't and she does want to know but doesn't want to put Clark through any stress until he is better. She does ask one thing though. "How did ya manage it? How did ya manage to get tha kryptonite and stop him when ya were hurt so badly?"

Clark manages a chuckle at that although a painful one. "I have no idea. I just couldn't let him hurt you." His voice softens and he speaks with utter sincerity. "I would never let anyone hurt you Rogue. I've lost too much already. I couldn't lose you too. I would rather die first."

Rogue can hear his pain and loneliness. It is a reminder to her that however lonely and isolated she felt it just cannot compare to Clark. He is all alone. The last of his kind and yet he must have gone through agony for her when he used that kryptonite on top of his injuries. Rogue knew he cared for her but to put himself through that for her...it leaves a strange but nonetheless nice warm feeling inside her. It makes her feel special. It makes the void of emptiness inside her shrink.

Clark makes her feel so many things. Since he arrived she feels happier. Clark makes her laugh and smile and just generally feel better about herself. She just wishes she could find the words to tell him how she felt about him but expressing her feelings...she has never been good at that.

"I guess I've got a lot to explain don't I," Clark assumes.

"It can wait," Rogue tells him. "Just get better first."

"Yes ma'am."

Rogue gently strokes the unburnt side of Clark's face affectionately. "Ah should go tell Mr McCoy you're awake," she says reluctant to leave him.

"I'm not going anywhere," he says not meaning it as a joke even of it is one.

Rogue manages a tiny smile and gives him a kiss before she goes and finds Mr McCoy while wondering where Mr and Mrs Kent are.

Rogue finds Hank zonked out in a chair in front of his computer where he was looking over Clark's test results. Once she has woken him up he hurriedly makes his way through to where Clark is lying. "How are you feeling Clark?"

"Probably about as bad as I look," he jests with extremely tired humour.

"I'm surprised you are awake," Hank admits considering.

"What time is it?" Clark asks.

Hank looks at his watch. "About 6.40am."

"Sunrise," Clark says which is the explanation. His body is attuned to the rising of the sun. Even if he is shut away from it somehow his body knows. "Where are my parents?"

"I managed to persuade them to go get some breakfast about half an hour ago," Hank tells Clark which had not been easy but they had been here all night after they too had been drained by the Parasite and they really needed to get some food into them.

Clark is glad. He hates to think of them making themselves ill over him.

"You know if the sun is up perhaps the best thing would be to take you outside," Hank theorises. Clark's powers come from the sun. Parasite draining Clark would have removed the charge so therefore getting Clark out in the sun and his powers recharged would be the quickest way for him to heal.

* * *

Later that same morning everyone is helping out either making breakfast or helping tidy up the mansion after last night. In the face of adversity the students always end up sticking closer together and helping out in anyway they can. Repairs would have to be arranged to the mansion which was always a tricky issue especially if it required contractors to be called in. When the immediate issue with Parasite is dealt with Logan would do a proper assessment to see if it could be done without resorting to calling in outside help.

Amongst the students Kurt who had been out on a date with Amanda last night is still trying to get his head around everything he missed. He had popped down to the infirmary briefly and seen the state Clark was in. Clark had been sleeping at the time so Kurt hadn't stayed long but still it was pretty horrifying to see his friend like that. Kurt had said a prayer for Clark.

"Is anyone else like totally freaked out that the guy who attacked us is still here?" Kitty asks over the kitchen table because she was. That guy had given her a literal nightmare when she finally got to sleep last night.

"He's here until the Professor can wipe his mind Kitty," Scott reminds her.

"I know but like then what?"

"Then what what?"

"Well what do we do with him then because I for one don't like the idea of keeping him locked up here," she expresses her opinion.

Neither did Scott truthfully but he doesn't know what happens to Parasite next. He will have to ask the Professor when he gets a chance. Scott can understand the confusion though because they are all still dealing with only partial information. No-one knew the whole story and wouldn't until Clark was better.

With most of the adults busy he as the senior student had found himself helping Storm take charge of things this morning with Jean helping as well. There were things that had to happen. School still had to be attended to and he had to make sure everyone got to where they were suppose to be.

It wasn't easy for him. He had not been able to get the image of Clark out of his head. He had never seen anyone hurt like that. Let alone someone he considers a good friend but, and here's the real kicker, as far as the outside world knows nothing happened here last night. Clark will be off school because he has the flu or something. This is what has to happen because mutants do not exist as far the world outside the institute's walls is concerned.

It is a part of their lives Scott doesn't like all that much but what choice do they have so he'll plaster on the happy face, go to school and pretend last night didn't happen.

* * *

Lunchtime that day and Ororo is walking out to the cliff edge bringing out some food for Martha, Jonathan and Rogue who had been out here with Clark since this morning. Clark had since sunrise this morning been standing there on the cliff edge absorbing the sunlight. Hank would come out periodically and check on him and Ororo can see has cut away some of the bandages.

As she gets closer Ororo can see how much Clark has healed. Smooth unbroken skin across his broad back where last night had been a mass of burnt tissue. In fact she had visibly flinched when she had gone to see Clark last night. It had been pretty horrific.

As Ororo comes to where Martha, Jonathan and Rogue are sitting on the grass her gaze is caught by an ethereal glow from beneath where bandages remain. "What is the light?" she feels she has to ask.

Rogue looks up. "Don't know but it has been there since we brought Clark out this morning."

"Hank said he can only assume it is normal for Clark. Part of his healing process," Martha tells her friend. Only assume because what else can you assume about someone's biology that you don't understand.

"Is that lunch?" Rogue asks since she is pretty hungry. She had skipped breakfast choosing instead not to leave Clark which is why she is not at school. She couldn't have concentrated anyway even if she had gone.

"What? Oh yes. Yes," Ororo says as she hands over each meal before she decides to sit down next to Martha and stay for a little while. "How are you doing?" she asks Martha knowing her friend had been close to out of her mind with worry for her son. Ororo had done her best to comfort her friend and help Martha get through last night.

"Better now that Clark is," Martha says with palpable relief. Last night had been the worst one she had had since she lost her baby. She had been grateful to Ororo for being there despite the fact Martha knew her friend had so many other things to deal with with regards to the other students.

Ororo turns her gaze back to the Kryptonian teen and tries to beat back the wholly inappropriate thought that has popped into her mind about how impressive Clark's physique is since he stands there in little more than boxer shorts. That just goes to show it has been too long since her last date. She tries to get her mind to change subjects. "How can he stand there for so long?" she wonders.

"Because my muscles don't suffer from fatigue," is Clark's response to her question.

Ororo blinks before she works out that Clark's super hearing must have returned by now. "How are you Clark?" she asks in a loud voice.

Clark turns his head which allows Ororo to see there is still some faint scarring on the left side of his face which has the same ethereal glow emanating from it. "Better. Thank you for asking."

Clark turns his head back to the sun, closes his eyes and lets its rays heal him. He is much much better. His insides have stopped hurting. He can breathe with no problem. He thinks it is just his skin and muscle that need to finish healing. Clark can only guess it has taken this long due to how much of his power Parasite drained. Thinking of Parasite Clark knows the time where he gives a full explanation of what happened is nearing. He is not really looking forward to that.

Peter had been right. It had all ended badly. Clark through his own sheer arrogance had walked right into a trap Lionel set up. If it wasn't for Parasite's hatred of Lionel, or Clark assumes that is the reason from what Parasite said, then right now Clark would most likely be in one of Lionel's secret labs being dissected.

How the hell had this happened to him? Clark had never been an arrogant person by nature so how did he let himself become so complacent that he just assumed he could take the MRD apart and not have Lionel come up with some strategy to stop him. Worse was the danger he ended up putting his friends in. Clark will accept putting himself in danger. Putting his friends in danger through his actions is totally unacceptable. That goes doubly for Rogue. The mere thought he put her in danger makes his guts twist.

He had screwed up on a colossal scale. He had been so obsessed with stopping Lionel he forgot to do that very thing he told Logan he did. He forgot to stop and ask 'What would Captain America do?'.

Captain America would never have walked into what was an obvious trap now Clark thinks on it. Clark had been hitting the warehouses all week. A sensible person, hell Clark himself, would have figured out that somehow the locations had gotten out and therefore you should relocate unless of course you are planning a trap. In which case you don't relocate and wait for your foe to come to exactly where you are expecting and waiting for them. Clark bets Captain America would have figured that out before he walked right into a trap and been ready.

Clark bets Captain America would never have put his friends in danger like Clark ended up doing. Clark has to really doubt whether he can continue going out at night and play hero. He has to doubt whether he is cut out for this. Maybe all this is a sign that this is not what he is meant to do with his powers and maybe, he has to ponder, maybe this is a sign he should do something his father said he should never do.

Maybe it was time to quit.

* * *

_Author's Note: I figured it would only be reasonable for Clark to end up doubting himself for awhile after this. I'll deal with him overcoming his doubts a bit later. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the whole story comes out and a way to deal with Parasite is come up with._


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

Lionel is taking a long drink to wash down the pain medication that is for his headache rather than his liver disease. A headache caused by last night's debacle. Another warehouse destroyed. More equipment and men lost. Not that given time he can't replace it all because he can. It just sets things back. He also has to try and cover it up that it had anything to do with him. Then there is Parasite. "You going to say it?" Lionel asks of his companion.

Stryker's face remains impassive. "I think we are both above childish accusations of 'I told you so'." But Stryker did tell him so.

"Parasite?"

"No sign."

"Any chance he was killed in the explosion?"

"Hard to be certain but I would say unlikely considering what I saw of the Blur's powers."

"And the Blur himself?"

"Again no sign but it is more likely he was killed considering Parasite had taken his power by this point."

"Without a recharge the power Parasite took will be just about gone by now," Lionel points out since it was the nature of Parasite's powers that the drain was temporary which of course should make it easier to recapture the energy leech.

"Where do you want to start looking?"

"He craves energy Colonel. Assuming he is alive he will leave us a sign soon enough."

Or in other words when people start showing up either in strange comas or dead.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Logan watches on as Charles completes another session with the Parasite in the process of wiping his mind. It is mid-afternoon now.

Charles raises his hand to his head as he pulls out of Parasite's mind and takes a moment to regather his thoughts.

"Ya alright?" Logan asks.

Charles manages a small smile at Logan's concern. "Yes. Fine. There are just a lot of minds. Not just the students but others he has absorbed. It is a little tiring."

Logan looks at the tied up and unconscious figure of the Parasite. They had locked him away down in the lowers levels where Logan had barely left standing guard since last night. "You found out how he came to be like this?" he asks Charles.

"I have some scattered images but I would like Clark to be present so we can piece the whole picture together and by then Hank should have also finished analysing the tissue sample he took."

"Guess that is where I suffer my inquisition huh?" Logan says with gruff humour. He is prepared to take it. He was from the second he figured out what Clark was up to and didn't stop the kid.

Charles' gaze drifts upward. "If you wish we can start now. That is Clark returning," he reports from what he can sense. It is as good a time as any. He will rest for a few hours before finishing with Parasite and then...well he actually hadn't thought that far ahead. They'll figure something out.

When Logan and Charles get back up the the mansion they find Clark, Rogue and the Kents walking through the plastic sheeting they had placed over the door until they can fix it.

"Well now. You're looking a lot better than you did last night kid," Logan observes from even a customary glance that the kid looks as good as new and he isn't the only one looking but this person he can guess is looking for entirely different reasons. He can see Rogue trying to sneak several sly looks.

Clark smiles at Logan's words. "I feel a lot better. Mr McCoy commented a few times about my recovery being remarkable."

"No kiddin," Rogue says as she shoots Clark yet another sly look. "Ah thought a guy lahke him would have more words in his vocabulary."

Clark shoots Rogue that smile of his that makes her heart flutter. "Oh. Give him a break Rogue. It is not like he gets to witness an alien's healing process everyday," he jokes light-heartedly.

At the joky banter Logan can make the following assumption. "Yep. You're fine."

Charles smiles pleased at seeing how well Clark has recovered and not to overuse the word it was remarkable. Charles had witnessed perhaps only Logan being able to recover from injuries that severe. "I am glad you are recovered Clark but it is time we have a talk. I know a little from Logan about what you have been up to and I can guess some of the rest but I wish the whole story."

At that Clark's face falls a bit. "Yeah. I figured you would. I'll just go grab a shower and get changed first?"

Charles nods. "That would be fine. We'll convene in my office in half an hour."

Clark nods his agreement and vanishes off in a blur leaving Rogue standing staring at where he was standing. Damn he looked good in only his underwear. Rogue wouldn't mind seeing him like that more often. Logan faking clearing his throat catches her attention. She looks to see him with his arms crossed in front of him giving her a look and she realises what she has just been caught doing. Rogue's cheeks colour appropriately.

* * *

After taking a deliberately long hot shower so to get what dried blood was left on him off Clark is just finishing changing, pulling a blue t-shirt over his head, when there is a knock on his door. His lips curve up beyond his control at who it is. "Come in Rogue!"

Rogue opens the door and has to mentally slap away the disappointment at seeing Clark fully dressed. Though she has to wonder what is going on with her. So Clark almost dies, she spends a morning and half the afternoon watching him in nothing but his underwear and now all she can think about is seeing him like that more often.

Is she ready to see him like that more often?

She and Clark have not really talked about taking their relationship that far. They probably should at some point because during the still cringe worthy 'Talk' she and Clark had gotten from his parents was a part about if you can't talk about it you aren't ready or mature enough to do it. Sage advice actually.

Rogue walks in and finds herself enclosed in Clark's arms as he lowers his head and kisses her. She loves kissing him because his lips are always soft and warm. The kiss also transmits more passion than she has felt from Clark all week. He had been a bit distant and cold which brings her back to the very reason she is here.

She gently pushes at his chest and disentangles herself. "Clark. We need ta talk."

"About?" he asks with clear confusion indicating he has no idea what.

"About whatever it is ya are about ta talk ta tha Professor about is why ya have been so distant from meh this last week."

'Oh,' echoes around his head. Yeah. That was...that was bad of him. He runs his hand through his hair. "I think it might be best if you just come to the Professor's office, hear my story and then ask me any other questions afterwards. I'll say now that I'm sorry. I wasn't really meaning to be distant and just remember this before we go. I know I messed up but I was simply trying to protect all of you."

When they get down the stairs and Clark enters the office he feels like he is in school about to go into the Principal's office for breaking the rules. Not only is the Professor there but so are his parents, Logan, Storm and Mr McCoy.

Clark takes a breath and starts from beginning. About being in New York when he saw the truck. Following it and discovering what Lionel was up to and then deciding in order to protect them all to take the law into his own hands and to disassemble the MRD. Clark can see virtually every adult in the room adopt a deep look of disapproval and disappointment as he speaks. He continues on retelling what happened last night with him walking into a trap and of how Parasite took his powers.

"I am deeply sorry Professor," Clark says with deep sorrow at his actions. "I can guess that Parasite only came here because of what he took from my mind. The last thing I ever wanted was to put any of you in danger."

Charles reserves judgement for the moment and turns his attention to Logan. He wants the complete picture before rushing to dole out the punishments. "Logan. Perhaps you will enlighten us about what you knew and when."

"A mysterious arsonist in town and the kid coming home every night smelling of fire and smoke..." Logan shrugs. "Wasn't hard to fit together but I only started to follow the Boy Wonder about a couple of nights ago. After he left I snooped around the warehouses. The kid is right about one thing. Luthor was building up an army."

"And you never brought this to our attention why?" Ororo asks with a scowl marring her usually serene features.

"Maybe because a part of me thought the kid had the right idea," Logan says a little too casually for Ororo's liking.

"I can't believe you are saying this Logan. We do not teach being above the law. We teach how to live within the law in peace with humans," she reminds him rather annoyed at how he is seemingly disregarding all they teach here.

"You teach that Ro," Logan corrects her. "I teach them what they need to know to survive. The world ain't a nice place in case you forgot." To reinforce this point Logan holds up his hand and pops out his claws. "The people that did this to me wanted a weapon. A living weapon and you know why they chose me Stormy?"

Ororo shakes her head a little.

"Because I am the best there is at what I do. But what I do isn't very nice and neither are people like Lionel Luthor. People like Lionel Luthor are who did this to me so if the kid is giving him a bloody nose then I'm all for it." Logan then sheaths his claws back under his skin.

Charles pinches the bridge of his nose. He knows Logan has a lot of unresolved anger at the people involved in Weapon X. Perhaps he should have guessed it might spill over onto Lionel especially since Logan has a soft spot for Volcana who, essentially, Lionel was trying to turn into a weapon. Perhaps this is a failure on his part at not seeing the potential issues that would arise.

Pushing it aside for the moment Charles still wishes to complete the picture first. "Clark," he addresses the teen. "If I was to say to you Level Three what does that mean to you?"

Clark hasn't heard that term in awhile but as for what it means..."Sub-level 3 of the Luthorcorp Smallville Chemical Plant is where Lionel first carried out his experiments into the meteor rocks."

"Is this to do with this...Parasite?" Jonathan queries. A creature Jonathan had no particular love for. It had been a terrible experience when it drained him and it did the same to Martha. He hated that he hadn't been able to protect her better.

Charles nods. "Yes. As I remove any trace of the knowledge he stole I have been sifting through his mind. His name was...is Rudy Jones and he worked in Level Three. He would clean up after the experiments and dump the resultant waste in a way that certainly violates the Environmental Laws. There was an accident. Some kind of purple chemical was spilt on him that bonded to his skin transforming him into what you see now. The name Parasite is self explanatory. He has an insatiable hunger for life-force," Charles explains before he hands over to Beast. "Hank. If you will explain what you found."

Hank briefly skims over the test results in his hand just to double check what he is going to say. "I took a tissue sample from Mr Jones and analysed it. Every cell in his body is laced with a unique form of radiation. One I think Clark will recognise."

Hank then hands over the test results to Clark who looks them over. "Kryptonite," he mutters. "That's why his powers worked on me," he says as sudden understanding dawns on him. That purple chemical must have been some kind of waste product from Lionel's kryptonite experiments.

Rogue who had been simply sitting in silence and listening up to this point asks a question. "Ah don't understand. How does that make a difference?"

"Because Parasite's powers are derived from the one substance in the universe I am vulnerable to. Something vaguely similar happened to me once before."

"Eric Summers," Jonathan guesses thinking back on the boy who accidentally was transferred Clark's powers. Kryptonite had been involved there as well.

Clark nods.

"Rogue. What happened when you touched him?" Hank asks the Goth curious as to how two energy absorbing powers interact with each other.

Rogue frowns. She had been trying not to think on it too much. "It was weird. It was lahke our powers were tryin' ta outdo each other. Ah don't think they mixed well because there was this weird energy build up between us that ended up knocking us both back. Ah never got any of tha powers he stole or even heard his thoughts. It was lahke...ah don't know we ended up cancelling each other out or something."

Charles rubs his brow as he absorbs this. There was much to consider. He can't approve of Clark's actions yet at the same time he hadn't realised how far Lionel was prepared to push his agenda. Still Clark should have said something and they might have been able to think of a course of action to take. "I think perhaps we all take time to consider all that has happened before we decide on what is the appropriate response," he decides. "Besides I would like to finish my work with Parasite and have the issue of what to do with him settled first."

"You goin' to be finished with him soon?" Logan inquiries.

"I'll take a few hours to rest and then I believe I can finish the mind wipe yes."

"Then I have to make a phone call. I know of...some people who have the resources to deal with the big purple leech." Logan didn't want to call _him_ but there was no-one else.

* * *

A short time later after the meeting broke up Clark had headed back up to his room to reflect or maybe brood on things. He is looking out of his window when his musings are interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Son?"

Clark turns around. "Hey dad."

"Can I come in?" Jonathan asks.

Clark gestures for him to do so.

Jonathan steps inside feeling he and Clark needed to talk alone. With so many other children here Jonathan had not had as much time as he use to to talk to Clark. They did not have as much to talk about as Clark was much less burdened than he use to be. One reason was because of the simple truth that Clark in the area of his powers had other people to talk to. People his own age who could understand what he was going through.

However in the area relating to Clark's heroics Jonathan has perhaps not been proactive enough in talking to Clark. If he had been he would have picked up on what Clark has been up to this last week.

"Dad. Look I'm sorry," Clark starts off saying.

"Clark. I am not here to lecture you," Jonathan tells him.

"You're not?" he asks with some puzzlement.

"And ruin the whole speech your mother is planning to give," Jonathan jokes.

Clark half-smiles at that.

"Besides you know you did wrong. I can see it in your eyes," Jonathan observes.

Clark's smile falters. "Yes well being half cooked alive does give you some perspective." He goes and sits on his bed and Jonathan can see Clark's shoulders hunch in that classic Clark Kent brooding pose.

Jonathan goes and sits down next to his son. "You are feeling ok now?" he asks with real concern for Clark's health.

"I feel fine although I have no doubt Mr McCoy will be telling me to take it easy."

"You should. At least for a day or two."

"Or maybe forever."

"What?"

"Dad. I..." Clark's speech falters and he runs his hand through his hair in his nervous frustrated gesture. "I messed up dad."

Jonathan won't even bother lying to spare Clark's feelings. "Yes you did. Question is are you going to learn from it."

"I was stupid and arrogant and complacent. I just foolishly assumed Lionel couldn't come up with a way to stop me," he berates himself.

"Question is what have you learned Clark," Jonathan repeats his assertion.

"That the way I acted is not the way to stop Lionel." He shakes his head. "You know I talked to Lionel. Told him I was going to take the MRD down and then I was going to do the same to him."

"How were you planning to do that Clark?" Jonathan asks with a little concern how close to the edge Clark seemed to be straying there.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead but I'm not going to dad. At least not through brute force. Lionel does need to be stopped by being...um...being...exposed," Clark comes up with. "For the whole world to see and then he can be tried by law."

"Sounds like you need an investigative reporter."

"Yeah too bad Chloe isn't here," Clark says with a nostalgic tone for his friend and the somewhat simpler days back in Smallville.

"Why does it have to be Chloe?" Jonathan asks pointedly. "You can be anything you wish."

"A reporter? Me?" Clark asks sceptically. "Oh come on dad. Even if I chose to do that how long would it take me to get enough credibility to have any chance of seriously threatening Lionel."

"Clark. People like Lionel Luthor are not taken down in a day."

There is a silence for a moment as Clark takes in what his father said. "In the cause of Truth and Justice," he mumbles.

"What was that?" Jonathan asks not quite hearing it.

"On the door of the Torch Chloe has this sign up saying 'In the cause of Truth and Justice'. She really believes that is what a good reporter stands for."

"Only a reporter or a hero as well?"

"Dad. I'm not a hero," Clark dismisses that.

"Why? Because you made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes Clark. Occasionally people let their ego get ahead of them and they allow themselves to be filled with arrogance. The important thing is when the moment comes to learn the lesson make sure you learn it. Let me give you an example. Once upon a time in a small Kansas town there was a star Quarterback in the middle of a...I think the modern term is hot-streak. He could do nothing wrong in a game. He was the talk of the town. A celebrity and he had let all the adulation go to his head. He didn't train as hard as he should do because he no longer felt he had to. Now what this star Quarterback didn't know was that he was about to fall. Step up a stunningly beautiful redhead from out of town who will be the catalyst for this fall. Everyone had tried to ask her out but she had turned everyone down. Our star Quarterback was next to try as he tried all his best moves on her and they worked or more correctly she let him think they worked because our beautiful redhead had seen through the Quarterback. Seen through all the arrogance and she had decided he needed to be taught a lesson."

Clark interrupts his father's story. "Is this story about you?" Clark asks because once upon a time his father had been a star Quarterback for the Smallville Crows.

"Don't interrupt," Jonathan tells off his son. "You can assume what you want later. Now where was I? Oh yes. Our star Quarterback was about to his comeuppance. While he was planning for the date she was planning how to set-up his fall. So they ended up seeing the movie at the Drive-In. The Quarterback was playing it cool. Not rushing in because he had it all planned out for later when they went to Makeout Point."

Clark is seriously wondering if he wants to hear this part of the story. Probably not but for some reason he wants to hear his father get to the whatever point it is he is trying to make.

Jonathan continues. "Now remember this is where the arrogance comes in. When the star Quarterback made the suggestion and the girl didn't refuse...well he thought he was going to have a lucky night."

Oh god. The images going through Clark's head at that euphemism. He can see years of therapy ahead. "Please don't tell me there is going to a part where people are naked," he begs because he couldn't handle that. It was bad enough as it was when he kinda walked in on his parents once when he was little and his damn photographic memory wouldn't allow him to forget.

"Sorry son. Can't do that. That would be part of the humiliation of our Star Quarterback but I'm a little ahead of myself. The couple are at Makeout Point doing what countless couple do."

Clark bites back a groan. God help him.

"During all this the girl manages to persuade our Quarterback to undress while she herself remains fully clothed. At which point she manages to snap a pair of handcuffs on him and steal his car keys. She will leave him for the cops to find in the morning but before she departs she lays out exactly what brought him to this juncture and why it is the reasons she would never go out with him in reality."

"This is about you isn't it," Clark assumes by the way his father, thank the lord, is skipping over the details.

Jonathan still refuses to name names. "My point is Clark that the Quarterback does actually learn something from his arrogance, his mistake. He had let his game suffer, something the girl pointed out to him. He let himself think he was the centre of the universe and the lesson he received in humility was one he kept for the rest of his life."

"I don't get the point you are trying to make."

"After this incident the star Quarterback was inevitably dropped. After all who wants your star player to have been arrested for Public Indecency. However he did not give up. Quite the opposite because he thought on everything the girl told him and realised she was right so he worked harder and when he got his place back he never let himself get carried away again. Not during the rest of his sporting career nor through the rest of his life."

"So you are saying...?"

"I am saying that you shouldn't stop helping people because you made one mistake. Now being a Footballer and a tale of teenage drama may not quite compare to saving lives but what is similar is the determination to work even harder to avoid repeating the mistake or compound it by giving up."

"You want me to continue? Even after this? Even after I got hurt?"

Jonathan places his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Son. Of course your mother and I worry about you. It's natural but when you started this and we saw the determination in your eyes we knew that this was something we had to support you in. You are still young and only starting out on your journey and there will probably be more mistakes for you to learn from but I also know that you will touch and save so many lives. You have so much potential in you."

"Potential to do what dad? Who do you think I can be?"

"You can be this world's greatest hero Clark," Jonathan says in absolute belief in his son.

Clark looks at his father with a kind of misty gaze. His father thinks he can really be that?

Jonathan pats Clark on his shoulder a few times. "I'll leave you to think it over. Whatever you decide Clark your mother and I will support you."

Jonathan gets to his feet having finished saying what he needed to. He could guess Clark was feeling guilty and would need just the right amount of encouragement not to make a hasty ill-thought out decision.

"Dad," Clark says just as his father is about to leave.

Jonathan stops. "Yes son?"

"Whatever happened to the girl in your story?"

A grin adorns Jonathan's face. "I married her."

"Mom did that to you?" Clark says totally nonplussed at that notion.

Jonathan chuckles because yes it might seem absurd that the girl who humiliated him was the one he ended up marrying. "Your mother Clark is a woman of many talents and one I do admire is her ability to realise when I need to be told the hard truth. What she did to me...it was a hard lesson but one I needed. I still need her plain speaking. I always will. The person you share your life with Clark should not be one who is afraid to tell you when you're wrong."

At that precise moment Rogue appears at the doorway. "If you're busy ah can come back," she says at seeing Clark with his father not wanting to intrude.

"No I was just leaving," Jonathan tells her as he does just that feeling that the two teens probably have a bit to talk about and would probably rather be alone.

Rogue steps into Clark's room. Clark gauges her expression carefully. "Go ahead. You can say it," he tells her.

"Say what?" she asks all too innocently.

"Rogue," he says in such a way to tell her not to drag out this game too long.

"Fahne," she says with an over dramatic sigh at her fun being spoiled. "Ya are an idiot," she bluntly tells him.

Clark chuckles at that.

"Why are ya laughing?"

"I have no idea," Clark honestly admits. "It just seemed like a good response and well to be honest I just like how blunt you always says things as they are."

Rogue shrugs. "Ah don't see tha point in sugar coating things. All it is is a nicer way ta say exactly tha same thing only ya risk them missing tha dang point."

"Oh then never ever be around a Luthor family reunion," he warns her off. "Lex and Lionel spend so much time trying to hide the true meaning of their words from each other they end up practically saying nothing at all."

Rogue moves to sit down next to Clark.

"So questions? Comments?" he asks since he assumes she must have them.

"Ah told ya already. Ya are an idiot. Tha whole dang world doesn't have ta rest on your shoulders ya know."

"You want to know why I didn't tell you," Clark gets from that.

"Yes!"

"Because I didn't want you dragged down with me. I knew this would not end well and I don't mean the whole episode with Parasite. I never saw that coming. What I mean is that I knew I would get into a lot of trouble with the Professor and I didn't want you to be in trouble as well."

"If ya knew then why did ya do it?"

"Because Lionel needed to be stopped from having the ability to hurt any of you and I decided that I alone would be the one to stop him and yes before you say it again I am an idiot. I was just admitting that to my father before you walked in."

Rogue removes her gloves and takes one of Clark's hands into her own before looking him in the eye. "Clark. Ah have no love lost for Luthor and really a part of meh, like Logan, is glad ya bloodied his nose but tha way ya acted...it isn't ya or at least it shouldn't beh. Ya should beh tha person on tha news that people admire so much." The Blur was quite the role-model due to his many selfless and seemingly impossible rescues. "Promise meh ya will nevah do anything lahke this again," she asks of him not just due to what happened to him but as she said the way Clark acted isn't him. Not the one at least she has grown so attached to.

Clark can see the pleading worry in her green eyes and says without hesitation, "I promise."

That is enough for Rogue because Clark never beaks a promise.

"I'm sorry I have been so distant this last week," he apologises to her once more. "Since I'm pretty certain a grounding is coming my way at the very least there will be a limit on how I make it up to you but I will. I promise you that too."

"Ya know ah should be angry at ya but ah'm not."

"You're not?"

Rogue shakes her head. "Ah was worried about what was goin' on. About why ya had become so distant suddenly. Ah thought ah had maybe said something or done something," she says with just a tiny tremor in her voice.

At hearing the pain in her voice Clark thinks that someone really needs to hit him with a kryptonite bat or something because he should never have made Rogue feel anything like that. "Rogue I...really need to come up with a better way to apologise because I have to tell this whole story to everyone else and then no doubt apologise. Maybe I should just write it all down along with said apology and post it on the fridge or something."

Rogue looks at Clark utterly baffled at where his mind has gone to. "Excuse meh. What happened ta mah apology?"

"Well you know you're on the list. I was thinking since I had already given you one that you need to go back down to the bottom."

"Tha bottom?"

"Well not right at the bottom. I mean you are my girlfriend."

"Ya have ta beh jokin!"

Clark's lips curve up into a goofy smile. "I am as a matter of fact."

Rogue scowls and hits his arm. "How many tahmes do ah have ta say it Space Boy. Ya ain't that funny!"

Clark laughs. He couldn't help himself. The idea just suddenly hit him. Rogue can't stop herself from joining in. Laughter can be amazingly cathartic especially after the day the two teens have had.

"Ya are still an idiot," Rogue tells him before adding in a softer tone "But ya are mah idiot." And she is deeply thankful that she has him.

Clark smiles softly at her. "So since I've already said I'm sorry is there any other way I can make it up to you?" he inquiries with a certain glint in his eye.

Rogue's lips manage a sultry smile. "Well ah don't know. Let meh think about it." Two seconds later. "Thought about it!" She then virtually pounces on Clark and their lips lock together in a passionate kiss. Clark takes her by the waist and lifts her onto his lap while Rogue's arms lock around his neck. One of Clark's hands disappears into Rogue's hair and he holds her close.

After seeing the state of Clark last night Rogue just needs this to reassure herself that he is alright. God does he taste good, smell good, feel so dang good and he makes her feel good and hot...so hot.

The two of them indulge in some pretty heavy making out until...

"Ahem!" someone coughs loudly.

Rogue freezes mid lip-locked with Clark.

"Oh like don't mind us. Please continue," an annoyingly cheerful and amused voice announces her return from school.

"Vhat are you saying? Yes. Please. Mind us!" a more horrified German accent announces his return so not wanting this image burned into his brain. Why did she think he coughed in the first place.

Rogue detaches her lips from Clark and turns her head to find Kurt and Kitty standing at the doorway. Kurt looks like he wants to be elsewhere and Kitty has this smug little grin plastered on her face. Terrific. Rogue will never be hearing the end of this now from her room-mate. Clark very gently lifts her off his lap and back to her feet where she takes a moment to tidy herself up.

Clark does the same before greeting his friends with very red cheeks. He coughs to clear his throat. "Um...hey Kurt. Hey Kitty. How was school?"

"Same old. Same old," Kitty reports as she walks into the room holding some papers. "Here's your homework," she tells Clark as she hands it over all the while grinning at what she caught Rogue and Clark up to. Oh she is going to be able to have so much fun with this for at least a month.

"Thanks Kitty," Clark tells her grateful that she got it for him.

"Rogue yours I left on your bed," she informs her room-mate.

"Thanks Kit," Rogue says as she is still trying to get her body to cool off.

Kitty takes a moment to raise her hand to Clark's left cheek and touch the now smooth skin. "That's like amazing," she says in some awe at how fast Clark has healed. It looks like he was never injured to start with.

"It only needed a little sunshine," Clark says modestly trying not to cause a fuss.

"A little?" Rogue questions. "Clark ya stood out there for at least 7 hours."

"Vell however long it took I'm just glad you are ok. No offence but you did not look good last night," Kurt says with real relief and like Kitty a little bit of amazement at Clark's recovery.

"No offence taken," Clark assures Kurt because he's right. Clark did not look good last night.

"So when do we like get the whole story?" Kitty asks, her blue eyes full of keen curiosity.

In response to that Rogue groans and Clark folds his arms across his chest. "See. Told you I should have just posted it on the fridge," he tells his girlfriend.

* * *

Darkness falls and the Professor alongside Logan are out back in the grounds of the mansion waiting. Charles had finished the task of removing all knowledge from Parasite that the mutated man had stolen. As strange a circumstance as it was it had given the Professor his first proper impression of how Clark's mind works. Parasite had taken a copy of Clark's mind. Somehow the nature of Parasite's mutation translated Clark's normally unreadable thoughts into a form the Professor could read.

How exactly the Parasite accomplished this the Professor didn't know and was not likely to find out either since he is standing here waiting for the people who will take Parasite away. He glances at Logan and can feel the feral mutants unease. "You sure this is the best option Logan?" he asks of his friend.

"No," Logan says bluntly. "It's the only one unless you wish to keep leech boy here."

"It would not be safe," Charles admits with a small amount of regret. Though for as much as he might wish to help Mr Jones who had not wished to be transformed like this the safety of the students would be at risk. While in Parasite's mind he has sensed the unending hunger for energy, the overwhelming instinct to feed. In time Charles may have been able to help him both psychologically and perhaps medically but that would take a long time and the Institute was not a prison nor would Charles ever turn it into one so Logan's suggestion was the only viable option.

The sound of a helicopter soon has both men looking up. One appears in the sky and then 2 both with the emblem of an eagle on the side.

Both helicopters soon land near the Professor and Logan. The door opens and hopping down to the ground is Nick Fury followed by a dozen SHIELD agents.

"Well now. I never expected us to be meeting again so soon Logan," Fury says in such a way just to rile Logan up.

Logan lets out a low growl before saying "Yeah well. SHIELD is the only one who can deal with this...problem." Logan does some introductions. "Chuck. Patch. Patch. Chuck."

Charles can manage a wry smile at the way Logan introduces him. "Charles Xavier," he introduces himself. "Nice to meet you Colonel Fury. Logan has told me some..._interesting_ stories."

"Believe every word of them. Especially the bad ones," Fury says with a tiny grin.

Logan snorts at that.

Fury takes a moment to take in his surroundings while he chews on a tooth pick. "So where is the subject Logan told me about?"

Charles points at Hank standing by the doors. "Dr McCoy will show your men where Mr Jones is. Logan did tell you about the nature of his powers?"

"Yeah he did. They have been told to avoid skin to skin contact." Fury tosses his tooth pick to the ground. "Hill!" he shouts.

A young woman with brown hair in a SHIELD uniform steps out from the helicopter and marches up next to Fury and salutes. "Yes Colonel Fury."

"Take the containment team and have Dr McCoy show you to..." He pauses and turns to Logan. "What did you call it? Parasite?"

Logan grunts which Fury takes as a yes. "Have Dr McCoy show you to where this Parasite is and have him boxed, ready for transport."

Hill salutes again. "Yes sir!" she responds obediently and goes and carries out her orders.

"You should tell her to be careful. Mr Jones is potentially extremely dangerous," Xavier cautions Fury.

"Trust me Xavier. We know what we're doing. SHIELD has been dealing with threats like this for 60 years."

"Really?" Logan says sceptically.

Fury recognises the look in Logan's eye. He has seen it before during their many disagreements. "Alright Logan. Just say it. Where do you think I lied to you this time?"

Charles speaks in Logan's place in a calm manner and explains what he and Logan had previously decided to raise with Fury. "If I was to say to you Colonel the name Lionel Luthor and the words Level Three what do they mean to you?"

Fury's good eye twitches slightly and Logan notices it. "I knew it!" he proclaims angrily. "You knew all about it."

"That was a military programme authorised by the Pentagon to look into the potentially mutating effects of meteor rocks," Fury concedes a little of what he knows. "It was shut down years ago. How do you know about it?"

Charles explains what he saw in Parasite's mind. How Mr Jones came to be how he is. From Fury's reaction Charles can guess the following as it pertains to the fact of Parasite's existence. "You didn't know."

"No," Fury reluctantly admits. He didn't know which just pisses him off since it is his job to know about stuff like this.

"I don't suppose you know what else he is up to either," Logan says sarcastically.

Fury looks at the two men. "If you have something to tell me than please enlighten me," he requests of them.

"Very well," Charles says. "We have some evidence that Lionel has continued his experiments for all these years and lately he has been stepping up the intensity of these experiments."

"What evidence?"

"I would rather not say," Charles tells the Colonel as that evidence happens to be from Clark and Claire both of whom Logan said should remain anonymous as far as Fury was concerned. "I would however suggest you keep a closer eye on Lionel Luthor." It was a way around keeping closer tabs on Lionel without the risk of exposure.

"I'll do that," Fury decides. His attention turns to the mansion as Hill and the containment team bring out Parasite strapped inside a glass and metal cylinder allowing Fury to get a good view of the newest inmate of SHIELD. He gives the purple skinned humanoid a dispassionate, detached once over. He has seen worse looking. He gives a simple nod of his head as a directive to take Parasite on-board the helicopter.

Fury turns his attention back to Xavier. "If I was to ask Parasite what he knows what would I find out?" he asks rhetorically because he can guess what Xavier has done.

"A man such as yourself should know the importance of keeping certain things secret Colonel," is all Charles will give as an answer in a slightly enigmatic tone.

That confirms it. Xavier wiped its mind. "Yeah. That's what I thought," Fury says. "Well as much as I would love to stay and chat I have other places to be," Fury announces his intention to leave now.

Fury turns round and hops back into the helicopter that brought him. The two SHIELD helicopters lift off into the sky.

"Good riddance," Logan snorts.

"To who?" Xavier asks.

"To both of them."

On-board one of the helicopters...

"Sir!" Hill appears at Fury's side.

"Did Dr McCoy give you his findings on our...guest?" he asks her.

"Yes sir," she confirms.

"Have our specialists check them and then recheck them. I want to know exactly what Parasite is capable of," he demands.

"Yes sir."

If this thing can do what Logan said it could do then it was extremely dangerous. Not only could it kill by literally sucking the life out of you it took all your knowledge as well. In the world where Fury lives where secrets are everything Parasite is close to being on par with a telepath as a immensely dangerous weapon. If HYDRA ever found out about Parasite or worse discovered how to make more of him then...even Fury doesn't like to think of the consequences. Well he has a nice cell all picked out for Parasite far away and safe from HYDRA.

As for how this came about...if Logan and Xavier are to be believed...then he needs a detailed investigation done on Lionel Luthor and everything he has been up to since Level Three was supposedly shut down and what he is currently up to and Fury wants it yesterday and there is only one person for that job.

"Hill!" he shouts at his lieutenant to get her attention again.

"Sir?"

"Get me the Black Widow."

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought a father/son talk would be a good idea to stop Clark making a hasty decision about quitting from his heroics. I'll leave Clark to chew over his options for a chapter or two more. As for Parasite it seemed pretty obvious to me that calling SHIELD would be be the best option. I also think making Parasite's power kryptonite derived gives them reason enough to work on Clark. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Just to cap off a crappy week the X-Men face off against the Scarlet Witch._


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

**At the Institute...**

A few days later and Martha is up early as usual helping Ororo make breakfast. Clark was up too but instead of helping her which he did often do he was helping his father and Logan finish off the repairs to the mansion after Parasite. Everyone had been playing their part. The front gates had been bent back into shape thanks in large part to Clark's heat vision softening the metal. New front doors were up although they were still needing painted. Most of the holes had been repaired. They were down to basically redecorating.

Clark was also currently grounded for his actions along with doing extra chores including having him clean the x-jet by hand with no powers. She and Jonathan had had a long talk with Charles about what was appropriate. Jonathan had mentioned how Clark was thinking of giving up going out at night and helping people and that whatever punishment they dished out had to avoid pushing Clark into stopping.

Part of Martha would like it if Clark did stop. She had never seen him hurt as he had been a few days and it brought home hard that occasionally Clark will end up facing things that hurt even him and Martha couldn't bear it if she lost Clark. However like her and Jonathan had discussed she had also seen the determination in Clark's eyes when he started out. The solid determination to use his powers to help people and she is so proud of him every day he goes out and does that. Whatever decision Clark ends up making Martha will support him but despite her worries and fears deep down she hopes he doesn't give up because somehow when she sees him in that costume or a blurred picture on the news...somehow Martha knows she is seeing what it is Clark was sent to Earth to do.

As for the students their reactions to finding out what had happened was mixed to say the least. There was no consensus about whether to be angry at Clark or not. A few thought he did the right thing in attacking Lionel first before Lionel attacked them and to be fair no-one could have predicted Parasite's existence. Clark had taken time to explain his actions and apologise and Martha thinks that most of the students could understand why Clark did what he did even if they didn't agree with his actions. She could see that it pained Clark to know he had let his friends down.

Out of the corner of Martha's eyes she catches the door open and Claire walk in. Claire had been helping out with breakfast these last few days. "Good morning Claire," Martha greets the literally fiery redhead.

"Morning," Claire says back.

"How are you feeling child?" Ororo asks after her well-being.

Claire unconsciously rubs her chest where Parasite had struck her using Clark's heat vision. Only the nature of her powers had saved her from being burned although she doubts Parasite intended to seriously harm her. From what they had been told about what had happened most likely Parasite had only been intending to incapacitate her long enough to drain her powers. "Fine," she says shortly in answer to Ororo's question. People skills are still not her strong point.

Claire has been helping out Mrs Kent in particular these last few days. She has been feeling...well guilty actually. Guilty that she hadn't been able to protect the one person in her whole life that had shown her genuine care and kindness. Helping out is her way of trying to make up for it. It wasn't much but at least it was something.

Elsewhere in the mansion that morning Scott is simply walking along the corridor his mind thinking over certain events particularly Clark's actions of last week. Scott found himself like many of the others feeling some mixed emotions about it all. His first instinct was that Clark had made a big misjudgement. One he was being punished for by both the adults and Clark was punishing himself. Scott could see in Clark's eyes all the time this look of guilt. Then again it had gotten out by now that Logan had known was Clark was up to and hadn't stopped it because he felt Luthor needed to be stopped.

Scott felt in a way that that was true. It is not like he doesn't feel the frustration of always being passive and careful not to expose themselves when there are others out there plotting against them but this was the life they chose. Still at some point Scott is starting to think they will have to do something about Lionel Luthor. Just not what Clark did.

As leader Scott guesses he could have come down hard on Clark but referring back to Clark's guilt filled expressions Scott could see he didn't need to. That Clark had already seen he had made a mistake. No point in Scott saying what Clark has already figured out. Though he did express some disappointment to Clark which in the end only seemed to add to the guilty look in Clark's eyes.

Scott will only come down on Clark if he feels Clark doesn't learn anything from this. Sometimes you have to let people make mistakes. The Professor said that to him once because if you don't let people make mistakes how can they ever learn from them.

Scott finds himself passing Jean's room. He finds her door open a crack and inside he can see her sitting in front of her mirror brushing her hair. He stops and just looks. He admires her beauty, her elegance, her angelic features illuminated by the sun coming in through her window.

"Scott. I can hear you you know."

Scott's cheeks flush slightly as he realises he must have been thinking too loud.

Jean picks up his embarrassment too. In reality she is deeply moved that he considers her angelic. Also the more time they spend together and the closer they get the more easily she has been finding she can pick up his thoughts. "Come in Scott," she invites him.

Scott enters the room trying to come up with an explanation about what he was thinking.

Jean shakes her head. "Scott. We are dating. You are allowed to think about me in that way," she permits him. It shows just how uptight Scott is that she has to give her permission for him to think she is beautiful. She really has to get him to relax. She turns around in her chair. "Besides it is always nice for a girl to hear that her boyfriend thinks she is beautiful."

"You are beautiful," Scott says with deep sincerity. His only regret is that he can't see her in living colour. Only the shades of red through his glasses.

A small rosy smile comes to Jean's lips at hearing that because as she said it is nice for a girl to hear such things.

Scott smiles in return due to the fact he can almost feel the warm happy thought flowing off Jean. He too has been noticing lately just how much he can sense Jean. She can walk into a room and without looking he will know she is there and when he looks at her he feels...he feels so much. It is almost scary for him so use to being in control to find how fast he is falling for Jean but he also knows he wouldn't have it any other way.

Down in his office Charles is sipping on his coffee going over the latest batch of reviews on the students and how they were all doing. The New Mutants were making slow steady progress and from Storm's review Volcana was slowly starting to integrate more. Claire was still prickly around others but Charles had noted a slow improvement and his sessions with her had taken the edge off her temper outbursts. She would probably always have a temper because some of it was due to her powers, a side-effect. However a lot of it was simply the way she grew up alone on the streets. Dealing with that would simply take time and patience.

Moving on to the X-Men they were performing excellently in most simulations. Logan had been making an effort to make sure they didn't get cocky although the experience with Parasite a few days ago probably in itself was a lesson about never being too sure about anything.

As for Clark Charles had spent a few days analysing what he got from Parasite's mind on Clark. He had sensed many familiar emotions, predominantly Clark's feelings for Rogue which were becoming very strong. The most interesting part though was just how unremarkable Clark thought of himself. Clark didn't think of himself as that special despite the fact he possesses extraordinary power. That and an incredible selfless streak to go along with it which is part of the problem as it pertains to his actions lately. He was trying to be selfless and protect those he cared about. He just let it go too far to justify acts that should not have been undertaken.

Charles knows that Clark realises he did wrong. The boy was walking around the mansion laden with guilt. You could see the guilt almost weighing Clark down in his every posture. Charles will have a talk to him to clarify where he felt Clark went wrong and once that is done and once he is sure Clark has learned from his mistake he will lift Clark's grounding, with Martha's and Jonathan's approval, and let Clark get back to what Charles has started to feel Clark is meant to do and help people.

The phone rings then and Charles picks it up. It is the mental institution he attends to once a week to help Wanda, Magneto's daughter. Charles had been angry and sad at Erik's actions. He also regretted greatly not finding Wanda sooner before she had been locked up for years leaving her seething with a rage that almost put Logan to shame.

As Charles listens to the person on the other end a deeply worried, anxious expression touches his brow. He almost can't believe what he is hearing. He has to ask the following just to make sure he isn't hearing things. "What do you mean Wanda is missing?"

* * *

**At the Bayville Boarding House...**

Mystique is running the Brotherhood, minus Wanda, through an early morning training session in the backyard. Wanda's training was separate with Agatha. As Alicia had predicted Blob and Toad's whining continues unabated but they had shown no signs of indicating wishing to leave. Avalanche was still difficult to read. Mystique's guess would be he hasn't decided. However what Mystique is pleasantly surprised at is how since Wanda's arrival Boom Boom is like a whole different person. For the past few days she has been training with a passion and commitment Mystique hadn't known the girl possessed.

After the session is over Mystique has Tabitha stay behind. "That was excellent Boom Boom," she says in actual praise.

Tabby shrugs trying to play it off. "It was nothing."

"What has brought this about?" Mystique wonders to know.

"It was like you said. It's a choice between Xavier or Magneto. I thought it over and realised you were right and that Magneto is the best bet."

The surprise at Tabby's words shows on Mystique's face. She didn't think the girl had this much sense.

"So is that all?" Tabby asks. "Can I go shower before school now?"

Mystique nods and Tabby heads back inside the house wondering if Mystique really bought that pack of lies she just told. She is not doing this for Magneto. That is for damn sure. She is putting herself through this for Wanda. Tabby needs to stay long enough to earn Wanda's trust and she didn't think Mystique would keep her around that long unless she looked like she was putting the effort in.

Tabby bounds up the stairs which she quickly regrets as her tired sore muscles protest at the attempt. God she is really out of shape. One thing about living at Xavier's those DR sessions kept you in shape. On her way to the bathroom she stops in front of Wanda's room to find the Goth-themed brunette angrily looking through her belongings. "What's the sitch?" she inquires.

Wanda's head snaps round, anger clouding her features which Tabby has to say seems to be the girl's norm. "What?" Wanda asks with more than a hint of confusion amongst all the anger.

Tabby mentally slaps herself. Wanda has been locked up for years. Of course she won't get the reference. She tries a different approach. "Is everything ok?" she asks softly.

Wanda lets her temper simmer down. Her training with Agatha had helped her focus and control it a bit. Since she got here Tabby had been nice to her and was just about the only one she could stand. Tabby had even taken her out shopping and to get her hair cut and well Wanda wasn't an expert but she thinks that makes Tabby her friend or something. Tabby had mentioned how her father had used her to steal for him when her powers manifested. In fact Tabby had been surprisingly honest that that is all her father wanted from her. He didn't actually care for her. He just wanted to use her powers to become rich and there had been a not so subtle hint that he hit Tabby from time to time. Wanda was tempted to find Tabby's father and inflict a fraction of what she will do to her own father upon him. In response Tabby had made a joke about how kids of deadbeat dads should stick together but even Wanda could see that was an attempt to cover up genuine hurt. Wanda realised that Tabby understood at least a little bit what she had suffered.

As for the others...her brother...don't get her started on. He had actually had the nerve to try and reforge their sibling bonds or some other such crap. The nerve after he had not lifted a single finger to help her all these years. The only reason she hadn't hexed him to hell already was the fact he had seemingly woken up to what their father is and when she gets her hands on their father...oh he'll pay. For the nightmare he put her through she will repay him tenfold. As long as Pietro is with her in getting revenge on their father she'll tolerate him.

The rest...Blob was a slob...Toad was annoying...Lance was alright she guesses...Alicia was a lot like Mystique and therefore Wanda didn't trust her. She doesn't know why. After all they freed her from that..._place_ but there was just something about both Mystique and Alicia. She got a bad feeling around them. However Wanda would put it aside too as long as they help her find her father as Mystique had promised.

"Wanda?" Tabby queries at the prolonged silence.

"I'm fine. It's nothing. Just Toad," she explains why she is in a foul mood.

"Ah," Tabby says in understanding. Yeah ever since Wanda arrived Toad had been hitting on her which results in Wanda...hexing Tabby thinks the term is...Toad. "I'm off for a shower before school but if you ever need to talk I'm here," Tabby makes the open offer to Wanda.

"I'm fine," Wanda insists stubbornly.

"Of course you are. Never said any differently did I?"

Wanda frowns slightly. Well no Tabby didn't but wasn't she implying otherwise...or was Wanda misreading the whole situation. She could be because after all what does she know about reading people. She was locked up in isolation in that..._place_.

"Well I gotta go take that shower but I promise we'll hang out later!" Tabby vows before she goes off and hits the shower.

Wanda knows enough to realise that that tone of voice means she won't be getting a choice in the matter but she kind of likes Tabby so she doesn't really mind.

* * *

That evening it turns out Tabby won't be hanging out with Wanda exactly or at least not as Tabby had originally planned as Mystique had decided that Wanda now had enough control of her powers to use them...against the X-Men although Mystique wasn't telling Wanda who they really were. She had just vaguely referred to them as another group of mutants who lived in the area.

The entire Brotherhood are all gathered in the lounge.

"Why are we fighting these guys?" Wanda asks plainly since to her it seemed a side-show to her one and only goal; destroying her father.

"Wanda have you really thought about how to get to Magneto?" Mystique asks the Goth teen.

Not really Wanda will admit. All she cares about is the end result. Not how she gets there.

"Do you really think Magneto is unprotected?" Mystique continues with the questions.

Knowing her father probably not Wanda will concede.

Mystique manages to fake a kind smile. "We can help you get to Magneto Wanda," Mystique assures her. "But first that means learning to fight as one so no matter who he throws up in our way it won't be enough. This is a practice. Succeed and you are one step nearer your goal."

Wanda likes the idea of getting nearer to her goal. "Fine," she agrees before heading off up to her room to change into her Scarlet Witch uniform.

"Why didn't you just tell her that the X-Men worked for Magneto?" Alicia wonders since that would certainly have fired Wanda up.

Mystique can see Alicia still has much to learn. She explains it thusly to her adopted daughter. "Because the X-Men would fight in the wrong way. Too passively. Wanda in her mind has no doubt anyone working for Magneto would not hesitate to destroy her."

Pietro makes a sort of snorting sound indicating his thoughts on all this. "Why are we doing this tonight?" he asks.

"Because the sooner Wanda starts getting use to being part of our team the sooner she'll start to form a bond with us and that bond is vital if you ever want her to accept what we really are one day. Or you could just go and tell her we work for Magneto now and see what happens."

Pietro pales at the mere thought of doing that. Wanda would try to and possibly actually could skin them all alive.

"Now all of you go get changed," Mystique orders them.

They all head upstairs, Tabby included. "This isn't right you know," she whispers to Lance about this situation.

Lance shrugs. "What do you expect me to do?"

"We have to tell Wanda the truth."

Lance's face, Like Pietro's earlier, pales at that idea as he visualises Wanda's reaction to finding out they in reality work for Magneto. "Are you kiddin?" he exclaims at a whisper. "You've seen what she can do. Besides just for once I want to beat the x-geeks."

Tabby cannot believe what she is hearing. "Are you seriously telling me you're putting your pride above doing what is right?"

"Don't get all high and mighty Tabby. You aren't exactly a saint yourself," he points out feeling she is in no position to judge him.

"Oh and what about Kitty?"

"What about her?"

"She could get hurt or have you decided that you and she can't work and that you no longer care."

"Of course I care," Lance snaps back still speaking in a whisper. "I'll make sure she doesn't get hurt," he vows.

"And what about Wanda?" Tabby asks him getting back on to that subject.

"Like Mystique said. Give her some time and let her cool off."

"Until when? Until Magneto starts his little war? Is that what you want Lance? Have you decided that you're signed up to the cause?"

"I have to get changed," Lance says avoiding answering the question by speeding up, heading into his room and slamming the door shut.

Tabby stares at Lance's door for a minute wondering where the friend who showed her kindness and comfort a few days back in offering to cover for her if she left went to. She guesses he must have made his choice. Well then from that Tabby can see she is on her own. Fine. So be it. Lance is right about her not being a saint and usually when times get tough Tabby gets gone but not this time. Tabby won't leave Wanda to Mystique's and Magneto's _tender _care. If she learned one thing from her A-hole of a father is that she wishes no-one a father like that and certainly not Wanda a fate like she knows Magneto is planning. That is why instead of her normal at this point of coming up with some excuse to avoid fighting she'll go along too. She needs to tell someone at Xavier's what is going on and this could be her best chance amongst all the chaos of a fight to do so and not be noticed.

* * *

**A little later at the Bayville Mall...**

Cerebro had picked up some major power usage from the Brotherhood here at the mall and the Professor had sent the X-Men in to check it out and find out what they were up to. Since it had been some time since the last fight with the Brotherhood the Professor couldn't help but feel that there must be some purpose behind this beyond random vandalism.

The X-Men now stand outside the mall. Clark was actually a little nervous as strange as it might sound. As per Mr McCoy's instructions he had been excused training sessions for a few days to make absolutely sure he was recovered and he was also currently grounded so no heroics. Therefore beyond his usual zipping about from one place to another and a moderate use of his strength when helping make repairs to the mansion Clark hadn't used his powers extensively since Parasite took them.

Clark was still debating internally with himself about whether even after his grounding is over he should go back out. To sum it up he is nervous because his confidence took a hit. A well deserved one mind you considering the mess he got himself into.

Clark notices Kurt rubbing his stomach and not looking too well. "You alright?" he asks in concern.

Kurt groans a little. "Not really. Kitty used me as a guinea pig for her latest muffin recipe," he explains. Muffins by the way that when he dropped them literally bounced off the floor.

Now thanks to his mother Clark would say Kitty's cooking had improved remarkably but whenever Kitty went off simple and experimented that is when problems still arose. Clark looks at Kitty and shakes his head. "You know you could have waited until later to poison our team-mate Kitty. I mean whose side are you on anyway? The Brotherhood's?"

Kitty pouts and stamps her foot. "I like did not poison Kurt!" she protests.

"If you say so Kit but when we get back I'm having your muffins registered as lethal weapons. Hey maybe I should suggest to Logan to use them in the Danger Room to make it tougher."

Kitty scowls as Clark desperately tries to keep a straight face but Kitty catches the amused teasing expression in his eye. "I...you..." she struggles to get words out through her pent up rage.

"Ooh quick comeback," Clark mocks light-heartedly with a smirk. At this scene the others are desperately trying to stop themselves from laughing. None of them yet have figured out just how Clark manages to get sweet Kitty so riled up.

Kitty finally manages to compose a comeback. "You know you may be able to fool some people Clark but I like see right through you. The whole hero thing...it's just an act. Deep down at your core you're just plain evil."

"Why? Because I said your muffins were lethal weapons? In that case Kitty about 99.9% of the world's population is plain evil. Especially Rogue."

"Hey!" Rogue protests. "How am ah gettin' sucked into this?" she asks caught completely off guard at how she is suddenly in this conversation. She places her hands on her hips and looks stern. "And in what way am ah evil?"

"You have to ask?" Evan says because Rogue could be vicious when she loses her temper.

"Keep it up Evan and ah'll show ya evil alright," Rogue promises threateningly. She turns her attention back to her boyfriend. "Now would ya mind explaining what just tha hell ya meant?"

"Well since you ask so nicely," Clark jokes.

Rogue fold her arms across her chest unamused. To Clark she only looks more beautiful when she is angry. He steps to in front of her and rubs her arms gently. "What I meant is that you're evil because that is the only explanation for all the sinful acts your lips are capable of."

Said lips twitch into a smile as her anger instantly fades away. Rogue takes a hand and brushes her fingers across Clark's own lush lips. "Ah could say tha same about yours," she says flirtatiously.

Clark's lips curve up into that 'bad boy' one Rogue hasn't seen since he was doped up on red kryptonite. It makes her heart speed up. "Oh you haven't seen anything yet," he promises her, his voice low and husky. It makes a shiver of anticipation go up Rogue's spine.

"Oh Man. Will you two get a room," Evan complains looking slightly nauseous at the open display of flirting.

Clark and Rogue suddenly realise what they are doing and blush slightly which makes Kitty giggle. There was a time neither Clark nor Rogue would have done that so openly and Kitty wonders who is corrupting who or maybe they have just been good for each other in bringing both of them out of their respective shells.

Jean presses her finger to right between her eyes. Seriously being a telepath some days is not fun especially when you have to do all you can to keep strong feelings out. She may not be able to read Clark but what she is getting off Rogue are tsunami waves of emotions. Strong emotions in regards to what Rogue feels for Clark. There is lust there certainly but it is more than that. Much much more. Jean can't be certain but she thinks Rogue might be in love with Clark.

"Ok," Scott says bringing this to an end. "Can we save the flirting for later and concentrate on the Brotherhood," he requests. He holds his hand out in direction of the mall. "Superboy. If you would?" he asks Clark to scan the area.

Clark turns his attentions from Rogue to the mall. His eyes flash electric blue as he activates his x-ray vision. He is just about honing in on the Brotherhood when a sort of static fills his vision. It flickers from x-ray through the other wavelengths he can see completely beyond his control until his vision falls back to normal. He blinks several times trying to get it to work right but can't.

"Clark?" Scott asks for an update.

Clark frowns in confusion. "Something's wrong. My x-ray vision isn't working."

"Have you used it since Parasite absorbed you?" Jean wonders.

"Actually no. You think it's a side-effect of his drain?" Clark considers the possibility Jean is hinting at.

Jean shrugs uncertain as she is only guessing. "Perhaps. I mean you did say Parasite's powers were kryptonite based. I mean it could have an effect on you."

Clark supposes Jean could be right but that was 3 days ago. Surely he should have completely recovered by now.

Scott moves on to his next best asset. "Jean. What can you sense?"

Jean closes her eyes and concentrates. "They are definitely in there," she reports. Her face screws up as she concentrates harder. She can sense them but it's weird. It is like there is some sort of psychic static impeding her ability. "I can't get an exact fix on them though," she continues and explains the static metaphor.

"So like both Clark and Jean's abilities are on the fritz," Kitty summarises.

"That's a weird coincidence," Rogue comments in such a tone to indicate she doesn't think it is one.

Scott frowns. Something weird was definitely up. "I guess we just do it the old fashioned way," he decides even though Scott hates going into a situation so uninformed but then again it is only the Brotherhood. How much risk is he taking considering how many times they have beaten Alvers and co. "Kitty phase inside and open the doors," he orders since he isn't about to force his way in unless he has to.

"Like no problem," Kitty promises as she walks through the mall doors and opens the doors for the others.

"Man this place sure looks different at night," Evan comments as they walk in taking in the empty dark mall. The atmosphere is slightly eerie.

"This'll be the first time I didn't buy a pair of shoes," Kitty remarks.

At that Kurt whispers to Clark, "Vhat is it vith girls and shoes?" Cause Kurt has never understood the obsession.

Clark shakes his head along with a shrug of his shoulders to indicate he is as clueless as Kurt as to how the female mind works in that regard.

"Alright. Lets split up," Scott decides since they are doing this the old fashioned way and they will cover more ground quicker this way. "Jean, Spyke and I will take the first floor. The rest of you check out the balconies."

The X-Men then go their separate ways.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Back at the mansion the Professor is monitoring the situation through Cerebro. He picks up the Brotherhood easily and another signature. A constant low level emission that he tries to hone in on. Adjusting the settings he increases the sensitivity until he manages to get a lock.

His eyes widen as he senses who it is. "Wanda," he says with a tiny tremor of worry for his students. They have no idea who they are up against and worse he never trained them for someone like Wanda. He quickly turns around and heads out of the room. He must get to the mall as quickly as he can. The hows and whys regarding Wanda's presence can be worked out later.

* * *

**At the mall...**

Clark had zipped his way up to the top floor since with his speed that made the most sense. His senses were still on the fritz. His hearing was now picking up nothing but static to go with his vision. He would figure out what was going on later with them as he was trying to concentrate on the here and now with finding the Brotherhood. Channelling some stuff Logan had taught him he tries another of his senses and sniffs the air and picks up...perfume?

Clark follows the scent round a corner and finds... "Tabby?"

Tabby, dressed in her black leather Sirens outfit, smiles a little delighted at who found her first. She then takes a moment to look Clark over. She had seen him in the black costume he wore that time back with the Sirens. She guesses this red and blue ensemble is his X-Man uniform. "This is a good look for you," she expresses her opinion. Probably a better look than the black.

Clark's brow furrows in confusion. "Tabby. What are you doing here?"

Tabby looks around and Clark can tell she is nervous about not being seen. "Look here's the deal. This whole thing is a set up by Mystique."

"Why?"

"To test Wanda's powers against you guys."

"Wanda?" Clark queries.

"Pietro's twin sister."

"Pietro has a twin?" Clark asks with notable surprise at that.

Tabby nods. "Yep. Only unlike him she hates Magneto. He...well basically he threw her away. Had her locked up in a mental institution because she was crimping his take over the world schemes or something. Really I don't know why he did it but end result is that she absolutely despises him. Mystique got her out and promised her that we would help her find Magneto so she could get payback on him. Total pack of lies of course and Mystique told us all not to say a word or we would regret it."

"Tabby if you need help..." Clark offers his at hearing this.

Tabby smiles at his offer. "Appreciate it gorgeous but for right now I need to stay and earn Wanda's trust so she'll believe me when I tell her the truth. Course I might need help at that point to get away and so might Wanda."

Clark has this feeling Tabby isn't saying something. "Tabby what aren't you telling me?"

Tabby has another quick look around to double check no-one is watching. "Mystique's plan is to calm Wanda down and slowly win her round to Magneto's way of thinking. If that fails then Magneto plans to use a telepath on Wanda to alter her memories and well basically brainwash his own daughter into being loyal."

At hearing this Clark almost regrets not snapping Magneto's neck when he had the chance. He means he knew Magneto was dangerous but brainwashing his own daughter is just sick.

"I just thought you guys and the Professor should know what is going on," Tabby explains why she is saying all this.

"I'll make sure to tell him but what about you in the meantime?"

"Like I said I need to stay for Wanda's sake."

"Alright," Clark concedes not entirely happy at the situation. "If you ever need my help Tabby just call my name. I'll hear you and be there."

Tabby is about to asks him how he'll hear her exactly but a commotion from elsewhere in the mall interrupts. "It's started," she realises. "I'll have to fight you now so they don't get suspicious," she tells him.

Clark nods in understanding and moves next to the railing. "Hit me with your best shot," he tells her while tapping on the centre of his chest to show her where to hit him.

Tabby smiles. "Well with an offer like that how can a girl refuse," she says with a little of her old spunk that she has managed to preserve. She summons up one of her energy balls the size of her fist and throws it hitting Clark dead centre in his chest. The ball explodes on impact and Clark allows the momentum to knock him over the railing. Tabby runs over in time to see him fall the two storeys to the bottom and land on his feet in a crouched position. She can hear the floor crack under the impact from here.

A roar to his right catches Clark's attention as Blob charges at him. Clark chooses to roll forward out of the way as Blob's momentum takes him past. Fred brings himself to a stop after several paces and turns to face Clark. "I've been waiting ages to get a crack at you," Fred grins in eager anticipation.

"Fred I have no wish to fight you," Clark says.

"Well that's too bad because I want to fight you!" Blob roars and charges at Clark once more. Fred raises both his fists above his head and tries to bring them down on top of Clark. With instincts honed by many a lesson with Logan Clark catches both arms by the wrists and allows himself to fall back. As he does so he takes one foot, plants it into Blob's stomach and using Blob's own momentum and a little of his own strength pushes Blob over his head and sends the gargantuan teen sailing through the air until Blob smacks into one of the concrete pillars.

Elsewhere just as this started Lance had been trying to persuade Kitty to stay out of it not wishing her to be hurt. She wasn't listening to him as she had to help her friends. Lance grabs her shoulders. "Kitty. Forget it," he tells her in no uncertain terms. "Leave!" he tells her forcefully.

Kitty winces when Lance in his urgency to make her go squeezes her shoulder too hard. "Lance. You're hurting me!"

Lance is grabbed from behind and swung into the wall hard...by one angry looking Rogue.

"Lance ah always knew ya were a jerk but when ya hurt mah friend ya cross tha line," Rogue warns him, her face dark with anger.

Lance shakes off the pain. "Stay out of this Rogue!" he warns her off.

"Or what? Ya'll hurt meh too? Try it!" she dares him.

"I'm trying to protect her," he says with total conviction.

The sad thing is in Lance's head, Rogue realises, that he probably really does think that. However when she sees Kitty rubbing her shoulder a slightly pitiful pained expression on her friend's face the predominant emotion in Rogue's head is anger. "Lance ah'm givin ya this one chance ta leave," she offers him.

Lance finds Rogue's offer an insult and anger boils up inside him. He is only trying to protect Kitty from Wanda. He's seen what Wanda is capable of and if Kitty stays and fights she will get hurt and he won't allow that. He shoves Rogue hard in the shoulder pushing her back. "Like I said. Stay out of this," he mutters at her disrespectfully as he turns his focus back to Kitty.

'Oh he did not just do that,' Rogue thinks to herself. No-one pushes her around especially not jerks like him. "Alvers," she says his name to get his attention. Lance turns his head to be met by a right hook connecting to his face.

Lance grabs at his face partially in shock but that quickly gives way to anger. "Why you little..." he starts to say only to be cut off by another quick punch from Rogue right to his nose.

Rogue puts her finger behind her ear. "Ah didn't quite catch that. What was that ya were about ta say?" she mocks him.

Lance roars and charges at Rogue in anger leading with a punch which she blocks. Lance tries to follow up but Rogue dodges, weaves and blocks the blows. She has had too many training sessions with Logan not to be able to do so against someone who is angry and advertising his moves before he makes them.

Dodging a blow she ends up against the concrete wall. She has to hide her smile as Lance tries to hit her with another right. 'Perfect,' she thinks as this was all part of her plan. She ducks under the blow and Lance's fist connects with the solid concrete. He howls in pain and cradles his hand giving Rogue the few seconds she needs to take her gloves off.

In his anger and frustration Lance swings round with his left only to find it caught by Rogue...in her bare hands.

Lance cries out in pain as Rogue absorbs him until he collapses. Rogue pushes the memories down and turns back to Kitty whose lower lip is actually trembling slightly. "Ya alright?" Rogue asks with genuine concern.

Kitty nods slowly as her mind tries to process what happened.

"Come on," Rogue says as she puts her gloves back on. "We should regroup," she suggests as she takes Kitty by the hand and they head for the nearest set of stairs.

Again at the same time Kurt is wandering along looking around when a figure in a green uniform steps out of the shadows in front of him.

"Hello my brother," Haze says coolly to Kurt.

Kurt stops stock still and wonders if this is a test from God. Despite it being 3 months since the revelation that Mystique had adopted Alicia he was no closer to figuring how to deal with it or her. "Hello...mein sister," he decides to greet her back in turn.

Alicia's face remains unmoved. "You know Kurt despite everything I know it would make our mother happy if you were to join us. What do you say?"

"I would say zhat I already made my choice and I von't be changing my mind," Kurt says with total conviction. Sure a piece of him would love to reconcile with his mother but he cannot travel the same path she is on as things stand.

"As you wish," Alicia says sounding disappointed at Kurt's decision. She takes a fighting stance. "I'll give you a warning since we're family. I've improved since we last fought."

And last time they fought she beat Kurt. However Kurt too had been doing training since that encounter to deal with how to fight another teleporter.

Alicia charges in at Kurt and the adopted siblings renew their fight as they teleport all over the mall locked in combat.

As this is going on Quicksilver is having a ball playing with Spyke in a clothing store as he buries his rival under mountains of clothes. He stops and smirks. "Perfect!" he says in a high tone. "You know not everyone can pull off that look," he mocks Evan.

From underneath the clothes there is a cry of annoyance and frustration as the clothes are ripped to shreds by bone spikes. "Enough of this!" Evan cries as he flings his spikes at Pietro.

Pietro takes the time to pretend to be yawning just to rub it in before he dodges each and every spike. "Gee Daniels is that really the best you can do?"

"No and it is not the best she can do either," Evan says as he points behind Pietro.

Pietro frowns before turning round to find Evan's spikes stopped in mid-air and standing at the door to the shop is Jean.

With a movement of her hand Jean sends the spike back at Pietro who dodges exactly into the path of several more Evan flings at him. They hit perfectly pinning Pietro up against the wall. He struggles to get free but can't.

"Thanks Jean," Evan says gratefully to the redhead.

"Not a problem," she says in return because it is always a delight to knock Pietro down a peg. "We should get back to the others," she decides. Evan nods in agreement and the two head back off into the central area of the mall.

As this started Scott was simply walking along looking for signs of the Brotherhood when his hearing picked up the sound of spitting from behind him. He spins round and unleashes a blast that strikes one of Toad's slime balls but no sign of Toad. "Come on out Toad!" Scott shouts.

Scott receives a kick to his back for that trouble but he uses the momentum it gives him and rolls forward. He spins round in a crouch and unleashes a optic blast which misses the hopping around Toad.

"Is that all you got Summers?" Toad goads Scott as he manages to dodge a couple more of Scott's blasts.

Scott surveys the area and spots what he needs and unleashes a blast upward way above Toad's head.

Toad stands there. "Whoa! Talk about bad aim!" he insults Scott.

"Who said I was trying to hit you," Scott says.

Toad frowns in confusion until he hears a whistling sound from above him. He looks up just as the potted plant Scott knocked free drops on his head. Toad falls backward with his feet in the air and lets out a painful groan.

Scott manages a small smile before he starts to head back to regroup where he spots Clark battling Blob.

Back with Clark he watches as Blob soon promptly gets back up from where Clark threw him. "Ha!" Fred crows. "That the best you can do!"

Well actually no it isn't. Clark is holding back as he is not a violent person by nature and despite it all has no real desire to hurt Fred which Clark is pretty certain he would do despite Fred's powers if he didn't hold himself back. "As I said Fred I have no wish to fight you. We're just here to find out what you are doing here. Don't suppose you care to tell me?" he asks despite the fact he knows. Best way to make sure no-one gets suspicious of Tabby is for Clark to pretend they didn't have that conversation.

Fred grins. "Nope."

Clark was afraid Fred would say that because that means more fighting. Blob then charges at Clark again and unleashes a punch which Clark catches. He then twists the arm into a lock Logan taught him and delivers a chop to Blob's kidney area. Fred's layers of fat absorbs most of the energy of the blow but it is still enough to send Fred flying until he crashes into another concrete pillar.

Fred becomes incredulous with rage. "That hurt!" he roars as much in surprise as anger.

Fred charges at Clark once again, roaring in fury with fists flailing. Clark manages to block or dodge every blow since with his superspeed it all looks like from his perspective that Fred is moving in slow-motion. When he spots a good opening he counters with a solid right sending Blob flying again...before he promptly gets back up. "You can't stop me!" Fred shouts. "No-one can stop the Blob!"

Clark almost groans as he tries to think of a way to end this. He mentally reviews everything he knows about Fred's powers part of which is a uni-directional gravity field Fred's body generates that makes it so difficult to move him but that only works if Fred is actually touching the ground. Idea strikes Clark and he raises his foot and slams it into the ground hard creating a wave of motion right at Blob.

As Clark hoped the wave picks Fred up and knocks him into the air. Before Fred can crash back down Clark has zipped forward and delivered a haymaker that sends Fred flying almost the entire length of the mall. As Fred starts to come back down Clark has zipped ahead of him and is waiting with another punch sending Fred back the way he came down the entire length of the mall where once again Clark is waiting for him.

Clark does this a couple of times sending Fred back and forth before he zips ahead of Fred about halfway down the mall, leaps into the air with perfect timing so he is the perfect place to deliver a double-axe handle sending Fred crashing down into the fountain spilling out its entire contents.

Clark lands in a crouch next to Fred who groans and does not get back up. Duty done Clark regroups with the others where he finds Rogue looking at him with an arched eyebrow. "What?" he asks her.

She looks at where Fred is lying and then back at Clark having seen the whole thing and it was pretty dang impressive. "Remind meh not ta get on your bad side," she tells him reflecting back his words when she took down Pyro.

"That's impossible Rogue. You could never get on my bad side," he assures her with that adorably goofy smile of his. Rogue smiles in return.

"Hey. Like where's Kurt?" Kitty asks realising that he is the one of them not back yet.

In answer to her question above all their heads...**bamf!**

They all look up to see Kurt just as he delivers a kick to Haze sending her spiralling down to the floor right in the middle of the group. She picks herself up with a groan and finds herself surrounded.

Scott brings his hand to his visor control. "Don't even try it Haze," he warns her since she will not teleport before he gets a shot off.

Alicia glares at him.

"Tell us what this is about," Scott demands of her.

"Or don't and ah can drain ya again," Rogue threatens trying to give Alicia no choice.

Alicia's gaze hardens even more until a little smile forms on her lips at something she sees behind Scott.

"Heads up Scooter!" a voice shouts as Tabby runs past Scott and throws about a dozen of her energy bombs into the air above their heads.

"Jean!" Scott yells and in response Jean places a telekinetic shield above them which contains the explosions.

However it is all the distraction Alicia needs as she grabs Tabby and teleports both of them away.

"Tell me I didn't just see zhat?" Kurt asks not believing his eyes that Tabby was here and helping the Brotherhood.

Clark would say something in Tabby's defence but before he can begin the escalator nearby suddenly starts up and appearing at the top of it is a girl with black hair with red dye at the tips. She is dressed in a scarlet red costume with black boots and long black fingerless gloves and a long scarlet red coat.

"Dude. She is totally stealing your look," Evan remarks to Clark because it some ways this girl's costume was similar.

Clark might agree if it wasn't for the seriously bad vibe he was getting from the girl who was wearing an angry glare that may do a better job than his heat vision at melting steel. He takes an educated guess that this is who Tabby warned him about. Pietro's sister; Wanda and Clark just realises that he never asked Tabby what is was that Wanda could do.

Wanda steps forward and starts to ride down the escalator. She raises her hands into the air and all the lights for the shop signs around the X-Men explode. The piano that is sitting in the mall rises up of seemingly its own accord and flies right at them. Scott fires an optic beam off to deflect it except the red beam does the seemingly impossible and bends in mid-air impacting one of the balconies above.

The piano continues its flight right at them. Everyone but Clark rolls out of the way. Clark stands there and learning a lesson from Scott does not use his heat vision. He raises his arm and smashes the piano down the middle.

Seeing this Wanda sneers and gestures with her hand which has Scott, who can't shut off his beam, snap his head in Clark's direction. On the way the beam hits Spyke in the chest and blasts him through a window. It narrowly misses Jean who just barely manages to dive out of the way before it hits Clark dead centre in the chest. Clark lets out an audible 'oof' before tumbling backwards a few times. He gets back to his feet and mentally notes in future to dodge Scott's beam.

Wanda reaches the bottom of the escalator where Rogue takes her turn and summons up Lance's power and sends the floor in a wave towards the fellow goth-themed girl. Wanda growls and gestures at the floor which reverses the wave and sweeps it back towards Rogue where it picks her up and sends her flying down the length of the mall.

Clark zips after her and catches her before she is hurt. "You alright?" he ask her as he puts her down.

Rogue nods. "Ah'm fahne," she assures him. "But who is she?" Rogue asks totally baffled at how the girl is doing all this.

Back with Jean she sees Scott still firing his beam as he looks down at the floor trying not to hurt anyone. "Scott. What are you doing?" Jean asks him.

"I can't...can't close my eyes," he says through the effort of trying to.

Jean's eyes narrow and focus in on Wanda. "Alright. Enough," she says having had exactly that. She raises her hand and Wanda into the air. Wanda spots what Jean is doing, raises her hand and Jean's power backfires on the redhead sending her flying through the air and crashing into Kurt.

Evan emerges from the shop he was blasted into riding on his skateboard and fires his spikes at her. As with Jean Wanda raises her hand and the spikes turn direction in mid-air straight back at Spyke who barely manages to roll out of the way.

Kitty tries to take Wanda by surprise by phasing up behind her but halfway finds her phasing power stops working and she is stuck. "Help!" she shouts. "I can't move!"

Kurt untangles himself from Jean and runs over to help Kitty. "Don't vorry," he promises her as he touches her shoulder. "I've got you." Kurt then teleports them both away and they reappear not where Kurt had intended to be at all but outside in the air. Luckily there is a tree below them that stops their fall as they end up hanging from the branches. "How did ve get out here?" Kurt asks at a complete and utter loss to explain what happened.

Back in the mall Rogue says to Clark, in complete disbelief at this situation, "She is kicking our asses." One girl by herself is beating all of them.

Clark dislikes violence immensely and even more so any kind against women but he has to put an end to this before someone is hurt even if it means lightly hitting Wanda to knock her out. He zips forward.

At seeing the red and blue blur coming towards her Wanda fires a hex bolt. If Clark understood what it did he would have dodged the black-blue energy bolt. Unfortunately he doesn't and the bolt hits him...and it hurts as in causes him real genuine pain. More than that it causes him to change the direction he is running at a 90 degree angle completely against his will and he finds himself heading straight for the concrete pillar holding up spiral steps.

Clark plows into it shattering the pillar and causing the the whole set of stairs to collapse on top of him.

Wanda raises her hands making the sign of the devil and yells out. Every remaining light explodes, the floor ripples and the whole mall shakes.

Scott finally manages to get his visor shut off and prepares to make another charge. Jean grabs his arm. "Scott. We have to retreat. She's too powerful," she tells him realising that they are beaten.

Scott won't accept that. "No!" he says with a shake of his head. "We can still win this," he insists despite the fact Jean is correct.

It is now he hears the Professor's voice in his head. _"That's enough Scott. Get everyone out. Now!" _the Professor orders.

Scott didn't like to run. In fact he hated the idea but knew the Professor wouldn't give the order without good reason. "Guys! We're out of here! Now!" he shouts.

Clark manages to hear Scott from beneath the small mountain of rubble he is buried under. The pile bulges slightly just before he bursts out of it and joins the others as they make their retreat.

Stepping out of the shadows watching them go is Mystique wearing a broad smile on her face. It had all gone better than she thought it could. Wanda had beaten them all. Even the supposedly invulnerable Clark Kent was susceptible to Wanda's powers because as she watches him go she catches him rubbing his shoulder like it is hurt. It is an important fact to know that Wanda can hurt him as the days tick down to what Magneto was calling the Day of Reckoning. From what she had seen Clark Kent was perhaps as fast if not faster than Quicksilver. He was certainly stronger than Blob from what she witnessed here tonight but it made no difference for as long as she can keep Wanda on side. Finally. Mystique had an equaliser.

Outside the mall the others find the Professor and Logan waiting for them with the x-van. The Professor looks relieved to see them looking relatively unharmed although as his gaze drifts to Clark he sees the Kryptonian teen rubbing his right shoulder as if he hurt it.

"I'm sorry Professor. We failed. We were beaten," Scott says looking and sounding notably downcast at how this night has turned into a disaster.

"Failure is a part of life Scott. We can learn more from our failures than from our successes," Xavier says trying to ease the feelings of failure he is getting from them all.

"Maybe but it still feels rotten," Scott remarks as he walks off. Jean jogs to catch him up so she can try and console her boyfriend.

"If anything this is my fault," Charles says taking a share of the blame. "I should have trained you to deal with someone like Wanda."

Clark continues to rub his sore shoulder. This has been the week from hell. First Parasite and now this. "Professor I have to ask about Wanda's powers because it was like the laws of probability went insane."

Charles manages a tiny smile. "That is a very astute observation Clark because that is exactly the nature of Wanda's powers. She can alter probability. She makes the impossible possible. You could say it is almost like magic."

Out of some instinct Clark snorts in distain. Magic. As if that was real.

"Ya alright kid?" Logan asks noticing how the kid is rubbing his shoulder.

Clark winces slightly as he tries to rotate his shoulder. "No. Not really. She hurt me. I mean it actually hurt when she hit me with one of those energy bolts."

Charles raises a single eyebrow intrigued at that revelation. Rogue looks at Clark in complete surprise and worry. She moves next to his side and takes his hand into her own.

Clark gives Rogue a smile. He is always glad she is here with him.

"Well when we get back you should have Hank take a look at it," Charles tells Clark.

Clark nods and he and Rogue start off in the same direction as Scott and Jean. He'll pass on his conversation with Tabby when they get back to the mansion where there is no chance of it being overheard and therefore putting Tabby in any danger.

The other X-Men follow, their heads down as they try to deal with perhaps the first real loss they had suffered in their lives.

As they walk by the Professor says, "You know how one handles defeat is as much a mark of your character as coming home the victor. Perhaps this is a lesson that was needed."

* * *

_Author's Note: Wanda's powers are often described as being magic-like so I decided that they were similar enough to be able to hurt Clark. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: The aftermath of this ends up triggering a serious talk between Clark and Rogue about their relationship._


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

**At the Institute...**

The X-Men are all now back home after the showdown at the mall. Up in his room Clark stands in front of his mirror as he gingerly tries to get his coat off. His shoulder is still aching. Getting his shirt off is probably worse. Once done that is when he spots the massive bruise forming on his right shoulder.

He guesses Wanda's powers are another item he can add to his list of weaknesses. There is kryptonite and after Jean, when she was under Mesmero's control, almost gave him a heart attack he counts telekinesis as well. Not to mention Logan's claws.

They had not yet had an official debrief or assessment of tonight but when it comes Clark guesses that during it they'll conclude that somehow Wanda was responsible for his senses going on the fritz and probably the same goes for Jean's telepathy.

"That looks painful."

Clark turns his head to see Rogue at his door still in her uniform. "It is," he assures her.

Rogue steps in with a frown clouding her features. Perhaps it was a bit of irrational worry left over from when he was badly hurt a few day ago but she had just felt she needed to check up on him before she had her shower and got changed. "How is it possible she hurt ya?" she wonders.

Clark shakes his head unsure of the answer. "I have no idea really but the Professor said she could make the impossible possible. Somehow her powers must negate my invulnerability and since it hasn't healed yet her powers must have disrupted my healing factor as well," he says basically stating the obvious but what else can he say when he doesn't know.

Clark rotates his shoulder and winces. He lets out a sigh. "Not the best week I have ever had," he dryly remarks. He has had his powers stolen and used against his friends while he almost got blown to pieces and now tonight with Wanda.

"You should put some ice on it," Rogue advises him.

Clark contemplates that for a moment. "I'm not sure that would work," he concludes. "Cold has almost no effect on me." Essentially it does not matter how cold the environment he is in is his body temperature remains unchanged so therefore ice would not cool his muscles down.

An idea strikes Rogue about what to do. She strides up to Clark and gently brings her lips down on top of Clark's bruise. She smiles when she hears a sharp little intake of breath from Clark. She plants a few more kisses across his shoulder before she looks up into his slightly amber glowing eyes. "Feelin better?" she inquires in a low husky voice. The phrase 'bedroom voice' comes to Clark's mind

"Much better," he growls before cupping her face and lowering his lips to meet hers. Rogue frantically pulls her gloves off and wraps her arms around his neck as he pulls her into his body. Clark moves down onto her neck making her moan while she drags her fingernails down his back making him hiss. Her hands slide round to his sides and start to travel back up and when they reach his ribs Clark suddenly squirms under her touch and takes a few steps back.

Rogue's eyes widen in delightful revelation because she has just found the means to get him back for all the times he has done this to her. She smiles. "You're ticklish."

Clark shakes his head in utter denial. "No. Absolutely not. Virtually invulnerable to harm aliens are not ticklish."

Rogue's grin becomes evil. She takes a step forward. Clark takes a step back. "Ya are just delaying tha inevitable Clark," she tells him.

It is Clark's turn to smile evilly. "Not if I beat you to it," he says before zipping forward and tickling her sides.

"No!...Clark!...Stop it!" she squeals between the bouts of laughter, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What's the magic word?" he teases.

"Please!" she gasps out.

"And?"

"And...and you're the King!"

"Ha!" he shouts triumphantly as his tickling of Rogue ceases.

"Now ah've got ya!" Rogue suddenly proclaims as her hands reach for the place she found a few moments ago and it is Clark's turn to face her wrath. Seeing her immensely powerful and supposedly invulnerable boyfriend squirm under her touch makes her immensely happy as she never imagined she would ever have moments like this.

"Ah!...Rogue!...No!" Clark pleads.

"What's tha magic word?" she asks him.

"Please!" he says in desperation.

"And what am ah? Say it!"

"Never!"

Rogue tickles him harder. "Say it!" she repeats her demand.

Clark gives. "Y-You're the Queen!"

Rogue smiles in triumphant and relents torturing Clark. "Dang straight ah am!"

Clark has to wipe some tears from his eyes due to laughing so hard. He guesses that is another weakness he can add to his list. "I guess you're happy now."

"Yeah...ah am," she says seriously, her voice soft, before rising on her toes and kissing Clark softly. "And it's all down ta ya."

Clark looks into her eyes and maybe it is a consequence of the high emotions from the fight earlier or maybe it is the cumulative effect of this and of his injuries a few days ago but he can see a look there that says if he really wanted to take this a lot further he could but he won't as a voice in the back of his head reminds him there are things he and Rogue have not discussed. Things Clark has been meaning to raise for awhile but a good moment never seemed to present itself and...well now is as good a time as any because his feelings for her as so deep now that it is soon going to be impossible to stop himself falling all the way. "Anna...we need to talk," he says solemnly.

A horrid feeling wells up inside of Rogue that this is going to be bad due to how rarely Clark uses her real name. "Are ya about ta break up with meh?"

"What!" Clark exclaims. "No! God no! Where did you get an idea like that?"

It was an irrational fear Rogue has always had at the back of her mind. Clark is a great guy so therefore why would he stay around with her when there are other prettier girls he could get.

Clark takes her hands into his own and leads her to his bed where they both sit down. "Rogue I promise I'm not about to break up with you," he swears. "This is in fact the best relationship I have ever had but we do have to talk if we are going to take this relationship further."

'Further?' Well Rogue did think the other day that she and Clark did need to talk about this and for a second there when he looked into her eyes and she looked into his she thinks if Clark had wanted to she might have just let herself go all the way with him. It was a brief almost momentary thought she had but it was there. Now her more rational brain is back working she knows she is not ready but a talk about this would probably be a good idea.

Clark takes a second to close his door and put on a t-shirt before he sits back down on the bed. He takes a deep breath. "Let me say first off I am not pressurising you into anything."

"Ah know," she says because Clark has not been pressurising her into taking this relationship any faster than she is comfortable with.

"It is just...there a few things you need to...deserve to know and that you need to understand." He pauses for a second. "Rogue. I'm an alien," he states plainly.

"Ah know Clark."

"No I don't really think you do," Clark says softly. "I look human but it is only an appearance. Scratch the surface and you find something that is not remotely like a human being. When...if we sleep together...honestly I am not entirely sure what will happen exactly."

Rogue suddenly realises Clark is right. That she hasn't really thought about what is different on him. She is a little bit uncomfortable having this conversation but Clark is also right that they need to have it. From what he said she can guess the following. "So...um...ya have nevah...?"

Clark shakes his head. "No. You would be the first."

Rogue takes a breath. It goes without saying that Clark would be her first when the day arrives she is ready. "Um...talking about sleeping together...how does that work for ya anyway? Is it tha same...do ya have tha same..._equipment_ as a human?" she just has to ask.

Clark manages a laugh as he gets what she means. "Yes. I have all the same..._equipment_ as a human male."

"That's good ta know," she says blushing a little.

"Except I am immensely stronger than any human," he has to caution her. "I can't be certain...that in the moment...I can control myself. It might actually be dangerous for you. Rogue I could so easily hurt you that it gives me nightmares. I never want to hurt you ever."

Rogue considers that for one moment before saying "Ah trust ya Clark. Ah mean it'll be awhile before ah think ah'm ready for that but ah know ya wouldn't hurt meh."

That means a lot to Clark that she trusts him so much. He continues wanting to get everything laid on the table now. However this part Rogue may not like so much. "Rogue...I...again I am not pressurising you here," he says upfront. "It is just...and feel free to correct me here if you think I'm wrong...it is just I think when a couple gets that close they are allowing themselves to be open and vulnerable and..."

"And?"

Clark takes another breath. "And...please don't take this wrong way but you aren't."

"Aren't what?"

"Open...about yourself. Your past," Clark seeks to clarify.

Rogue gulps. "Clark...ah..."

Clark stops her by placing his finger to her lips. "I'm not pressurising you Rogue. When you're ready to tell me I'll be here."

Rogue pushes his finger away. "Clark...it is not easy for meh," she tries to explain. Opening up like that is almost contrary to her nature.

"I know Rogue. Believe me I know. I have spent my whole life keeping clammed up which is why I do understand."

He does understand Rogue knows. It is part of why she thinks they have been able to make it work as a couple. "Thank ya," she says grateful he isn't pushing her.

Clark shrugs. "That's what boyfriends are for."

That makes Rogue smile.

"There are still a couple of other things I need to say," he points out giving her a chance to stop here if she isn't ready.

"Go on," she tells him.

"I know this is way off in the future but if we stay together that long...Rogue my DNA is fundamentally different from yours. We can in all probability not have children," he tells her from his best understanding of what Mr McCoy has discovered about his DNA.

"Clark ah nevah thought ah would touch another person again," she admits honestly. "Gawd...children nevah even occurred ta meh. Ah'm not sure ah would even want children."

"You say that now but what about 15-20 years from now?"

"Clark that is such a hard question ta answer," Rogue argues since it is impossible to know who she will be 15-20 years from now.

"I know," he accepts. "This is just me laying it all out for you. You have a right to know."

"Ok ah get that but it is not a question ah can answer right now. Lets just move on. Is there anything else?"

"One thing. You know Logan is older than he appears right?"

"Yeah," Rogue answers not sure how this is relevant to anything.

"I have perhaps a better healing factor Rogue. I am going to outlive you by a long way. Longer than you can imagine."

Rogue looks at him closely trying to see where he is going with this. "What do ya mean?"

"I can't be 100% certain but I think I'm...immortal."

Rogue's mouth hangs open at that. "I-Immortal? As in..."

Clark nods. "I'm going to live forever. I'll still probably look a lot like I do now when you..." Clark can't finish it. "Rogue I do want to be with you...more than I can really put into words but you deserved to know this before we go any further."

Rogue desperately tries to get her head around it except how do you get your head around the fact your boyfriend is going to live forever? How in blazes do you get your head around the simple concept of what eternity is?

Rogue takes a few minutes to consider her response. "Clark ah can't say that ah get mah head around this entirely today but if ah am ta beh true ta mahself ah think mah response should beh that ah don't care. Either one of us could beh killed tomorrow. This past week showed that even ya are not indestructible. Ya make meh happy more than ah can really put into words as well." She then smirks. "Besides on tha plus side when ah'm old ah'll get ta show ya off as mah hunky boy toy."

Clark smiles. That response is so typically Rogue. He leans over and kisses the corner of her mouth gently.

Rogue says some more. "Clark no-one can predict tha future and ah don't know where we will end up but ah do know that for right now ah want ta spend as much of mah life as ah can with ya even if that is only a small fraction of your life."

All Clark can do is smile more. He wasn't certain he would ever find anyone who could accept he was an alien until he started dating Rogue and now she is accepting so much more than that. She truly is the special warm, funny, intelligent girl he thought she was even before they started dating. He kisses her again. "Have I told you how wonderful you are?"

"Well not lately," she teases with a coy smile.

Clark kisses her again. "Well you are," he assures her before kissing her again.

After a few minutes of pleasurable kisses Rogue has to gently push at his chest. "Clark as much as want ta stay ah really need ta shower," she reminds him because she thinks she can't be smelling all that good.

Clark buries his face into her hair. "You smell fine to me." Better than fine. Incredible.

Rogue smiles once again. "Thanks but it isn't just that. Ah need ta check up on Kitty," she says.

Clark pulls back. "Why? Is she alright?" he asks concerned about his friend.

Rogue slowly rolls her head from one side to the other. "Kinda." She then explains what happened between Kitty and Lance in the mall.

Clark's face hardens as a result. "Ok usually I'm not one for violence but for that please tell me you kicked his ass."

"Well ah drained it if that counts and in an attempt ta hit meh he hit tha concrete wall so with any luck he broke a bone or two."

"He tried to hit you?" Clark asks with concern for her and anger at Lance.

Rogue waves off Clark's concerns. "Tried being tha operative word. That boy couldn't hit tha side of a barn from 2 paces. He's just lucky ah let him off easy."

The strange thing is that deep down Clark knows Rogue probably did let Lance off easy. "And people say you have no heart," he teases her. "I knew deep down you were just a big softy."

Rogue snorts. "Keep talkin' lahke that and ya'll get to see just how soft ah am," she threatens.

Clark arches an eyebrow in interest. "Is that a threat...or a promise?"

One corner of Rogue's lips curve upward. She gives him a quick kiss. "One day soon ah _promise_ y'all will find out." She then sighs and gets to her feet because as much fun as this flirtatious bantering is she isn't joking about that shower or checking up on Kitty. "Ah do need ta go," she says sadly.

Clark nods a little sad himself that they can't have more time together but still he is happy at the fact he laid everything on the table and Rogue is still wanting to go forward with their relationship. He stands up and opens the door for her like his parents always taught him to do.

"Ya goin' ta see Beast about your shoulder?" Rogue asks before she goes.

"Well I..." Clark trails off as he suddenly realises that it isn't hurting anymore. He pulls at the collar of his t-shirt and looks down at his shoulder. The bruise is gone. "It's healed," he remarks. Whatever Wanda did must have worn off.

Rogue takes a quick look herself and can see that the bruise is gone. "Dang it! That is so unfair!" she half-heartedly protests because it must be so handy to have a healing factor like that.

Clark rotates his shoulder a few times. No pain. No discomfort. Much better.

"Well ah'll go. Ah'll see ya later right? Y'all will beh around?"

"I'm always around," he promises her.

Rogue makes a movement to go but stops. She leans out the door and checks no-one is nearby before she leans next to Clark's ear and whispers, "Marie."

Clark frowns a little bit in confusion.

Rogue clarifies it for him. "Mah nahme is Anna Marie."

Clark smiles in delighted realisation of what she is doing. She is opening up to him. Oh it's not much but it's a start. He never knew she even had a middle name until right now.

As always Rogue smiles in return at Clark's infectious smile. "Well that shower is callin' mah nahme. See ya later sugah!"

Clark gives her a small wave as she walks off. "See ya later..." he lowers his voice to a whisper, "Anna Marie."

* * *

A little later that night and a few of the girls are hanging out together in Rogue and Kitty's room. It is never hard to see when Kitty is upset as it contrasts vividly with her usual perpetually cheerful mood. That and since the mission debrief Kitty had been pigging out on the chocolate ice-cream. The classic act of comfort when one is upset. That is why the girls are all there as it had gotten around what Lance had done.

"You know I'm like sure he didn't mean to," Kitty says in Lance's defence about him hurting her. She is just not ready to accept that their relationship could be over.

"Kitty. Do not make excuses for him," Jean says while silently plotting how to lobotomise Lance when she sees him at school tomorrow.

"Ah have ta agree with Jean," Rogue says and for anyone who knows her that is a rare event when she agrees with Jean. "Kitty he has no excuse and ya know why ah know that." Kitty shakes her head and Rogue continues. "Because ah am dating someone who can put a dent in adamantium and he has nevah hurt meh even accidentally once. Oh and on top of that Lance was in favour of that whole thing tonight with Wanda at tha mall because he wanted ta get one over on us," she reports from his memories.

Jubilee adds her two cents. "You know usually Kitty I would try and look on the positive but in this case it is seriously time you dumped his ass."

Jean nods in agreement. "Kitty even trying to be understanding here how much longer could it really go on when he works for Magneto?"

"I tried to persuade him to come here," Kitty weakly argues.

"Yeah and what excuses did he keep giving about not coming?" Rogue asks her. "That he wouldn't fit in? Wouldn't get along with Scott? Or that he doesn't really believe humans and mutants can live in peace?"

Kitty digs her spoon into the carton of ice-cream for another spoonful to eat.

Rogue sighs sad at seeing her friend so distressed. "Kitty ah don't mean ta make your mood worse but from Lance's memories ah saw that Mystique had delivered an ultimatum about them choosing what side they were on. They committed 100% to Magneto or leave and come here and Lance...well...lets just say he wasn't comin' here."

"I...he...he doesn't care for me does he?" Kitty asks, tears welling up in her eyes.

"He cares," Rogue corrects her. "But not enough ta choose ya over Magneto's cause."

That is when Kitty starts full on crying with Jean and Jubilee doing their best to console her. Rogue would do the same if she wasn't risking draining Kitty. She feels bad enough as it is saying that knowing it would hurt Kitty without adding Kitty's actual emotions to the mix.

* * *

"So what do we do about Wanda?" Ororo asks Charles in the sanctity of his office after he filled in many details about Magneto's daughter at the debrief.

"We have faith in Tabitha," is Charles' simple reply after hearing from Clark what Tabby had said to him in the mall. "Wanda is too powerful to be forced into doing anything even if I believed in doing that which as you know I don't."

"How powerful is she?" Logan asks from his position leaning against the far wall. Asking the question as it relates to the potential threat Wanda represents.

"Potentially Wanda is an Omega level mutant. Her powers in theory would be limitless if she learns proper control."

"She seemed to have pretty good control from what the kids were saying," Logan points out.

"Of her powers maybe," Charles will concede that whatever Mystique did had certainly improved Wanda's control. "Of her anger...that is an entirely different issue." From what little Charles had been able to sense of Wanda's mind tonight and from what he knew from his many sessions with her Wanda's anger was something that was going to take months if not years to resolve fully.

Ororo shakes her head. "I cannot believe Magneto threw away his own daughter like that," she says visibly angry at what Magneto had done.

Charles sighs with extreme sadness. He had been asking himself about how Erik could do it every day since he found Wanda. He still had no answer.

"So we are really just going to wait and see if the Time Bomb can do what she says?" Logan asks sounding extremely sceptical. Sure he had nothing against Tabby but she was not the most reliable person he had ever met.

"Tabitha may have been a little rough round the edges Logan but deep down in her heart I always believed she was a good person so in answer to your question yes we put our faith in Tabitha and when the time comes we offer both her and Wanda a place here."

* * *

_Author's Note: Thought it was time Clark laid everything out on the table what it involves being in a relationship with him. Something he failed to do on Smallville for years when he was dating Lana. In fact he even slept with her without revealing the truth. I know he was powerless at the time but still to me personally it doesn't show Clark up in the best light since I think any girl he sleeps with has a right to know what he is beforehand. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: A little incident finally shakes Clark out of his doubts about being a hero._


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

**The next day at Bayville High...**

"Kitty! Wait up!"

Kitty was just about to enter the school when she heard his voice. "What do you want Lance?" she asks harshly.

"To explain..." Lance starts to say but Kitty doesn't give him a chance as she glares at him, her eyes full of fury.

"There is nothing to explain Lance and I have no interest in hearing it," Kitty says icily with all traces of the 'Valley Girl' gone from her tone. Kitty's upset last night had now given way to anger this morning. She had tried to be nice. She had tried to be his friend. She had genuinely liked him and he threw it all back in her face.

Lance is taken aback by the angry tone of Kitty's voice. "Kitty last night..."

Kitty puts her hands on her hips annoyed at him for wanting to have this conversation. "What about last night Lance? You want to apologise for setting us up?"

Lance rubs the back of his neck because really no he doesn't. He may have missed a lot of it thanks to Rogue but he knows thanks to Wanda they finally sent the X-Men running with their tails between their legs. Something he is genuinely happy about.

Kitty fixes Lance a hard glare. "No I thought not." She turns to walk away but Lance grabs her arm with his good left hand since his right one is in a plaster after what happened last night. "Lance," she says in a slow deliberate tone. "Let me go or I will phase your head into a wall and leave it there," she threatens. "Oh and in case you can't figure it out that would kill you."

He lets her go. "Kitty where is all this coming from?" Lance asks clueless.

Gee was he always this slow Kitty wonders or did she just not allow herself to see it. "Lance Rogue absorbed you so I know," she explains it for him.

"Know?"

"That you have made your choice."

Lance speaks the next bit at a whisper. "Come off it Kitty. You know Xavier's dream is exactly that; a dream. It's a fantasy."

"Dreams are what makes life worth living," Kitty says in reply sounding very philosophical.

At that Lance can only reach one conclusion. "It's over isn't it."

"You made that choice Lance," Kitty says coldly. "Now deal with it!" she tells him before heading into the school holding her head high although on the inside she is an emotional wreck. She could see crying into more chocolate ice-cream later.

* * *

Later that day, after school, Clark is walking home with a few of the others. It was a nice sunny day after all. Rogue is next to him with her arm linked to his. Jean and Scott are there too walking in the same way. Kitty is between them still severely depressed over her break-up with Lance and despite the fact she is around happy couples she would rather be that than be alone.

As for others Evan was away to the skate park as per usual for him and Kurt was off spending time with Amanda. It made Clark smile to see his friend so happy to find someone who looked past the blue fur to the person Kurt was underneath.

At the moment Clark was simply enjoying walking along with his beautiful girlfriend who he would take out if he wasn't still grounded for the way he acted with the MRD. As soon as this grounding was over he had sworn to himself to make it up to her. He was working on a plan to do just that.

Rogue notices Clark's rather far off expression and wonders what he is thinking about. She guesses at not what he is actually thinking about but something else that she knows has been on his mind lately. "So have ya decided whether or not the Blur will return yet?" she asks him.

Clark sighs at that question. "No," he replies reflecting the true state of his mind being that he hasn't decided yet.

Kitty looks at Clark and Rogue trying to figure out what they are talking about. "Would someone like care to fill me in?" she requests.

Rogue gives Kitty the answer. "Clark's thinking of giving up his...night-time activities," she uses the appropriate codeword.

"Why?" Kitty asks confusion clear on her face. While she had had her fill of it after the Sirens she knew that Clark felt it important to do what he did.

"Why?" Clark repeats amazed that it isn't flaming obvious. "Kitty I utterly screwed up. I crossed a line and in doing so I walked into a blatant trap, had my powers stolen and put you all in danger."

Now Clark had apologised already and Jean knew the story and she really thinks Clark takes this guilt thing too far. In that regard he was a lot like Scott. So yeah like Scott she was a bit disappointed in Clark. She thought Clark knew better but after watching him mope around for days looking like he was carrying the whole world on his shoulders she also could see Clark realised the depth of the mistake he made. For that reason and others Jean had found herself feeling no real anger at Clark. "I think you are being overly harsh with yourself Clark," she expresses her opinion. "Now no-one could have predicted Lionel Luthor would have a being like Parasite up his sleeve."

"I mean like totally yeah," Kitty says in agreement. "I mean I couldn't have imagined that in my worst nightmare."

Ok Clark might just be willing to admit Parasite was something he could not have predicted but it didn't change a truth. "I still crossed a line Kitty even if it was well intentioned," he says meaning that he did it because he thought it was the best way to protect his friends. "You know how the saying goes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"But ya know ya made a mistake," Rogue argues with him not for the first time since that night. "Ah mean that is what is important."

"Rogue's right," Scott says in agreement. "We all make mistakes. The important thing is learning from them."

Clark smiles slightly. "You sound like my dad. That's what he said as well and I'm not saying no I won't go back to it. I haven't made my mind up yet."

Rogue's brow furrows into a frown. She really wishes she could think of a way to get Clark out of his funk and see past the fact he made one mistake and onto how much good he has done and how many lives he must have saved since he started.

Her musings are interrupted by Kitty suddenly shouting out "Oh my God!".

They all look at her and find her pointing in the direction of a burning apartment block.

Jean's eyes widen in terrible realisation. "Oh my god. That's where Taryn lives!"

Her friend Taryn had been off school after having to have her tonsils removed. The teens all rush to the scene despite the fact there is probably nothing they can do since they can't use their powers in public.

When they get there the police have cordoned off the area since most of the building is ablaze. Fire trucks are on the scene trying to fight the fire and Clark is silently cursing himself for not noticing this sooner. While he couldn't turn his hearing off exactly he had learned to tune out the background noise to the extent it was a faint constant din. Since he was grounded he had tried to tune it out as best he could since there was nothing he could do to help so he decided it was best just not to listen to it which would be why he never picked this up sooner.

As the teens stand there there are also a lot of other people there too as quite a crowd has developed along with several local news crews.

Jean is looking at the apartment block biting her lower lip with worry for everyone in the building but especially Taryn. She hopes everyone got out.

"Jean!" a voice shouts her name and they all turn their head as an asian woman with black hair runs up to them,

"Mrs Fujioka," Jean greets who is Taryn's mother. "Where's Taryn?"

Mrs Fujioka desperately looks around. "She's not here?" she asks with dawning horror as her gaze drifts to the burning building.

"Oh god. You mean she is like still inside?" Kitty asks with horror.

Clark focusses his senses onto the building and there on the top floor he spots her. Despite his recent self-doubts he doesn't hesitate in a second in doing what he must.

Rogue hugs herself feeling helpless as she looks on. "Clark what are we goin..." her words are cut off by a familiar gust of wind and she turns round to find Clark gone.

It is less than a minute later there is a second gust of wind and a black blur zips by the crowd, the police, the fire-fighters and is in through the front door and up to the top floor where he kicks the door to the apartment in. Clark only took so long because he had to nip back to the mansion and change into his 'Blur' costume first. He spots Taryn pinned down by a fallen beam.

Taryn coughs as smoke fills her lungs. She had fallen asleep while watching daytime soaps while recovering from her tonsillectomy only to awake to the apartment on fire. She had tried to get out but a beam from above fell on her and she has been trapped here ever since trying not to let the rising panic within her consume her completely.

Taryn coughs again as the fire around her draws closer and then she is pretty sure she is hallucinating as a, and this may not be the best time to think this, drop dead gorgeous man dressed in black strides towards her through the flames which lick at his body but yet somehow don't hurt him. She spots the strange symbol on his chest and she realises that this must be the Bayville Blur she had read about. Who knew he was such a hottie!

"It's going to be alright," Clark assures her in a calm gentle soothing voice that conveys that he absolutely means what he says.

Taryn simply nods completely reassured now that she will be alright.

Clark bends down to lift the beam off of Taryn when she spots another one above him about to fall. "Watch out!" she shouts and points at it.

Taryn watches in awe and amazement as with one hand Clark catches the massive beam as if it weighs nothing. He uses his toe to lift the beam off Taryn and flick into the air where he catches it and then uses it to prop up the more recent faller. Clark then lifts Taryn off the floor and holds her in his arms. The same floor which promptly starts to collapse all around them.

Clark could fall no problem but the fire he would fall into would burn Taryn badly leaving only one option; out the window which means everything is about to change.

Clark strides forward and leaps out the window. Taryn lets out a little scream on the way down. He lands bending his knees as he does so to absorb all the energy of the fall onto himself.

As he stands back up he is greeted by utter silence as everyone there is in total shock at what they just witnessed.

"Taryn!" her mother screams as she runs forward since the police keeping the crowd back are in shock as well and don't react until Mrs Fujioka is already past them. Clark puts Taryn down as Mrs Fujioka gathers her only daughter into her arms. "Oh my god Taryn," she says her voice shaking with emotion and relief. She then looks at Clark. "Thank you. Thank you for saving her," she says to him.

Clark manages a smile glad he was able to help.

"It's the Blur!" someone shouts from the crowd.

Several reporters rush forward, pushing past the police and surround Clark.

"Are you really the Blur?"

"How did you do that?"

"What else can you do?"

"Who are you really?"

Clark feels he needs to reply to that last one. "A friend," he says and then before any follow-up questions can be asked he has blurred away in a gust of wind. There are a few audible gasps of awe and amazement from the crowd at seeing Clark do that.

Again less than a minute later Rogue finds her hair being blown around once again and standing there back in his normal clothes and glasses is Clark. He thought it best to come back and simply not do a disappearing act. Besides he has to check whether this disguise really works now he had been seen in broad daylight. Clark is praying so.

"Did you see that?" a guy standing next to Clark asks.

Clark nods and pushes his glasses up his nose. "Sure did. It was really something wasn't it. That Blur is just swell ain't he," he says taking his corn fed farm boy act to its limit.

The guy standing next to Clark looks at him for a few seconds and swears he looks familiar. Clark just smiles dorkily, once more pushes his glasses up his nose as they have fallen down again and the guy shakes his head and dismisses the thought.

The teens start to head away from the scene apart from Jean who wants to check up on Taryn. When they get away from the crowd Rogue speaks first. "Swell?" she asks Clark unable to believe that word escaped her boyfriend's lips.

Clark scratches his head. "I swear I don't know where that came from," he says utterly clueless that even he would say something that lame. He then catches Scott's deadly serious look and can guess what it is about. Him being seen and what it risks about all their exposures. "I'm sorry Scott but you know I had to."

Scott nods. "I know. I don't blame you Clark," he says because how can he? Clark probably just saved Taryn's life. "It just...complicates things."

Clark couldn't argue with that.

"So are you still like doubting whether you should be going out Clark?" Kitty asks him since if he did how many others like Taryn would die that could be saved.

"There's still plenty of doubt Kitty," Clark tells her. "But that's probably a good thing. I got myself into that mess with Parasite because I wasn't questioning my acts before I committed them."

"But ya didn't hesitate back there did ya?" Rogue asks him. "As soon as ya knew someone was trapped ah'm bettin ya didn't think twice about helpin' them."

Rogue has pretty much nailed it. "No. I didn't," he admits and as that sinks in Clark realises that while he may not call himself or see himself as a hero he also knows that this path he has embarked down on is something he has to see through to the end. Since coming to the institute Clark has long gone past the point he sees his powers as a curse. Like he said to Rogue and Scott after meeting Warren what is the point of having power if you don't use it to help people. His powers are a gift to be used to help people and it is well past time he stopped indulging in his own little pity party and get back to doing exactly that. Well as soon as his grounding is lifted.

* * *

Back with Jean she is standing off to the side as the paramedics look Taryn over. She stayed for two reasons. One to check on her friend. Two to see if Taryn recognised Clark.

After an examination the paramedics let Jean see her friend. "How are you doing?" she asks Taryn.

Taryn has a kind of far away expression and her lips are curved up in a goofy infatuated smile as she thinks back on the gorgeous man who just saved her. His dreamy blue eyes that she could drown in. The errant lock of hair that flops across his forehead that left Taryn with this strange urge to try and run her hand through it. When she speaks in response to Jean it is in kind of a dreamy tone. "I think I'm in love."

* * *

When they get back to the mansion Clark discovers that everyone saw him live on the news. This is going to test his secret identity to the limit. It leads to a talk with the Professor in his office.

"Now Clark I am not angry at you in anyway," Charles assures the teen. "Not a single one of us would have stood by while an innocent person's life was at risk. In fact this effort you have made to have a dual identity probably made you the only one of us who could act. However..."

"It complicates things," Clark finishes. "Yeah. Scott made the same point."

"We need to tread carefully for the next few days and see how people react. I hope they react like you said they did to Warren initially and see you in a positive light." Charles also thinks back on what Clark said when he started that seeing him might begin to get people use to seeing people with powers. He hopes that is true also.

Charles continues. "Well what is done is done and people have seen you. What we need to do is keep them seeing you in a positive light and showing them that people with abilities are not a threat. Therefore Clark, assuming your parents agree, I will lift your grounding immediately but you will still need to be careful especially since your actions in regards to Lionel confirmed your existence to him."

Clark nods. "Don't worry Professor. I've learned my lesson about Lionel. I will be careful and I won't be taking the law into my own hands again. However if he is doing something illegal and I can prove it or if he is threatening innocent people I will still intervene."

Charles can concede those two points. "Still unless there is some emergency like today it might be best if you keep your activities to night-time only," he suggests before amending it slightly. "At least in the short-term."

Clark concedes that point too. Best not to chance his luck with the secret identity bit and be seen in broad daylight too often. Talk over he heads out of his office and bumps into Jean coming back in. "Hey Jean. How's Taryn?"

Jean stares at Clark and he feels a little uncomfortable as it seems she is putting him under a microscope. "What the hell is your secret?"

Clark is a little taken aback by the ferocity in Jean's voice. "What?"

"What is your secret because despite the fact Taryn has met you she couldn't see that you, Clark Kent, are the Blur?" That is what Jean managed to get from her friend around Taryn's declarations of now being in love with the Blur.

"People see what they want to see Jean. Despite the fact I was always around the strange going ons in Smallville no-one really ever pegged me for anything more than a farm boy," Clark gives what is his explanation.

Jean cocks her head to the side and looks Clark over as his answer catches her by surprise. It takes her a moment to remember that Clark is really very intelligent. Much more so than he lets people think. God he even has her buying into some image of him that is not real which leads her back to her original question. What the hell is his secret?

* * *

That night Clark is in costume just about to go out when there is a knock on his door. "Come in Rogue!"

Rogue pushes the door opened no longer surprised that he knows it is her before the door is open. "Y'all going out?" she asks with a little surprise thinking that maybe Clark would want to keep a low profile until the furore of him being seen today dies down.

Clark smiles at her. "I have a couple of things to do then I'll be right back and then I'll be all yours for the evening."

Rogue smiles sultrily, walks up to him and links her hands behind his neck. "Oh really?"

Clark gives her lips a quick peck. "Yes really," he promises her. "And if you're really good I'll pick you something up while I'm out."

"Ya don't have ta do that," she tells him.

"No...but I like doing that."

Rogue smiles. Clark often does these little small things for her. He can be quite romantic when he tries. She gives him a quick peck on his lips in return. "So ah'm guessin' this means ya won't beh quitting," she assumes.

"No. I won't be quitting," Clark confirms because like Rogue said earlier when he saw Taryn in trouble he didn't think twice about it. He just had to save her and if he quits then how many others like Taryn would suffer because he wasn't there. Like he was thinking earlier Clark may have not always accepted what he was or the powers he has but now he is certain that his powers are meant to be used to help people so he'll get over his doubts and get back out there and help save people.

"Just beh careful alright?" she asks of him since she was still trying to get over the way he looked after his encounter with Parasite.

Clark gives her a joky salute. "Yes ma'am." He then takes the showy way out and drops out his window and Rogue watches him blur away over the lawn. She did worry for him slightly but she was glad he was going back out. Occasionally she even wishes she had better powers so that she could go out with him. However her problem is she doubts slightly she has the same traits as Clark seems to naturally possess which one needs. Clark never judges people until he hears both sides of the story while Rogue tends to jump to conclusions and then there is the issue of her temper. So Rogue doubts she could be a hero and save the world while for Clark Rogue just had this feeling that this was what Clark was born to do.

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

It had become Lionel's habit lately to work late. He didn't sleep well anyway. A side-effect of all the medication he has to take to counter his liver disease. Tonight he was contemplating his next move as regards the Bayville Blur. He had seen the news footage earlier in the day showing the Blur alive and well.

Lionel would like to know how he survived the explosion at the warehouse along with what the hell happened to Parasite. There had been no sign whatsoever. No unexplained comas or deaths which would indicate Parasite was still around draining people so either Parasite is dead or locked up somewhere. Lionel was having it looked into. Hopefully he'll get some answers soon.

In regards to the Blur perhaps the answer was simply to be patient. It would take sometime to rebuild what the Blur destroyed. Stryker's Beta Squad of mutants was nowhere near ready for combat and while Trask was nearing completion of his prototype Sentinel robot it wasn't ready yet either. Therefore Lionel should be patient until these things are ready and use them in combination to take down the Blur. Lionel has enough time. If Dr Groll is to be believed about the good progress Project Prometheus is making then he will soon have plenty of time.

The phone rings. Lionel picks it up. "Lionel Luthor."

"Good evening Mr Luthor," a deep baritone voice greets him.

Lionel recognises it. "The Bayville Blur."

"If you are planning to trace this call don't bother. Just look out your window."

Lionel spins round in his chair and there on the rooftop across the street is the figure in black. "I saw you on the news today. Very heroic rescue."

"I'm not here to have a long talk with you Luthor. I'm just here to let you know that I'll be watching you. You can't bury the truth of your crimes forever and the second you slip up I promise you I'll be there to see you face your proper justice."

The phone calls end, Lionel blinks and the figure is gone. "We'll see about that," Lionel swears.

* * *

**New York...**

People are filing out of a movie theatre. All different types of people including couples. One particular couple is a boy with brown hair and eyes casually dressed in jeans and a black top next to a girl with blond hair kept back by a band. She has blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses and is dressed in a black top, blue skirt and is wearing a brown jacket. Her name is Gwen Stacy and after Peter did a no-show on their last attempted date she had finally forgiven him and agreed to another. Something Peter is extremely grateful for. He and Gwen had been friends since like kindergarten and lately he had been feeling something that was beyond friendship. Now if only Spider-Man would stop messing it up.

"So you have anything else planned for this evening?" Gwen asks him.

Peter smiles at her with all the charm he can muster. "Just whatever the pretty lady wants."

Gwen blushes slightly at the fact Peter actually called her pretty. God she had been waiting for years it felt like for him to notice her and then when she thought he finally had he stood her up. She had been pretty angry at him but when her anger cooled she found she still liked Peter and wanted to give this a go so she gave him a second chance and here they are and in her opinion she knows she made the right call in agreeing to this date. A movie might not be much but it was a start and truth is she had really quite enjoyed herself so far.

Then suddenly a kind of black blur passes by them blowing their hair about.

Gwen tries to sort her hair out while asking the obvious question. "What was that?"

Peter shrugs. "Don't know," he lies because it was Clark. Had to be. In fact Peter felt him brush by and something get pushed into his pocket. With Gwen still trying to straighten herself out Peter reaches into his pocket and finds a piece of paper written on which is the following.

_YOU WERE RIGHT._

_YOU CAN SAY IT._

_CK._

Peter smirks slightly and says in a low whisper in his most childish manner "Told you so."

"What was that?" Gwen asks having picked up Peter's, what sounded like to her, mumblings.

Peter shoves the piece of paper back in his pocket. "Nothing."

Gwen pulls her glasses down and peers over the top of them giving Peter what he has come to call 'The Look'. Oh dear god help him because he is utterly helpless against 'The Look'. "No it was something Peter. Tell me," Gwen demands to know.

Peter thinks fast. "Um...err..."

"Yes?"

Peter scratches the back of his head and thinks some more. "I was saying...have I told you tonight how lucky I am to be going out with someone as great, warm, funny, smart and last but definitely not least beautiful as you."

Gwen blushes once again. "You really mean that?" she asks shyly.

"I wouldn't say it otherwise would I."

Gwen's lips curve up into a smile and she decides to do something impulsive. She steps forward, cups Peter's face and presses her lips to his in a kiss.

When it ends Peter looks at Gwen's slightly flushed face and he has no doubt his is the same and thinks to himself, A, 'Wow! What a kiss!', B, 'Maybe his luck is finally changing' and C, 'Wow! What a kiss!'.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought it a good way to show Clark that he is meant to use his powers to save people by the fact when he saw someone in trouble he didn't hesitate to save them even at the risk of exposing his identity. Oh and Taryn is only the first of many girls who will be swooning all over the Blur now he has been seen. The poor guy. You just have to feel so sorry for Clark don't you? LOL! Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Chloe phones. Pete's in trouble. Guess who is going back to Smallville._


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

It had been a few days since the incident at the mall and Mystique was using her day off from playing secretary to Lionel Luthor to report to Magneto about the incident.

Magneto listens intently as Mystique describes the events. Wanda's powers were perhaps more formidable than he ever imagined they could be. Unfortunately from what Mystique had to report about her attitude Wanda's hatred of him had not lessened any. It made him wonder if there was time to allow Mystique's plan to work. Trask was nearing completion of his prototype and when it was done Magneto would put his plan into action. It is going to be tight. He may yet have to resort to using Mastermind to alter Wanda's memories.

"Is there anything else?" Mystique asks upon finishing her report.

"Yes. This Bayville Blur I have been hearing about."

Mystique's face turns sour. "It is the Kent boy."

"I thought as much," Magneto says with little surprise and not missing the slight tone of anger in Mystique's voice.

"You are not surprised?"

"Only Clark Kent possesses the array of powers described," Magneto explains logically. Although he is confused about why Charles is allowing it since he is certain Charles does not think humans are ready to know about mutants. Saying that the young Mr Kent's actions seem to be part of a growing trend of gifted people Magneto has heard about using their abilities to play hero. The world was changing and all of it proved to Magneto that the time of mutants was close at hand.

Mystique eyes Magneto carefully. His tone makes her wonder whether Magneto knows more about the Kent boy than she does. "Do you know something about him?"

"I have my theories," is all Magneto says.

"What is he? An experiment of some kind?"

"I have my theories," Magneto repeats in a harsh tone that says for Mystique not to inquire further. What he knows about Clark Kent is for him to know and not for Mystique to know because he can guess her reaction and he has neither the time nor patience to deal with it right now.

Mystique does not like this tone. Magneto senses it. "What is bothering you Mystique?" he asks. "The fact he rejected your daughter or the fact he is dating your other daughter?"

Mystique visibly bristles. "How do you know that?"

"I have my sources and really Mystique we are about to venture into a new era for our kind and you are wasting time and effort on the...soap opera that just happens to be your family," he says in that condescending parent talking down to a child tone of voice.

"Like yours is any better," she snaps back snidely.

Magneto narrows his eyes. "Focus on business Mystique," he tells her.

"Fine," she says pushing down her maternal instincts. "That boy can see through my disguises somehow," she reports.

"Interesting," Magneto remarks as he mentally notes it as another gift the boy possesses.

Mystique rolls her eyes. She hates when Magneto talks to her like this. She is almost tempted to point out that she is older than he is but keeps strictly to business. "Yes well it doesn't help with that plan of yours for me to replace Xavier does it? I can't do it if the Kent boy would know."

"It was only my preferred option," Magneto tells her. "There are other ways to get the X-Men where I want them to be when I want them to be there."

**Elsewhere in the base...**

"What's de matter petit?" Gambit asks Haze, glad to see the pretty young teleporter once again, but sad to see her looking a little depressed.

"I lost to my brother the other day," she says unhappy, angry and disappointed at herself for losing that fight.

"It is Gambit's experience d'at families generally are nothin' but trouble," he says from his own personal experience of his own family.

"Well from my biological parents I would agree but Mystique has been really great."

Gambit smiles amused by that statement. His smiles always get Alicia's heart pumping a little harder. "As Gambit recall d'at is not how you felt about her originally."

Alicia will concede that she and Mystique did not get off on the best foot but Mystique was a much better parent than hers had ever been. She also knows even if Mystique has never said it that it hurts her adopted mother to be so estranged from her son. It lights a fire in Alicia's gut to do all she can to lift Mystique by being the best daughter she can be and prove that the only child Mystique needs is her.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

It is the middle of the night as Martha makes her way to the kitchen. She couldn't sleep and was going to make herself a glass of warm milk. As she nears the kitchen she can see the light is on indicating someone else is up or someone forgot to turn the light off. As she gets nearer Martha can hear what sounds like soft crying from inside.

Martha pushes the door open to find Kitty sitting at the table. She can guess what this is about. If she ever meets this Alvers boy there will be strong words exchanged. "Kitty?"

Kitty desperately tries to wipe her tears away. Despite it being a few days since she broke up with Lance the pain in her heart was still there. It was all the worse tonight because she couldn't get to sleep leaving her lying there in the dark with nothing but her thoughts which inevitably ended up back on her break-up with Lance. "Mrs Kent. I didn't hear you."

Martha sits down next to Kitty. "Kitty," she says softly. "It's alright to be upset," she assures the girl that it is not necessary to try and hide her pain.

"I thought he liked me," Kitty says in a quiet pained voice.

Martha puts her arm around Kitty and lets out a sad sigh. "You know when I was your age I wasn't dating what you would call Prince Charmings either," she confesses to Kitty.

"Really?"

"Yes. My father was...still is a stockbroker and that is the world I grew up in. I too was looking for that tall, dark mysterious type. Almost married one too until I realised the truth."

"What truth?" Kitty asks now really interested in Mrs Kent's story.

"That the people who lived in my father's world were all shallow, greedy, selfish morons whose only goal in life was to make more money and elevate their standing. They care more about their image than they ever do for another human being. I just thank god I woke up before it was too late and got out of there. Now I don't know what it is that this Lance thinks is more important than you but the fact there is something shows he is no better than the men I rejected. Nothing should be more important than the person you love. One day Kitty you'll meet the man you deserve."

"But-but what if I'm looking the wrong way, looking for that tall dark mysterious type and I miss him?" she asks her voice cracking with emotion and her bottom lip wobbling. "What if I never find that someone like you did with Mr Kent?"

That makes Martha chuckle.

"What?" Kitty asks a little perplexed.

Martha explains why that last question of Kitty made her laugh, "I first met Jonathan when we were 18. My father was in Smallville on business and I went with him. I ended up going to pass the time while he was at a meeting watching the local football team and that is where I met Jonathan for the first time and trust me that meeting did not go well. He was an arrogant full of himself star Quarterback and I was looking for that tall, dark, mysterious man I mentioned. I'll spare Jonathan the embarrassment of retelling it but lets just say I brought him down a peg or 3 before I left. I thought he needed it but beyond that I did not think even for a second he was the man for me."

"I don't understand," Kitty expresses her current state. "You and Mr Kent...you look so happy."

"We are...now. I think we go through bad relationships for a reason Kitty. I believe you have to go through all the wrong men so when the time comes you recognise the right one. When Jonathan and I first met we were wrong for each other. We were different people back then. Young and immature. The man I almost married was wrong for me too and after I called it off I drove...just drove off by myself needing to be alone with my thoughts. The world my father lives in I came to realise was not the world I wanted to live in."

"If you like don't mind me asking how did you and Mr Kent end up together?"

"I don't mind," Martha assures Kitty. "Like I said Kitty I was driving and eventually I ended up back in Smallville about...10 years after that first time and lo and behold who do I run into but one Jonathan Kent but he was not the same man. By this time his father had died and Jonathan was running the farm and well...having to deal with all of that changes you...matures you. We got to talking and I realised how much both of us had changed since that first meeting. We became friends. Arguably Jonathan became my best friend. We spent a lot of time together and then one day we realised in a sense we had started to date and more than that we had fallen in love. Time had changed Jonathan into the right man."

Martha gives Kitty a gentle squeeze for comfort. "Now I don't know if you can apply this to Lance. Maybe one day he'll change into the right man for you or perhaps that right man will be someone else entirely but I do know that that right person exists for everyone."

Kitty tries to look into heart and see what it feels but it is still too broken to give her a good answer. However Mrs Kent's words sound wise. Kitty should listen to them and learn from this. She leans into the older woman. "Thank you Mrs Kent," she says grateful for the comfort and words of advice.

"You're welcome Kitty. Now I was going to warm up some milk to help me sleep. You want some?"

Kitty nods. "Yes. Thank you."

* * *

The next morning Clark is getting ready for school thinking back on his date with Rogue last night. Although they didn't go out since it was raining. They just stayed in, cuddled up on the couch and watched one of the horror movies Rogue likes. She is just so adorable when she watches one of them. She actually whispers at the screen encouraging the poor victim to head into the room where they are about to meet their violent end. Clark isn't even sure Rogue realises she does it.

What Clark does realise is how much he loves the feeling of Rogue cuddled up next to him and he loves so many other of her little quirks and well Clark has been trying to work out if he has moved passed falling in love with Rogue to actually being in love with Rogue except how do you know when you're in love?

He had thought he was in love with Lana once upon a time except look how that turned out. He really needs to talk to his dad he thinks and get some advice. His thoughts are interrupted when there is a knock on his door. "Come in Bobby!"

The door opens and Bobby looks a little put out. "Dude that is almost as creepy as when the Professor does it," Bobby says in reference to how Clark always knows who it is at his door.

"It's the benefit or curse of having my senses Bobby," Clark explains. "So what's up?"

"Phone call for you. Think fast," he says with a grin as he throws it nowhere near in Clark's direction. Clark zips to it and catches it while giving Bobby a small glare. Bobby just grins all the wider as he departs. One day Clark is going to get Bobby back for all these little jokes and pranks he swears. He puts the phone to his ear. "Hello."

"Clark."

"Chloe?" he asks with some puzzlement as to why she is phoning. This wasn't the day they usually set aside to catch up.

"Clark I need your help. It's Pete."

Clark can hear the tremor of deep worry in Chloe's voice and a cold chill runs up his spine. "Is he alright?" Clark asks with concern about his friend.

"No. Clark...Pete's going to die."

It takes several seconds for Clark's brain to absorb that bombshell. He sits himself down on his bed. "Ok Chloe take this from the top. What do you mean Pete's going to die?"

"Well don't get jealous or anything," she says with a joky laugh, "but I kinda have a boyfriend now."

"That's great Chloe," Clark means genuinely. He would like to see her happy. "However how is that relevant to Pete?"

"I'm getting there. Give me a minute," she tells him off. "Well this guy...his name is Jordan Cross and well he's a meteor mutant. He has this ability that when he touches someone he sees how they are going to die."

Clark nods and listens as Chloe explains how she first met Jordan and with his power they have actually saved a few people from the deaths Jordan foresaw. He also wishes she had mentioned this sooner which he says to her.

"And what would you have done Clark?" Chloe pointedly asks him. "Run the thousand miles back here. You can't be everywhere Clark."

Clark runs his hand through his hair and mutters how sometimes he wishes he could be everywhere but Chloe is right. He can't. "Ok so I'm guessing he has seen Pete die?"

"Yeah and from what he saw I think it is going to be soon because Pete has been...well he's been acting out a lot lately."

"Acting out how?"

"You remember how people would do those street car races along the back roads?"

"Yeah. You mean...Pete's doing that? Is he nuts?" Clark asks unable to believe Pete would do something that insanely dangerous.

"I'm beginning to think so but lately he doesn't talk to me. When I ask him what is going on he brushes me off. When I tried to do my investigative routine he..."

"He what?"

"He...well...sort of...threatened me."

Clark can't believe he is hearing this. "Threatened you?"

"Well not seriously. It was kind of vague. You know 'Keep your nose out of my business or else' kind of threat."

Still that does not sound like the Pete Clark knows at all. Something is obviously going on with Pete that he has chosen not to share with Clark or Chloe.

Chloe continues on the phone. "Clark I know this is kind of awkward with you living so far away now but I'm desperate. Jordan saw Pete die in a car crash and with him racing every week it could be almost any time now especially since..." she trails off.

"Especially since what?"

"Well you see a lot of racers have died in explosions lately because as I found out they have been using kryptonite as a fuel booster which...big surprise here," Chloe says using her best sarcasm, "makes the fuel unstable."

Clark shakes his head. It seems Smallville is not all that different now from when he left. However he will have to do something. "I'm guessing phoning Pete would be pointless," he says.

"Clark he would just probably hang up on you if his attitude with me is any guide," Chloe grimly expresses her opinion.

"I'll need to talk to my parents and the Professor Chloe and I'll see what I can do. Just do what you can in the meantime to dissuade Pete from racing anymore."

"I'll try but don't hold your breath," she warns him.

Clark ends the call, quickly gets to his feet and zips down to the Professor's office.

He stops outside the Professor's door almost bumping into Kitty who is trying and failing to suppress a yawn. "Tired?" he asks her.

Kitty nods. "Yeah I was up like half the night because..." Kitty pauses for a moment not wishing to reveal what she feels should remain a private talk between herself and Mrs Kent so she thinks of another reason. "...because I was working on my Earth Sciences project on woodlands...that I am so going to get a D for. I mean seriously though what do I know about woodlands. I'm a city girl." Funny thing is that that wasn't a total lie. She had been working on that project and she is so heading for a D. Her perfect record of straight As is heading for ruin.

Clark smiles amused at how Kitty sees getting one D as a disaster of epic proportions. "Well I could say I don't have that problem except I tended to avoid the woods back in Smallville. Too many pieces of kryptonite scattered about," he explains.

Kitty feels some sympathy. "That must have been like hard to live somewhere covered with something that can kill you."

"It was a little difficult at times," Clark admits.

"So you here to see the Professor?" Kitty inquires.

Clark nods and briefly tells Kitty about his phone conversation with Chloe.

"I'm like sure the Professor will let you go," she expresses her view after hearing Clark's worry about his friend.

At this point Clark and Kitty overhear a conversation between the Professor and Mr McCoy.

Hank had been having issue controlling his more animal side lately. It had been itching to get out into the world and he was having a harder and harder time suppressing it.

"It is a part of your mutation Hank. It is natural it would want to get out into the wild," Charles gently says.

Hank nods. "I know. It is just...out of all the people in the world why am I the one turned into this?" he asks.

"That is a journey we must all undertake Hank. To figure out our place in this world."

"Journey?" Hank questions harshly. "Where does one go when you can't be seen by the public?"

Outside the door Kitty and Clark share a look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks her.

Kitty smiles. "That we can solve 3 problems in a single stroke."

Clark frowns. "3?" he queries.

"Yeah. Mr McCoy's, your need for a cover story and my like desperate need in regards to my Earth Sciences project."

Clark makes a face at that third one. Seriously grades are not the be all and end all. "Ok 3."

Kitty slaps him on the arm at the face he is making. "Hey my number one priority here is helping Mr McCoy," she insists sounding deadly serious because she is. She really feels for Mr McCoy and wants to help him.

"I believe you Kitty."

"So shall we?" she gestures at the door.

"Ladies first," Clark offers being polite.

Kitty smiles at the fact there is at least one gentleman left in this world so unlike her jackass ex-boyfriend who she tries not to waste thought on. She and Clark step into the room and with some psychic dialogue between Kitty and the Professor they manage to talk Hank into taking Kitty and the New Mutants for a sojourn to the woods of Smallville. Oh and Evan too because his grades are not good enough. Anyway this would be a cover story to get them off school and give Clark the chance to try and save Pete.

On that issue Clark, the Professor and his parents have a more private conversation.

"This is a remarkable gift this Mr Cross has," Charles just has to say. The precognitive ability to see the very moment someone dies and then be able to change that. Charles had met only a very few mutants in his life with the ability to see anything of the future.

"I didn't really discuss it with Chloe in detail," Clark admits unable to give a more detailed description of this power.

Charles smiles in understanding. "Of course your thoughts would be about your friend."

"I can't believe Pete is racing," Martha just has to say unable to reconcile the boy she knows or at least thought she knew with the one Clark said Chloe described.

Neither can Jonathan. Those races had been going on for years and he knows how dangerous they are. There must be something they are missing. Something that has caused Pete to act out in this manner.

"So it is alright if I go?" Clark asks his parents to get their permission.

"If anyone can get through to Pete it's you Clark," Jonathan says in belief at Clark's ability to reach his childhood friend. "In fact I'll go too. It wouldn't be fair to leave Hank to cope with all the students by himself," he decides. Jonathan looks to Martha. "What about you Martha? You want to come?"

Martha smiles a little wistfully. "I do miss Smallville," she admits. "But camping out in the woods was always more your style not mine so I'll just stay here," she decides.

* * *

That night after school Clark is in his room just finishing packing up as they are leaving really early in the morning. Going would be himself, his father, Mr McCoy, Kitty, Evan and the New Mutants minus Volcana.

Evan had tried pleading with his aunt about him not going but needless to say that didn't cut much ice as Storm agreed with Beast that Evan's grades need improvement.

Clark's thoughts are rather mixed on the matter. He wonders what Smallville is like after all these months away. Talking to Chloe and Pete can only tell him so much and well it seems Pete has been keeping stuff from him. While trying to save Pete will be Clark's number one priority he wonders about dropping in and seeing how Lex is. He hasn't had many conversations with Lex these last several months. In fact Clark can count them on one hand as when he tries to call Lex always seems to be busy.

Then there is Lana. When they last met she was still angry at him at the way he ended their relationship but that was nearly 4 months ago. Maybe her anger has faded and he can see about patching up their friendship while he is there. Again only if he has the time. Pete is the priority.

One other thing Clark hasn't said is that secretly he'll be glad to get away for a few days. Ever since he was seen a few days back rescuing Taryn he had had to endure it seems the entire female population of Bayville High swooning over his picture. It was embarrassing frankly. Clark didn't seen his appearance as all that special. He was just kind of average looking in his opinion and his body was big and bulky so he didn't get what it was they all saw in him.

A knock on Clark's door gets his attention breaking his train of thought. "Come in Claire!"

Claire opens the door with a frown. She finds it creepy how Clark knows when she is at the door. The Professor she will live with because he is telepathic. Clark...well she hasn't figured out how he does it. X-ray vision would be her first guess except he has his back turned to her as she walks in.

Clark turns around to see Claire with a book in her hand. The one he lent her. "Did you enjoy it?" he asks.

Claire looks down at the book for a moment then up into Clark's face. "Yes. Thank you," she says grateful he lent it to her as she hands it back.

Clark takes it. "No problem," he assures her. Clark puts the book back on the shelf on the wall before turning to look at Claire. Since she arrived her temper has become more manageable. She was a tiny bit like Rogue in the sense she tried to project this tough exterior masking over the real person underneath. The real person that as time went by you got to see more glimpses of. Glimpses of the fact that despite every hardship she has gone through there is just this wounded teenage girl trying to deal with everything she has lost. It makes Clark feel this tiny little sliver of guilt. Her powers come from kryptonite and her parents were killed the day he fell to Earth. "You sure you don't want to come on this trip?" he asks her.

Claire had been only asked and not forced to go. She could have gone. Out in the remote woods it was unlikely that Lionel would find her but she refused. "I'm certain. That place...killed my parents and I'm...I'm just not ready to deal with that yet," she tells him.

Claire is certain that she just can't return to that place. The thought makes images flash up in her mind of the day the meteors fell and her parents died and she just can't deal with that. Then a sudden grin comes to her as she remembers something she has been meaning to say to Clark. "By the way I was meaning to say I loved that you bloodied Lionel's nose," she says in reference to what Clark did. "Although if it had been me I would have fried the bastard," she admits frankly. She is still pretty angry at everything Lionel did to her. Ok pretty angry is an understatement. Livid or incandescent with rage is closer.

Clark sighs sadly. "I almost did."

Claire cocks her head slightly puzzled and Clark explains when he burned his symbol into Lionel's office wall directly above Lionel's head. It just makes Claire smile more. "God I would have loved to have seen his face."

Clark manages a small smile. "It was pretty funny actually."

"How do you know?" she asks since from his story he was across the street and wouldn't have been able to see Lionel's face.

Clark explains what he isn't sure counts as a new power. "I've been discovering lately that I can...zoom in I guess you would describe it as on objects. I can read a book from across a room and that EM field Lionel has around his building doesn't block the visual spectrum."

"Why would you read a book from across a room?" Claire asks.

Clark shrugs. "Just to see if I could."

Claire just stares at him for a few seconds. "You are so weird," she mutters with a shake of her head. Clark was weird in more ways than one because it has not escaped Claire's notice that for a mutant Clark is kind of unusual and she knows from her time here that there is something about him that no-one talks about. Some secret she hasn't been let in on.

Clark manages a goofy smile. "I'll try to take that as a compliment."

Claire laughs and shakes her head again. God he is an utter goofball. She is still laughing as she turns around and leaves passing Rogue as she does so.

Rogue walks into the room a little bemused at seeing the fiery redhead laugh. She isn't sure she has ever seen Claire laugh. "What was that about?" she asks Clark.

"Oh nothing really. She was just returning a book I lent her and it seems I've discovered that she actually has a sense of humour."

"Ah don't think Bobby would agree," Rogue points out as every single one of his pranks and jokes on Claire has led to her trying to roast the habitual practical joker.

"Perhaps not," Clark says with a smile at the sight of his girlfriend. "So what brings you here? Business...or pleasure?"

Rogue smiles at that but has to shoot Clark down. "Business."

"Dang!" Clark says in a mock southern accent which has improved slightly from when he first tried it.

"Ya say that now but Logan will beh along any minute. Do ya honestly want ta risk that?"

"For you I'd risk it," he says extremely seriously because he means it.

Rogue actually blushes slightly at that. "Thanks but ah'm here about this trip of yours tomorrow."

"Yeah. I'll miss you," he says softly in a sad tone because he finds it hard to imagine a day without Rogue in his life somehow.

Rogue is touched by that and she would miss him too except... "Ah was thinking that if tha Professor agrees that ah could come with ya."

"Why?" Clark asks the simple question before hastily adding "Not that I wouldn't love you to but you don't need to come."

"True. Ah don't," she admits. Rogue then closes Clark's door because she doesn't want anyone but him to hear this next bit. "But your friend is obviously in some sort of trouble and well ah know something about acting out. Tha lady who looked after meh when ah was little, Irene, was kinda strict. Don't get meh wrong she was tha closest thing ah evah had ta a mothah but ah hated all tha restrictions she placed on meh so ah would run away and get inta trouble. Ah was tha 'Rogue' child."

"And this is how you got the name Rogue," Clark realises along with the fact this is the most Rogue has ever opened up to him.

"Ah ain't sayin' ah'm proud of what ah did back then but ah ain't apologisin' for it either. It just happened. It's in tha past. Ah can't change it but ah think ah might beh able ta understand your friend better than ya can at tha moment."

Next thing Rogue knows is Clark wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Thank you," he says.

"For what?" Rogue asks a little confused. Not that she is complaining about getting hugged because she isn't. She just would like an explanation.

"For trusting me enough to tell me that," Clark explains.

Oh right. Rogue gets him now. Well she thought about what he said the other day and realised Clark had a point about her needing to decide how open and honest she wants to be and how far she wants to take this relationship. Not that she is about to spill her guts on her whole life because she isn't ready to do that but small steps forward she can do.

Clark pulls back from the hug and kisses her on the lips gently. "I always knew deep down you cared," he teases slightly.

"Ya tell anyone that ah'll kill ya in your sleep with kryptonite," Rogue says in such a tone Clark isn't sure whether she is joking or not. Back on topic though. "So if tha Professor agrees is it alright with ya if ah come?"

"Sure," Clark says because she made a good point. Clark's only acting out moments tend to be red kryptonite induced.

Rogue stands on her toes and gives him a goodnight kiss. "Night sugah. Ah'll see ya in tha morning."

"Night Rogue," Clark says with a smile.

Rogue leaves to see the Professor and he ends up agreeing for her to go so bright and early the next morning they all get on-board the Blackbird since due to the sheer number going it is the bigger and can hold the numbers.

Hank fires up the jet which accelerates down the underground runway and soars into the air.

Smallville here they come!

* * *

_Author's Note: I liked Jordan Cross when he was on the show. However it bugged me slightly that the only one who was ever able to stop his visions coming true was Clark. So no-one but Clark has free will or something is what I got from that. Don't buy into that which is why I changed it so Jordan can change someone's fate when he intervenes. Of course that doesn't always means he succeeds. The events of Retreat will be a background story. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark returns to Smallville. He's probably going to wish he hadn't._


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Hank lands the x-jet in a nice remote far away corner of the woodlands around Smallville. Clark and Rogue stay just long enough to help hide the x-jet away under some camouflage netting before Clark picks Rogue up bridal style and zips away leaving the others at Hank and Jonathan's _tender _mercies. The whole group then begin their hike into the woods to find a camp site.

Clark zips along with Rogue until he realises due to where the x-jet landed what he is going to run past on the way into Smallville. He comes to a stop outside an abandoned house and puts Rogue down.

"Clark?" Rogue queries. "What is it?"

Clark lets out a sad sigh due to both at the state the house is in and of what it was to him for so long. "Home."

Rogue blinks and takes in the house. "So this is where ya grew up?"

Clark nods. "Yes," he says still sounding kind of sad.

Rogue takes the opportunity to look around. There was nothing but fields almost as far as the eye could see. She could understand how Clark could live here and no-one notice his powers. "Do ya miss livin' here?"

"Sometimes," he says a little bit wistfully. "I miss the peace and quiet. I mean it's nice living at the mansion with friends whom I don't have to hide my powers from but some days it is just..."

"Madness," Rogue is able to fill in because she feels the same way. There are times she even misses being in Mississippi and the people she knew. Especially Cody.

Clark manages a lopsided grin. "Yeah." Clark takes a few seconds to think about what would have happened if he had stayed here. Would he still be trying to live that normal life and deny who he is? Would he still be moping and pining after Lana?

Clark shakes his head. Thinking about 'what ifs' is stupid. Rogue was right last night. The past is the past. He can't change it. It just happened. Without another wasted thought he picks Rogue back up and zips off towards Smallville High.

He comes to a stop in a secluded spot nearby where he would use to stop when he ran to school and puts Rogue down. "Welcome to Smallville High," he says to Rogue.

Rogue looks at the building which doesn't look all that different to Bayville High. She guesses they are just all built to a similar plan. "So what time did ya tell Chloe we would be here?" she wonders.

"Oops. Knew I forgot something," he says sheepishly.

Rogue's brow furrows. "Clark ya don't forget things," she says. She looks at his face and tries to judge his expression. "Ya didn't tell her on purpose," she realises.

Clark smirks. "I can't wait to see her face," he says in eager anticipation because this is going to be good. He takes Rogue by the hand and leads her in and through the corridors to the office of the Torch and sitting there eyes fixated on her computer is Chloe Sullivan just as Clark remembers her, no doubt obsessively trying to perfect one of her stories. So fixated in fact is Chloe she hasn't noticed them.

Chloe suddenly starts groping for a pen. Clark smiles at what is one of Chloe's quirks that she always forgets where she puts her pen. "Left ear," he says as to where she rested the pen.

Chloe's hand goes up to her ear and gets her pen. "Thanks Clark," she says before she realises what it is she said. Her head snaps round to door to find Clark and Rogue standing there. She leaps up from her seat, a huge smile on her face, runs around her desk and slams into Clark before giving him a hug. She then takes a step back and slaps him on his arm.

"Oh hey ow!" Clark complains putting on a show that that actually hurt when of course it didn't. "What was that for?"

"For not telling me you were coming you jerk!" she says with mock anger when in actuality she is delighted to see him. Chloe turns her attention to Rogue. "It's nice to see you again Rogue," she greets the Goth. By the way Chloe still can't believe that all American boyscout Clark Kent is dating a Goth.

"Ya too Chloe," Rogue says genuinely.

Chloe shepherds her two visitors into the Torch office and closes the door before she sits herself back down at her desk. "So how did you manage to get time off school?" she asks.

"Technically we're here on a field trip for Earth Sciences," Clark explains then goes into greater detail about Mr McCoy's itch to get out in the wild and the genuine need of some students to get better grades so his dad came along and they are camping out in the woods.

"Huh. Any chance I could meet them?" she asks curiously since apart from Rogue, Scott and Mr McCoy she never met any of the others.

Clark shares a quick look with Rogue. "Well I'm sure we could work something out before we go but maybe we should get down to business."

"Yes. Pete," Chloe says in understanding. "Good luck with that because after talking to him yesterday trying to get him to quit he has skipped school today."

Clark lets out an annoyed sigh and rubs his brow.

Rogue wonders about something Clark said and asks Chloe. "Did ya tell him about this vision..." she trials off when she forgets the name.

"Jordan," Chloe fills him. "His name is Jordan and yes I told Pete. He just brushed that off too like it didn't matter. I-I don't know what else to do," she admits sadly as she lowers her head into her hands.

Clark moves round the desk and pries her hands apart. "You called me remember and I'll find Pete and talk to him."

"How?" Chloe asks. "He is probably out racing and those cars move pretty fast and there is so much ground to cover."

"I move faster," Clark says plainly. "And my senses are sharper now than they were when you visited at Christmas. I can find him," he assures Chloe.

Chloe still isn't sure. "Clark with the kryptonite boosters those cars have been clocked doing well over a hundred."

"I can do 5."

Chloe's widen as she takes that in. "Whoa! You can run at 500mph?"

Clark nods with a reassuring smile.

"Since when?" Rogue asks. "Cause last ah checked ya could only do 300," she points out from the last time they tested Clark's powers.

"I've been getting faster," Clark says trying not to make a big deal of it. "I timed myself running to New York one night and I did it in seven minutes," he explains as to how he worked it out. "In fact it is not inconsistent with the over 50% increase in the 3 months between when I moved to the mansion and New Year if you take into account it has been over 3 months since then."

Chloe does some maths. "Clark at that rate you'll be breaking the sound barrier by the summer," she calculates.

Clark shrugs. He can't deny she is correct.

"How strong does that make ya now?" Rogue wonders.

"Assuming my strength has increased by a similar percentage like last time somewhere around 22hundred tons."

Chloe's brain is just in total meltdown in astonishment at how powerful Clark is. "Clark don't take this personally but that's just crazy."

Clark shrugs once more because again he can't deny she is correct. Some days he thinks it's crazy how strong he is. He turns his attention to Rogue. "I know you came here to help," he says to her, "but I want to try to talk to Pete first."

Rogue nods in understanding. Clark smiles and gives her a quick kiss before blurring out the door.

"Does he do that often?" Chloe asks still staring at the space where Clark was.

"A lot of tha tahme yeah," Rogue replies.

Chloe looks at Rogue and realises the position they are in together...alone. "Sooo...is this as awkward to you as it is to me?" she tries to quip.

* * *

A red souped-up sports car is rapidly travelling along the back roads of Smallville. At the wheel Pete tries to lose himself in the adrenalin and thrill of the speed. Racing allows him to forget his problems for a few hours.

"Pete we need to talk!"

Pete turns his head to the left and there running alongside the car is Clark. His mouth curls up into an angry snarl because he can guess what she has done. "I told Chloe to keep her nose out of my business!" he angrily yells at Clark.

"She's worried about you!" Clark shouts back.

"Go away Clark!" Pete tells him.

"Pete we are going to talk!" Clark tells him in no uncertain terms. "Now you either stop that car or I will and I promise you I'll stop it in a way that leaves it only fit for the scrapyard!"

Pete searches his friend's face for a few seconds and can see Clark means what he says. Pete slams his foot on the brakes and brings the car to a stop. Pete gets out of the car and folds his arms in front of him in an angry posture. "Ok I stopped it," he snaps impatiently. "Say what you came here to say and go off back to Bayville!"

Clark looks at Pete for a second like he is seeing a stranger instead of his friend. "What is going on Pete?"

"Like I told Chloe all that is going on is that I've finally found something I'm good at. It's her who thinks there is more going on than that."

"Pete what you are doing is illegal," Clark tries to calmly point out.

"Well forgive me if we can't all live up to the saintly Clark Kent," Pete says sarcastically.

"I'm not a saint Pete and this is not the only thing you are good at."

Pete laughs bitterly. "Chloe tried this argument already and yeah I'm a decent basketball player and not a bad photographer but they can't compare to the feeling I get when those crowds cheer my name when I win a race. Then I can finally feel special. Then I can finally know what it feels like to be you."

Clark's brow creases in confusion. "Pete I'm not special. I'm different. That's all."

Pete snorts. "Don't kid yourself Clark. You can do things that most people can only dream of."

Clark is lost at where all this hostility is coming from.

"Did she try that line on you about me dying? Is that how Chloe got you to come?" Pete wants to know.

"She mentioned it," Clark admits, "but all she had to say was that you were in trouble and I would have come. You know that Pete."

Pete shakes his head. "Look Clark I am not going to stop because of some 'vision' Chloe's freak of a boyfriend claimed to have seen. You know how unreliable those powers are."

Clark's face darkens at the use of 'freak'. "Pete if you weren't my friend I think I might have just hit you there," he says, his tone ice-cold.

Pete's brow furrows while he tries to remember what he said. "Ok look I didn't mean to say 'freak'," he apologises realising he went too far using that word, "but I meant the rest of it. I am not stopping because of what Cross says he saw," he says with some finality before adding, "Besides Clark you can't be here all the time to stop me."

With that Pete gets back into his car and drives off with a screech of the tyres. Clark watches him go for a few second while debating whether to go after him but he isn't sure what good it would do if that meeting they just had was any indication. Clark can only think he has missing something that is causing Pete to act like this because it is just so out of character. He decides to head back to the Torch and speak to Chloe again. Maybe if they talk they can figure out what it is he is missing.

* * *

Back at the Torch Rogue and Chloe had managed to get over the awkward moment and find some common stuff to talk about over a cup of Chloe's beloved coffee. Clark mainly.

"Wow so Clark is going out and playing superhero huh?" Chloe asks with a shake of her head as she tries to get her mind around that.

"Yeah," Rogue says with a tiny smile at all the fun she has had playfully teasing Clark about that.

"Can I ask...Clark managed to kiss you...and your powers," she awkwardly says trying to ask how basically.

"Oh right," Rogue says remembering how when they met at Christmas Chloe had asked about that and Rogue replied that she and Clark hadn't figured it out and since it is obvious that Clark can't have mentioned it Chloe must still think that. "Well, uh, a few weeks inta tha new year we found out that mah powers don't work on him," she says avoiding telling the whole red kryptonite story.

Chloe smiles at that. "That must be nice."

"It's great," Rogue admits with a huge smile.

Chloe cuts herself off from asking how far Clark and Rogue have gotten because even her inquisitive journalistic mind knows that is prying into something too personal.

"What about ya and this Jordan fella?" Rogue asks. "It must be a recent thing," she says since Clark mentioned to her not knowing about it.

"Fairly so yeah. I mean obviously when it started he wasn't my boyfriend but he did save my life thanks to those visions of his and I've been trying to help him as best I can."

"Help him?"

"Well I think you can understand why when I say that he doesn't like to touch people because all he sees is how they are going to die. I've been trying to get him to see if it is something he can control which meant we spent a lot of time together which is what ended up with us dating."

Rogue can understand the reluctance to touch. "Can ah ask...he sees how ya are going to die and then if he can he tries to change it and then what?"

"Then he sees the new way they are going to die if he succeeds. Everyone dies eventually. I mean if he sees them dying of old age or of some untreatable disease there is nothing he can do about that. It really depresses him and I do what I can to cheer him up."

"Ya really lahke him," Rogue guesses from the blonde girl's expression and tone of voice.

Chloe thinks on that for a minute before saying, "I think I do."

At this juncture Clark reappears with his usual gust of wind. Chloe looks up and sees his grim expression. She tries to lighten the mood with a joky comment. "That bad huh?"

Clark shakes his head. "It was like talking to a completely different person," he comments.

"Tell me about it," Chloe mutters because she would say the same.

"Have you talked to his parents recently?" Clark asks Chloe seeing if perhaps Mr and Mrs Ross knew anything.

"I tried. That is when Pete gave me his keep out of his business or else warning."

"So no?" Clark seeks clarification.

Chloe shakes her head. "No," she confirms.

Rogue watches Clark's shoulder start to hunch and this she knows is him carrying the weight of the world and everyone who lives there's problems. She reaches up and takes Clark's hand into her own.

Chloe watches on as Clark gives Rogue a tiny smile like with that simple touch she can give him her strength. She sees the look they are sharing and it makes the gears in Chloe's head grind round and she wonders if they realise they look like a couple in love.

Just then a boy with dark hair steps through the doorway. He comes to a stop when he sees all the people inside. He looks at Chloe. "Oh...um...is this a bad time?" he asks.

Chloe shakes her head and smiles. "Of course not Jordan. This is Clark Kent," she introduces Clark. "I told you about him and this is his girlfriend Rogue."

Clark flashes Chloe a quick look wondering what exactly it is she told Jordan about him.

Jordan scratches the back of his head looking awkward and nervous. "I would shake your hand," he starts to say but Clark stops him.

"It's alright," Clark assures him. "Chloe mentioned your gift."

Jordan cocks his head to the side slightly, his brow furrowing. He has never had his power called a gift before and he has certainly never really thought of it like that. No that isn't true. Since he used it to save Chloe and she has been helping him try and control it and together they have used it to save people Jordan has lately been starting to think that perhaps his power isn't the curse he once thought it was. He summons up the nerve and holds his hand out. "Please take it. I can't hope to learn to control it otherwise."

Chloe smiles at her...boyfriend with some pride at him for being so courageous.

Clark looks at Rogue to say 'Ladies first'. Rogue takes Jordan's hand.

Jordan gasps at what he sees. Dozens of deaths of different people. He sees a red haired woman consumed by fire in the shape of a giant bird. A man with a strange red visor over his eyes killed by a giant robot and he is not the only one to suffer that fate. He sees so many others. A man made of ice. Two differing men with blue fur and so many others all on a devastated earth with a dim red sun instead of a yellow one. Something different now. An Asian girl in a yellow jacket. He can almost feel something bite into his neck like something is biting into hers draining her blood, slowing her heart down beat by beat until it stops and there are so many others that flash by so quickly Jordan can barely separate one from the other and then suddenly in crystal clarity there is Rogue. He sees her looking as she does now strapped down to a metal stretcher floating in a tank of eerie faint green liquid with blood dripping from her ears, eyes and nose.

Jordan finally breaks the grip and recoils almost falling over. Clark catches him and another vision slams into Jordan's head but this one is so different so...calming. He sees a red cape with a golden shield on it fluttering off into a tranquil endless expanse of stars.

Jordan takes another gasp and looks at Clark wide-eyed. "What are you?" he asks in a whisper.

Chloe rushes to Jordan's side. "Jordan?" she asks deeply worried about him. She takes her hands and places them on the sides of his face and makes him look at her. "Jordan. Tell me what is it?"

"I saw...I saw...it's like he doesn't have an end. It's like he lives forever."

Clark flinches on the spot looking uncomfortable.

Jordan swallows trying to regain control before he continues, "And her I saw...dozens of them. So many deaths. It was like she is dozens of people."

It is Rogue's turn to flinch and look uncomfortable.

Chloe looks at the two of them and decides "I think we better go somewhere and have a talk."

* * *

**At Bayville High...**

It is lunchtime and the students are gathered into groups of friends chatting away. A lot of the talk had been the same for the last few days. The fact that there had finally been a clear in focus shot of the Bayville Blur after he saved Taryn. On the local news and in the papers so far the reporting had mostly been positive. For a lot of the hormonal teenage girls their 'reporting' involved gushing over how 'hot' he was.

Off at one table Kurt is sitting with Amanda, his better than human hearing allowing him to pick up a lot of the chatter. "I'm glad Clark is avay," he says to Amanda in a low voice. "All zhis..." he gestures around at everyone "he finds it completely embarrassing," he says feeling sympathy because he knew Clark didn't ask for nor wanted any kind of praise or to have most of the female faculty of the school gushing all over him. As Kurt said Clark found it all embarrassing.

"You're a good friend Kurt," Amanda tells him. "You're a good person too," she adds. "And an even better boyfriend."

"Really?" Kurt asks with a smile.

Amanda smiles back at him and lays a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Yes. Really," she assures him.

Under his fur Kurt blushes.

Elsewhere Scott is sitting with his friend Paul who catches Scott shooting longing glances over at the table where Jean is sitting with Taryn. "Dude you've got it bad," Paul says with a laugh.

Scott blinks and turns his attention to Paul. "What?" he asks having missed what Paul said.

Paul laughs some more as that only reinforces his point. He claps Scott on his shoulder. "So what's it like to finally have the girl you've been crushing on for years?" he asks because even without Scott saying it it had been plainly obvious for years that Scott had a thing for Jean.

"Honestly it's better than I dreamed," Scott says with a smile thinking about Jean and the time they spend together.

Paul smiles happy to see his friend so happy. "I still think Duncan is steaming about it," he says raising the one sour point.

"He had his chance and he blew it," Scott says still angry that Duncan had been cheating on Jean but deciding the blond football player just wasn't worth the effort of trying to get payback on.

"Yeah," Paul says in agreement smiling a little bit as he remembers the scene when Jean broke up with Duncan in front of everyone and what she threatened to do to him involving her foot connecting with the area between Duncan's legs. Paul still winces slightly at the thought of that. "So I have been meaning to ask you what do you think of that Blur character?"

Scott had actually been trying to avoid answering that question because that Blur character happens to be his friend and Scott really doesn't know what to say that wouldn't somehow give it away that he knows the Blur personally. It frankly amazes Scott how no-one seems to be able to recognise that it is Clark. "I'm not sure," he decides to reply to Paul. "What do you think?" he asks back trying to see Paul's reaction and gauging some insight on how Paul might feel the day mutants are revealed.

Paul takes a good few minutes thinking about it. "I'm like you I guess. I'm not sure. I mean I saw him on the news and he looked human but no human can move like that but then again if it wasn't for him Taryn would have died."

For a second Scott swears he sees something flash in Paul's eyes that show he might have feelings for Taryn. He decides not to say anything and continue on with what they were talking about. "So...um...what if you're right and he isn't completely human. How would you feel?"

Paul is silent as he thinks a little more before giving his reply. "I've read all the interviews in the paper of the people he saved and you know crime is down. I almost feel safe walking out at night knowing he is about so I guess he can't be bad." Paul thinks a little more before choosing his next words. "I don't know exactly how I would feel if he turns out not to be completely human but considering he is using his powers to help people I would say he is human where it counts."

The corner of Scott's lips curve up a little at hearing that and a thought strikes him. Clark's friends were told the truth and they handled it so he wonders if maybe Paul could handle it too. Scott would love to stop having to tell lies all the time. He decides to think and discuss with Jean about perhaps doing that.

Talking of Jean she was hanging out with Taryn. Like Scott she hated lying to Taryn all the time because she considered Taryn a good friend. Thanks to Clark Taryn was fine after the fire though living in a hotel for the time being until her apartment could be repaired. The last few days had been a little bit uncomfortable for Jean with Taryn declaring her love for the Bayville Blur and saying what a hottie he was. Problem here for Jean is that the person Taryn is describing happens to be her friend who is dating another one of her friends and so yeah she is not blind. Clark is good looking but seriously she doesn't need her mind drifting to the places Taryn keeps dragging it when she is dating Scott.

Jean looks over at her friend who is currently drawing little love hearts on a picture of the Bayville Blur she printed off. "Um...Taryn you're going a little overboard there," she cautions.

Taryn snorts softly and waves Jean off. "Just because you're in love with Scott doesn't make you blind you know."

"What?" Jean asks in shock at what Taryn just said.

Taryn looks up at her friend. She holds the picture of the Blur up. "Oh come on Jean. He's a total hottie!"

Jean blinks. "Uh...no. I was meaning...what do you mean I'm in love with Scott?"

"Aren't you?" Taryn asks pointedly. "I mean you are like a hundred times happier with him than you ever were with Duncan. When you're together you practically glow. You never stop smiling when you're around Scott. With Duncan it always looked forced," she lays out the truth as she sees it to Jean.

"Well I am happier," Jean will admit. "But that doesn't mean I'm in love with him," she argues.

Taryn shrugs. She figures Jean is just in denial just like she was all that time she claimed her and Scott were only friends. She had seen the way Jean and Scott looked at each other and to Taryn they looked like a couple in love.

"What about you?" Jean asks wanting to shift the subject off her feelings for Scott for the moment. "Isn't there anyone in your life...apart from the Blur?"

"No sadly not," Taryn says a tad remorseful at her love life or more accurately lack of. "Truth is if you hadn't woken up I was going to ask Scott out."

"What?" Jean says with considerable surprise at Taryn's admission.

"Oh come off it Jean. What did you expect? For him to wait for you forever?"

Jean is still in partial shock. She had never even considered Taryn might want Scott. Oh good god if Clark hadn't woken her up she could still be dating Duncan and Taryn could have had Scott because Taryn is right. Scott wouldn't have waited forever. No-one would have. That's an awful thought. Not for Taryn because she knows how great a guy Scott is. It is just without Clark Jean could have blown her chance and the idea of not having Scott in her life now...it opens up this hideous void in the centre of her being. Jean will have to remember to thank Clark at some point. "Do-do you still have feelings for Scott?" Jean asks a little hesitantly because she doesn't want to lose Taryn's friendship over some bitter jealousy over Scott.

"Jean I am not the type to steal my best friend's boyfriend," Taryn assures the redhead. "Although I think I am still permitted to say he's a total babe."

Jean's lips curve up into a smile and she channels her inner Kitty. "He like so totally is isn't he?"

Both girls giggle at that.

Taryn sighs a little. "Yeah well you're lucky Jean," she means genuinely. "You get the nice sweet caring guy while the rest of us have to live with fantasising over tall, dark, mysterious hero types."

Jean feels a little bad for Taryn and her gaze ends up shifting over to where Scott and Paul are and an idea hits her. "What about Paul?" she asks. "I mean he's a nice guy."

Taryn frowns a little. That thought had never occurred to her and she finds her gaze drifting over to Paul and Scott. Well she guesses Paul is a little bit cute but he's no Bayville Blur. Then she notices how without a word being spoken Scott's gaze automatically focus on Jean like he just knows she is there and looking at him and they share a smile and a wave. Oh yeah they are so totally in love with each other.

* * *

**In Smallville...**

Chloe, Clark, Rogue and Jordan had ended up not going anywhere in particular to talk but simply walking along the road outside town where they could talk without being overheard.

Clark and Rogue learn how Jordan's mother's car had been hit during the meteor shower and she went into premature labour before she died shortly after giving birth to him. Jordan explains how he thinks his power stems from the fact his mother died at the very moment he gained life. You could see how it pained him and how Chloe would rub his arm sympathetically which raises the two interesting points of what exactly it is he sees when Chloe touches him and why he doesn't flinch at her touch and exactly how close Chloe and Jordan have gotten.

No-one raises any of the two points. However Jordan mentions that while he is normally averse to touching anyone he has simply gotten use to Chloe's touch and what he sees is her dying as an old woman. Knowing she lives to an old age is half-comforting.

In return Clark and Rogue tell Jordan about the institute and mutants and Professor Xavier's dream.

"So there is a school for us?" Jordan asks interested.

"Professor Xavier believes mutant powers are a gift but he also knows that sometimes they can be difficult to control so he turned his home into a school to teach people how to use them and to live in peace," Clark explains the principle.

So that's why Clark called it a gift before. Jordan sighs. "It is hard to call this a gift," he says a little morosely.

"Ah understand," Rogue says. She holds her hands out. "Why do ya think ah wear gloves. Ah can't touch anyone...apart from Clark because when ah do touch them ah drain them of their life-force."

Jordan has to say that sounds way worse than his power.

Clark wraps his arm around Rogue's waist knowing how much she hates her inability to control her powers as he tries to give her his strength. "That may explain what you saw when you touched Rogue," Clark figures. "She in a sense retains an impression of everyone she touches."

"That explains Rogue," Chloe will concede. "It doesn't explain you," she says looking at Clark. "How can you go on forever? I mean what are you? Immortal?" she jokes but Clark doesn't laugh. In fact he stops dead and his face becomes very solemn and sad.

All 4 come to a halt as Chloe figures out what Clark's expression mean. "Oh my god," Chloe says in a whisper as realisation dawns.

Clark sighs sadly. "I am what I am Chlo," he says in a solemn tone. Clark doesn't want to dwell on this or to have a long conversation with Chloe about it right at this moment so he shifts the conversation back onto what Jordan saw when he touched Rogue.

Jordan's face slightly pales at remembering what he saw. "I don't know. None of it made sense. I mean there was giant robots. How is that even possible?"

The other 3 teens all frown simultaneously. That doesn't make sense.

Jordan shakes his head. "I don't...it's hard to describe. There was so much and it flew by so fast. I really didn't get a chance to remember details and with all due to respect to Rogue I would rather not do that again any time soon." He turns his head to look her with an apologetic expression. "I'm not meaning to be rude or anything. It is just...I can't...it was too much."

Rogue isn't mad. She could be but she isn't. She understands. At the party when her powers first manifested she touched so many people accidentally that it was too much. All their minds nearly overwhelmed her.

Chloe gives her boyfriend's hand a comforting squeeze before deciding that now they have that out of the way for the time being it was time to get back onto what to do with Pete. Since that didn't involve any massive secrets Chloe suggests they have that talk somewhere that serves coffee.

* * *

When Chloe suggested the Talon as the place to go and talk about Pete Clark wasn't really surprised due to Chloe's caffeine addiction but he was definitely uncertain considering Lana owned the place...or she use to as it turns out because when he made that point to Chloe she told him that Lana sold the Talon to Lex because he managed to get her a place at a top Paris fashion design school where Lana will be going in the summer once the school term comes to an end.

Part of Clark is glad Lana's life is going well. Part of him is sad as he still remembers how angry and bitter she was at him when they last met at Christmas.

The group of teens go and sit in the corner booth. The waitress brings them their order of coffees and muffins and as she leaves Clark stares at her for a few seconds swearing she looks familiar. "Chloe who is she?" he asks her in reference to the waitress.

Chloe looks where Clark is looking. "Oh that's Emma Kerns. Lex hired her to manage the day to day running. I guess she doubles on waitress duties."

"I see," he says still unable to shake the feeling he knows her from somewhere but he can't recall where. He shakes his head and dismisses it as for the next good half hour the 4 teens converse in low voices about the Pete situation.

Their conversation is interrupted by two voices in stereo saying, in complete puzzlement and surprise, "Clark?"

The 4 teens look up from their booth in the corner to see Lex and Lana with genuine expressions of surprise to match their tone of voice.

"Hey Lex. Hey Lana," Clark greets them almost stumbling over his words as he pushes his glasses up his nose in his now habitual act.

"What brings you back into town?" Lex queries.

"Field trip for Earth Sciences to Smallville's woods and you know since we were close by I thought I would come pay Chloe a visit," he says giving his explanation.

"Uh huh," Lex remarks. "And the real reason?" he inquires not buying that for a second.

Clark inwardly groans. He has got to learn to lie better. "Pete," he says in a one word answer.

"Ah," Lex says in understanding. "This would be the street racing he has gotten involved in."

"You know?" Clark queries with surprise.

"As Chloe no doubt told you my father created a security force to assist the police. Since I'm in charge of it it means I see the police's reports and Pete was arrested over that 2 weeks ago."

"He was?" Chloe says with notable surprise and anger. "He never told me that. I am so kicking his ass!"

Lex chuckles amused by Chloe's reaction. "Yes well since his mother is a judge the police decided to keep it low profile," he explains.

"So...um...how are things Lex?" Clark asks genuinely wanting to know how his friend is whom he has not seen and rarely spoken to for months.

"Oh about the same. Still trying to figure out what my father is up to," Lex says a little morosely at any mention of his father. "Don't suppose you know do you Clark?"

"No," he lies which he hopes Lex doesn't see through. "I mean I've only talked to him once since he moved to Bayville and it wasn't any great heart to heart or anything."

Lex smirks. "Not sure my father has a heart Clark," he jokes with gallows humour.

Clark silently agrees but turns his gaze to Lana who looks as beautiful as Clark remembers her to be. "So, uh, Chloe mentioned something about Paris?"

Lana nods almost imperiously once. "Yes. One of the top design schools."

"That's great Lana. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully," Clark tells her really meaning it.

Lana looks at Clark for a few seconds. Her anger at him had lessened but not gone away entirely since he rather moved away than tell her the damn truth and well being with Lex made her happy so therefore overall within herself she is less angry. "Thank you Clark," she says politely.

* * *

That night Clark stands outside Chloe's house looking up at the stars thinking over the day's events. Rogue was inside having a shower before bed.

They had spent some time at the Talon catching up with Lex and Lana. Lex seemed mostly the same although Clark sensed perhaps a little more anger at Lionel coming from Lex. Lana was...well polite but there was little warmth in her tone when she spoke to him. There was a lot less anger and bitterness though so Clark is hopeful that given a little more time he and Lana can at least resume their friendship.

After catching up with Lex and Lana he, Chloe, Rogue and Jordan had talked some more about Pete but they were still no closer to figuring out what to do short of Clark physically stopping Pete which would not solve the issue in the long term since Clark would inevitably have to go back to Bayville. No. They still needed to figure out what was the underlying cause of Pete's actions. The question is how to do that when Pete refused to talk about it.

When the sun started to set Chloe had offered to let him and Rogue stay with her for the night since her father was out of town and Lana tended to stay up at the mansion with Lex more often than not. They would try again in the morning to resolve the Pete dilemma. Fresh minds and all that. Right now, as he looks up into the sky, Clark's thought is basically pondering that the next time they run into Pete he is letting Rogue have her go with him.

"Still a stargazer then?"

Clark turns his head to see Chloe coming out to stand beside him. "Yeah," he says turning back to look at the sky. "So is Rogue actually," he mentions. "I taught her all the constellations," he says vaguely pointing at them.

"Ah so just the two of you all alone huddled up close in the dark. You sly dog you," she jokes.

Clark chuckles a little. "Wasn't like that really. Trust me Chlo the last thing I was wanting when I moved to Bayville was another relationship."

"I can understand that," she says in reference to the painful break-up Clark and Lana went through. No-one would get over that quickly. "So I'm having a dilemma. Part of me wants to ask a question but I don't want to be nosy."

Clark looks at her oddly. "Great another shape-shifter," he mutters.

"What?"

"Ok who are you and what have you done with Chloe?"

"What?" Chloe repeats.

"Chloe Sullivan not being nosy. That's like the sun not rising in the East. Next thing you'll be denying you're a caffeine addict."

"I'm not an addict," she insists. "I just like the odd cup of coffee is all."

"Like 20 or 30 cups a day."

"Slanderous lies! It is more like 15."

Clark and Chloe share a look and burst out laughing. "Sorry. I couldn't resist," he explains. "So go ahead and ask me what you want to ask," he permits her.

"How long have you been in love with Rogue?"

Clark's brow furrows in contemplation and to Chloe's surprise there is not the instant denial she half expects as Clark is terrible at admitting his feelings. "I'm not sure. I was going to ask dad for advice just before you called and I never got a chance."

"You love her though don't you?"

"I think so. That is what I was going to ask dad about. You know how do you know when you're in love."

Chloe ponders that for a few seconds and decides to see if she can help Clark. "Ok. Let's try a few questions. Just say the first thing that pops into your head. I'll start off with something simple. What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue."

"When you see Rogue first thing in the morning what is the 1st thought that crosses your mind?"

"How cute she looks with bed tousled hair."

"Do you find yourself daydreaming about her?"

"All the time."

"What is it you like about her the most?"

"I like lots of things about her."

"Like?"

"That white stripe in her hair. Her sense of humour. Her blunt honesty."

"Can you imagine your life without her in it?"

"No."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes," he says without hesitation, pause or reflection.

Chloe smiles and pats him on the shoulder. "I think you have your answer Clark."

Clark looks into his heart and realises Chloe is right. He does have his answer. "I love her," he says in a whisper and an enormous smile comes to his face as he finally lets himself admit what he is truly feeling.

"Now all you have to do is tell her that."

Clark's face then falls at that because he knows Rogue is a little uncomfortable at talking about deep feelings. Kind of like him in that regard and he is a little afraid of what her reaction might be.

"You're doing it again," Chloe chastises him.

"Doing what?"

"The classic Clark Kent thinking about the worse case scenario as in what if you say it and she doesn't feel the same." Chloe could always read Clark, alien origins aside, like a book.

"What if she doesn't?" he ask terrified that that is the truth of the situation.

Chloe sighs. "Relationships involve risk Clark. They also involve the feelings of two people and not just one. There comes a moment when you have to put your heart on the line and risk it getting squashed. Living it safe is not an option because if you don't tell her she might think you don't feel the same and therefore that the relationship has no future." A lot of this comes from Chloe's own personal experience around herself, Clark and Lana.

Clark rubs his face slowly. "Why can't it ever be simple?"

"Welcome to the scary world of being human Clark!" Chloe says with her trademark snark.

'Great,' he thinks to himself rather sarcastically. All he has to do is find the perfect moment to declare his love for Rogue and hope she feels the same. That should be _so _easy. Clark decides to just change subjects for the moment until he has more time to think things over. "Thanks for letting us stay," he says gratefully to his friend. Otherwise he and Rogue would be camped out with the others who Clark had checked up on. From what he saw they were mostly having fun except Evan who had touched something he shouldn't have and was covered almost head to toe in a rash. That was pretty funny.

Chloe shrugs. It was the least she could do in thanks for Clark coming out here so fast. "You're welcome."

Clark's superior vision then spots a figure walking in the darkness towards him and as it starts to emerge into the light of the porch light Chloe sees who it is too. "Pete!" she shouts out in a panic as Pete starts to fall over.

Clark rushes forward and catches Pete before he hits the ground. As Clark lays Pete on his back there are cuts and bruises on his face. To put it bluntly Pete looks like someone who just had the crap beaten out of them.

* * *

**At the Talon...**

Emma Kerns has just locked up for the night and is heading into her apartment above the Talon. She walks in the door when she spots a sealed envelope by her phone on the table next to the wall that she knows she didn't leave there. She walks a few steps towards it when the phone starts ringing. She answers it. "Hello?"

"Hello Emily," the voice on the other end greets her and her whole body instantly tenses as she straightens herself up.

Emma Kerns aka Emily Dinsmore or more accurately she is Emily's genetically altered fast grown clone. Last year she had only looked like an 8 year old. Now she looked 17. "Hello Mr Luthor," she responds.

"Open the envelope," Emily is instructed.

Emily does so and in it she sees a picture of that brown haired girl with the white stripe she saw in the Talon earlier today.

"Now you still consider yourself Lana's friend don't you Emily."

"Oh yes Mr Luthor. Her best friend," she says with enthusiastic conviction. The original Emily had been Lana's best friend when they were 8 before her untimely death and well this Emily has all the original's memories so as far as she is concerned Lana is still her best friend. It was why she took the job at the Talon as it allowed her to get close to Lana.

"You would do anything for Lana to make sure she is happy."

"Anything," she avows.

"Well you see here is how it goes Emily. Clark Kent...you remember him?"

"Yes."

"Clark Kent made her unhappy because he kept secrets from Lana and if you help me discover those secrets then I know it would go a long way to making Lana feel better and you want Lana to feel better don't you."

"Of course."

"That girl in the picture I'm betting knows Clark's secrets so here is what I want you to do Emily. I want you to watch her and Clark. Watch and wait until a moment where she is all alone and Clark isn't looking and when that moment comes I want you to bring that girl to Dr Garner at the Summerholt Institute in Metropolis. He will get all the answers I need and then once all the secrets are out Lana will be happy and won't that be nice Emily?"

"Oh yes Mr Luthor. Very nice," she says with child-like glee.

"And you remember how it was I that helped you set up this life after you escaped from that room don't you?"

"Yes Mr Luthor," Emily says extremely grateful for that. Her father had locked her up in this boring room but luckily she can make it so that she can walk through walls thanks to the fact meteor rock had been used in her creation giving her a few useful abilities and after her escape it is true that Mr Luthor helped her so much.

"So for Lana and as repayment for me you will do precisely what I have asked?"

"Yes Mr Luthor."

"Good girl."

The phone call ends and Emily puts the receiver back. She has a lot of planning to do and maybe once she has done this and Lana is happy again maybe...just maybe she can tell Lana the truth and they can be best friends again. Emily would do anything to be Lana's best friend again.

_Anything._

* * *

_Author's Note: Jordan's visions; Jean being consumed by the Phoenix, the X-Men being killed by the Sentinels as in the 'Days of Future Past' storyline, Jubilee being turned into a vampire as she has been in the comics recently and Rogue's death is much more imminent but hey what's a trip to Smallville without almost dying. You'll see what that is about shortly. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark, Chloe and Rogue continue their quest to save Pete._


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The next morning after they had patched Pete up they all sit around Chloe's kitchen table waiting for his explanation as to what happened to him. Considering the state they found him in it was decided to let him rest over night especially since Pete refused to go to the hospital. Luckily Chloe's dad was away working in Metropolis for a few days because otherwise this would have been difficult to explain.

Pete looks a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny he is getting from the other 3 teens but there is also this defiant anger in his eye.

"So come on Pete. What happened to you?" Chloe asks him in a sympathetic tone that shows she is worried about him.

Pete is silent for a few moments before he decides that he can't get himself out of the mess he is in without help. "I'm kind of in hock to the guy who is in charge of the street car racers."

"Jason Dante?" Chloe seeks to confirm the guy's name that she had managed to learn through her investigative skills.

Pete nods.

"How much do you owe him Pete?" Clark asks, now understanding why Pete was beaten up. It was no doubt an 'encouragement' to Pete to pay up.

Pete hesitates for a second. "...20 grand."

That shocks them for a few seconds before Chloe draws her hand back and then hits Pete on the side of his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for Chloe?" Pete asks incredulously as he rubs his head where she hit him.

"20 grand!" Chloe shrieks. "How in the hell did you manage that one Pete?"

"A couple of weeks ago I got arrested," he says.

"Yeah we know. Lex mentioned it," Chloe says staring daggers into Pete for lying to her.

Pete makes a face at the mention of Lex but continues. "Well I was driving Dante's car when they caught me and it got seized..."

Rogue finishes off the story. "And it's worth 20 grand right?"

Pete nods. "Look I know you're probably all thinking about how to help me but I've got this covered," he assures them. "I challenge Dante to a race with my debt on the line as a bet. Dante can't refuse challenges because he believes he can't be beat," he explains his plan.

The 3 other teens look dubious at Pete's assurance.

"In a race where you might crash and die horribly like Jordan saw," Chloe puts forward.

Pete still won't buy into that. "Look Chloe it's either that or Dante threatened to go after my family or..." he looks at Clark. "Or you could get me the money."

"Me? How?" Clark asks.

"Just do what you did this summer past with all those ATMs."

Clark's brow drops way down. "You mean steal it Pete. I won't do that."

"Some friend you are," Pete mutters nastily.

"Now wait one dang second!" Rogue says furiously.

"What?" Pete asks fixing her an angry glare.

Rogue fixes Pete one in return for what she feels is him belittling Clark. "Clark came a thousand miles ta help ya out but if ya seriously think he is goin' ta steal for ya then ya really don't know him at all and by tha way that makes ya tha bad friend."

"I seriously don't mean to offend but how about you stay out of my business!" Pete snarls.

"Why?" Rogue asks plainly. "Cause ah can't possibly understand what ya are goin' through. Try meh because let meh tell ya it would have ta go some ta eclipse some of tha things that have happened in mah life."

"Who said I was going through anything?" Pete says suddenly looking more uncomfortable than angry indicating Rogue has hit the nail on the head.

"Please," Rogue snorts. "Ah know acting out when ah see it and let meh tell ya something buster compared ta meh ya are a rank amateur."

Pete abruptly gets to his feet. "I don't have to listen to this!" he snaps.

"Yeah because talkin' about stuff would beh tha mature thing ta do wouldn't it and that word obviously doesn't apply ta ya."

Pete stands there like his brain is trying to think of a response while Chloe's eyebrows perceptively rise impressed at Rogue's cutting remark.

Pete visibly fumes silently some more before he finally says something back to Rogue. "You know just because you are dating Clark doesn't give you the right to stick your nose in my business!"

"Ah am tryin' ta help ya stop being an idiot if y'all would just let meh."

"More like tryin' to impress Clark to ease the way into your pants," Pete mutters scathingly but clear enough for everyone to hear it.

Loud enough for everyone to give Pete the same dark look for daring to say that. Rogue leaps to her feet, her eye twitching in the way it only does when she is really pissed. "How dare ya!" she spits out in fury at what he is implying.

"Pete. That is enough," Clark says in a stern voice, seriously rethinking about restraining that urge to punch his friend.

Pete fixes Clark an angry glare. "You're right Clark. It is enough. I have certainly had enough of this. I'll deal with this on my own so don't you worry about it anymore or in other words 'Keep out of my business!'." Pete then turns round and stomps out of the house.

Clark shares a look with Chloe while he rubs his forehead. He can see in her eye what he figures is the same look in his own and that is he can't believe that that was the same Pete Ross he has known since he 5 and that Chloe has since she moved here when she was 13. Question is what do they do now?

* * *

**At the Institute...**

That same morning back in Bayville Jean is making her way to Mrs Kent's room where she sensed the elder redhead was. As she walks all the while she is desperately trying to think on how to broach this subject that had been swimming around her head since Taryn said it yesterday. She comes to a stop outside the door to the Kents' room and knocks.

"Come in," the voice inside beckons warmly.

Jean opens the door and walks in. At the sight of the younger redhead Martha smiles. She had just been doing a little cleaning in her and Jonathan's room post breakfast. "Jean. Something I can help you with?"

Jean fidgets nervously. "Yes...Can I talk to you?"

"Of course. Please sit," Martha says holding her hand out to the chair in the small lounge area of the room. Jean sits down while Martha sits down opposite her. She watches Jean and can see the girl is struggling on how to start this. "In your own time Jean," Martha gently prompts the girl.

"Right. Sorry," Jean apologises stumbling over her words slightly. She takes a deep breath. "Mrs Kent...how do you know when you are in love?"

Martha smiles as she gets an understanding of what this about. "Scott I assume."

Jean nods. She came to Mrs Kent because she had seen and felt the way Mr and Mrs Kent were around each other and figured if anyone could answer her question Mrs Kent could. She mentions what Taryn said yesterday. "At first I dismissed what Taryn said but it is just as I thought about what she said I realised I have no idea what it means to be in love so...I don't know...she could be right...I suppose. I just don't know." Jean coughs realising she probably isn't expressing herself very well. "Anyway I thought about you and Mr Kent and I thought that maybe you could give me some advice."

Martha takes a moment to compose her answer as she tries to put into words what she feels for Jonathan. "I could phrase this myself but what I will do is to quote you a description from one of my favourite novels because its words echo my feelings. 'Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Jonathan and I have it, we have roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.'"

Jean's eyes mist over. "That's beautiful. What's that from?" she asks because it sounds familiar, like she has heard or read it before somewhere.

"Captain Corelli's Mandolin," Martha informs her. "Though that last bit I paraphrased by adding Jonathan and I into it but essentially I think that sums it up. The last part for me means that when Jonathan and I are together I feel complete. That the world only seems to make sense when we are together. There is a kind of magical warmth inside me and the simple act of being together makes all the problems and worries melt away. It means basically I couldn't imagine my life without him."

Jean wonders for a brief second what her life would be like without Scott in it and then her mind flashes back to one time she thought she had lost him. It was back on Asteroid M after Magneto had enhanced him and twisted Scott's mind and they were forced to leave without him because he was too powerful to be made to come with them. That was the one and only time she had ever seen Scott's eyes. They were a beautiful shade of blue as she recalls. Anyway they were forced to leave him and she can remember feeling as if she was tearing some piece of herself out and...oh god!

Was...was she in love with him even back then?

Jean bites her lower lip. "Mrs Kent can you be in love with someone and not realise it?"

Martha chuckles lightly as she thinks back on her somewhat clueless son that that description fits. "Yes."

Jean looks at Mrs Kent curiously at what she finds amusing.

Martha takes a moment to impart what wisdom she can. "Jean love is never simple and there are many forms of it from loving someone as a friend, as a brother or sister, as a parent, as a son or daughter to the romantic variety. I believe you can fall in love at first sight. I believe you can grow into loving someone who started out as your friend. In that second one it can grow so slowly you don't even notice you have fallen in love because you can't discern loving them as a friend from being in love with them."

Jean thinks that that last part could apply to her with regards to Scott. She looks into her heart and tries to figure out her emotions. "Do you find yourself thinking about Mr Kent when he is away?" she asks seeing if the answer can help clarify her own feelings.

"Of course. I was thinking about him right now just before you came in. Wondering what he is up to. Imagining how he looks out there in the wilderness...well in the woods at least," Martha corrects herself because the woods around Smallville were hardly the wilderness. "I miss him," she admits in a soft spoken voice with a hint of longing in it.

"I think about Scott all the time," Jean confesses. "How he smiles. How he always makes time to see how I'm doing. How he always tends to stroke my hair when we're alone and other little things like that. I walk into the dinning hall at school and the first thing I do is look for him. I've known him for so long. He's my best friend and the once or twice I thought we had lost him it was horrible. Like some part of me had been ripped out and left this terrible empty void behind. I can't imagine what my life would be like without him."

Martha smiles warmly and leans forward to place her hand on Jean's knee. "Then I think you have your answer Jean."

"I do," Jean agrees as she realises what this means. "I love him," she says in a whisper. "I love him," she repeats in a firmer, stronger, clearer, louder voice. An enormous smile erupts on her face now she has said it. She looks at Martha. "Thank you Mrs Kent. Thank you for listening and helping me."

"Any time Jean," Martha says kindly. "It is what I am here for. I wish you and Scott well," she says thinking how uplifting it is to see that first spark of young love in the mansion.

* * *

**In Smallville...**

After breakfast Clark strides out of Chloe's house and up next to his girlfriend who is standing there looking out at the horizon. He figures this is long enough for her temper to simmer down for them to talk. "How are you feeling?"

"Angry," she replies in a low voice. "Ah should have hit him."

"You showed remarkable restraint," Clark says with teasing surprise in his voice.

Rogue glares at him briefly out of the corner of her eye. Clark smiles goofily and kisses her on the temple. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Rogue lets out a breath. Most of the time she appreciates Clark's humour and he does often lighten the mood. "When ah came here it was ta help but ah didn't help very much there did ah," she says in a sad admission.

Clark moves behind her and starts massaging her shoulders and he can slowly feel the tension leave her as her temper cools off. "You tried. That is what is important and as for Pete...I don't know what has gotten into him. I'm sorry for what he said."

"Clark he is tha one that needs ta apologise. Not you."

"And I'll make sure he gives you one," Clark vows because the way Pete talked to Rogue was just unacceptable. "Still I just wish he would tell me what is going on. Maybe I could help.".

"Well maybe we can help him another way," Chloe announces as she strides out the house.

Rogue and Clark turn round to face her. "In what way?" Clark asks.

"In a way that saves Pete's life and shuts off his escapism giving him no choice but to tell us what is going on."

"And that way is?" Clark asks seeking Chloe to clarify what she is on about. A gleam appears in Chloe's eye that Clark know only too well. She is about to drag him into one of her investigations and he is most likely going to have to end up saving her.

Chloe announces her way. "We shut Jason Dante down."

"How?" Rogue is the one to ask.

"Well this won't surprise Clark but I've been investigating this racing ring for awhile and the cars they use to race are ones they steal and then fix up. Not that the so called police department around here has been able to prove that and well truthfully neither have I," she admits in sullen disappointment at herself. "But that is because I haven't been able to find the garage they use to fix the cars up and remove any marks that could be used to link Dante to the thefts. If I could just find it I'm certain there would be a ton of proof there. Then all we have to do is call the police. They arrest Dante and Pete won't die racing him."

Clark had to admit it was a good plan. "Do you have any idea where this garage is?" he asks Chloe.

Chloe shakes her head. It has been the one snag in her investigation. "Don't suppose you've developed some super seeking sense have you?" she jokingly asks.

Clark smiles slightly. "Fraid not."

"Shame. By the way how does that whole dual identity bit work anyway?" she asks pointing at the pair of glasses on his nose which she now knows he doesn't actually need but are a way to disguise himself.

Clark pulls his glasses off his face. "It was like I was telling Jean the other day. People see what they want to see. I can hide in plain sight because people want to see the dorky farm boy and not the hero."

Chloe quirks an eyebrow frankly amazed Clark could be that insightful. To her he always seemed quite obtuse. She guesses this is Clark growing up before her eyes. Then her brow suddenly furrows slightly as something Clark said strikes a chord. "I think I might be overlooking the obvious,"she says.

"What do you mean Chlo?"

"Like you said hiding in plain sight. What if Dante isn't hiding the evidence at this garage. What if he is hiding it in plain sight at his home."

"Ya know where he lives?" Rogue asks.

Chloe nods. "Yep." She then smiles in great anticipation of what is about to transpire next. "Looks like you get to participate in a good old fashioned investigation with me Clark."

Clark's face remains stoically straight. "Oh goody," he dead-pans. He turns to Rogue. "I better warn you beforehand we are most likely about to face a life-threatening situation. Chloe's investigations inevitably always lead to that."

Chloe snorts. "Blatant lies! That has only happened like two-thirds of the time at most."

"Is that suppose to be reassuring Chloe? Because if it is your pitch needs work."

"That never stopped you helping me before," Chloe argues back.

"I told you Chlo that I did that because somebody had to keep you from getting killed. I'm frankly amazed you've managed to survive this long without me."

"Yep. I can see you're still not comedian material."

"Whose joking?" he asks sounding serious.

Clark and Chloe's back and forth is interrupted by the sound of laughter. Both turn their head to see Rogue laughing so hard at Clark and Chloe's little show she is clutching at her sides.

Clark smiles softly at the sight as he always loves it when he makes Rogue laugh. Chloe turns her gaze to Clark and can see the glimmer in his eye that definitely confirms what he said last night. He is in love.

* * *

Clark comes out of superspeed outside the barn of Jason Dante and he deposits his two passengers back onto the ground. Chloe takes a moment to sort her hair out. "You travel like that all the time?" she asks Clark a little in wonder at what she just experienced. She had never travelled like that before.

Clark shrugs and pushes his glasses up his nose. "Not all the time. It depends on the situation." He holds his hand out in the direction of the barn. "Shall we?"

Chloe nods and the 3 teens enter the barn within which are a few cars Dante has won in races. Clark notices a metal locker standing in the middle of the barn which looks out of place. He activates his x-ray vision and spots inside perhaps a dozen or more licence plates. "In here," he announces as he strides over and opens the locker.

"My. My. He's been a busy bee," Chloe remarks at the sight. She then reaches into her bag and pulls out her laptop. "I've got a list of stolen cars on my computer," she says as she fires it up. It only takes a few minutes to see that the licence plates here match the ones on her computer. In a word; Busted!

One quick superspeed trip later and the 3 teens are taking what they have discovered to Sheriff Adams. Clark feels immensely uncomfortable having to face up to her scrutiny again but faced with the facts he and Chloe present her it turns out that this was the lead she had been waiting for to finally crack down on the racing gangs. Despite everything Clark would concede that Sheriff Adams always did her job fairly.

The 3 teens exit the sheriff's office and stand outside. "I hope this works," Clark comments in regard to saving Pete's life although there is still the issue of getting to the bottom of Pete's behaviour.

"The only way to be sure would be to have Jordan touch Pete and see if his death has changed," Chloe points out. However she doubts Pete would allow that considering the hostility he showed this morning.

"So what do we do now?" Rogue wonders.

Clark thinks on it. Once Dante is locked up he guesses they get back on trying to find out what is going on with Pete. "Maybe we could try and talk to Pete's parents and see..." he trails off.

"Clark?" Chloe queries.

Rogue looks at Clark's expression. She knows that one. "What is it ya hear Clark?" she asks knowing that Clark has picked something up with his hearing.

Clark's brow furrows and his face darkens slightly at what his hearing just picked up. "One of the deputies is on the phone warning Dante," he informs them.

Chloe throws her hands up in exasperation and then slaps her own forehead for not working it out sooner. "Of course. No wonder the police could never catch them. Dante had a man on the inside. He probably warned Dante every time it looked like the police were getting close."

Clark swiftly heads off into a nearby alley with Chloe and Rogue following him. He starts to open the backpack he had been carrying on him since this morning and pulls out a long black coat. Chloe watches on as in a blurred whirlwind Clark changes clothes into his black costume. Chloe will secretly admit looking at him standing tall with his hair slicked back, the complete opposite of the slightly slouching messy haired boy she knew, Clark is kind of awe inspiring...although black doesn't quite suit him.

"Ya brought that?" Rogue says with some surprise.

Clark smiles his goofy lopsided one. "We were coming to Smallville. I would be more surprised if I didn't have to wear it at some point. Anyway I better get going before Dante clears the place out," he explains inferring his intent to stop Dante clearing the barn out and getting rid of the evidence before the police show up.

"Ah'm comin' with ya," Rogue declares.

Clark is about to argue with her about it potentially being dangerous but Rogue has her arms folded across her chest and she raises her her chin a fraction that reinforces the stubborn expression on her face that tells Clark, to quote the Borg, 'Resistance is futile'. Besides it is not like she doesn't know how to defend herself because she does. Even with his powers Clark is pretty certain Rogue could kick his butt if she put her mind to it. Clark decides not to waste time and simply picks Rogue up bridal style and zips off.

Chloe stares at the empty space for a moment before declaring "Man he is so whipped."

Clark comes to a halt once more outside Jason Dante's barn and gently lowers Rogue down before folding his arms across his chest and looking stern. There is a van parked up as 5 young men frantically throw the evidence into it. "Gentleman!" he says in a loud commanding voice. "I'm afraid I must ask you to desist from your current activities. The police will be along shortly and I would take this as an opportunity to reconsider your current life path. There are better choices in life than this."

The 5 men laugh at him and Clark sighs slightly. "Well...I tried," he says to Rogue with a sad acceptance at what is about to happen next.

What happens next is the fairly predictable as 3 of them attack him and 2 attack Rogue. Not a particularly long fight considering he is superpowered and Rogue can kick butt in so many ways it is scary to think she is his girlfriend and she can do that to people.

Clark takes his eye off of her for a second as he knocks out his last attacker. One second too long as he finds someone has sneaked up behind her and is now holding a knife to her throat. Clark's eyes narrow. From Chloe's description this can only be "Jason Dante."

Dante smirks. "My reputation proceeds me I see. Now I don't know who you are but let me explain something to you pal. No-one and I mean no-one crosses me. You will pay for sticking your nose in my business and I'll start here with your little girlfriend unless you back up now," he orders Clark with the threat of hurting Rogue.

Clark takes a step or two back simply to give him time to think. The knife blade is right against Rogue's skin so he can't use his heat vision without risking hurting her.

Seems Rogue is way ahead of him though in figuring out what to do as she is pulling one of her gloves off. She reaches up and grabs Dante's exposed hand around the knife handle. Dante's face contorts in pain as Rogue uses the new strength to pull the knife away from her throat. She holds on just long enough to drop Dante down unconscious.

Clark is to her side in an instant. He gently brushes his fingers over where the knife was touching her. She's alright. He looks down at Dante. "I'm sorry you had to do that," he says to her sympathetically. "I know you hate using your powers."

"On him ah ain't so sorry," she admits honestly. "He's a piece of work."

"What do you mean?"

Rogue explains what she picked up from Dante's mind. "Pete phoned him after he left Chloe's this morning ta arrange that bet Pete talked about. Dante agreed but he was goin' ta cheat ta make sure he would win. He was goin' ta plant a bomb in Pete's car designed ta explode at a hundred. He had decided Pete was a liability he could do without."

Clark finds himself being a little angry at that but it doesn't really matter now since Dante is about to go to jail. His hearing picks up sirens in the distance that must be Sheriff Adams coming. Wasting no time he finds something to tie up Dante and co before picking up Rogue and zipping away.

* * *

That evening at Chloe's house Chloe, Jordan, Clark and Rogue sit around the kitchen table comparing notes so to speak. Dante and friends were looking at fairly lengthy jail sentences after what they were caught with although it was a mystery as to who tied them up. A mystery to everyone except the 4 teens currently sitting around the kitchen table.

Chloe is currently seeking to clarify something with Jordan. "You said you saw Pete crash but Dante was going to plant a bomb. Does that add up or do we need to go find Pete and tie him to a pole or something to stop him?"

Jordan thinks back on his death vision of Pete. "It could be right. He was in a car and there was an explosion. I assumed he crashed but a bomb could have been responsible."

"A good reporter never assumes," Chloe points out.

Jordan smiles softly. "I'm not a reporter," he reminds her.

Chloe smirks. "Not yet," she says with a joky sinister overtone that she is threatening to soon turn him into a reporter whether he wants to be one or not.

Clark rolls his eyes at that one because to him it seemed to be Chloe's ambition to turn everyone she knew into a reporter. Still even with Pete's possible death seemingly prevented for the time being there was still trying to find out what is behind Pete acting out as he has been. If they don't get to the bottom of that they may have only exchanged one method of death for another as Pete finds another insane outlet.

Speaking of Pete...

"Pete's coming," Clark announces.

"Ya sure?" Rogue asks.

Clark nods. "I can hear his car approaching." He then looks out and pulls his glasses down so he can peer over them as he sees Pete's car pull up and Pete get out of the car looking extremely angry. Clark sighs as he pushes his glasses back up. By now Pete must have heard about what has happened to Dante and concluded he and Chloe were responsible. "Defcon 1," he says as a warning at how bad this is likely to be.

Chloe nods as the only one who actually understands what Clark means and braces herself for the onslaught.

Pete barges in without knocking.

"Hello Pete. Come in," Chloe says a little acerbically in response.

Pete glares at her. "I told you to stay out of my business!"

Chloe gets to her feet and meets Pete eyeball to eyeball. "Listen here Ross. You are my friend even when you are being a pigheaded ass and as your friend I will do all in my power to help. However I hate to...no scratch that considering your attitude...I love to burst your ego here but this wasn't solely about you. As you may recall I was doing an investigation into Dante and that racing ring long before I found out you were risking your stupid stubborn thick hide in them and guess what? I've now finished my investigation and Dante and his merry little band of losers are off to jail which coincidentally solves your little debt problem."

Pete opens his mouth but Chloe cuts him off before he speaks another word. "Don't speak. I'm not done yet," she warns him, her tone hard. Pete's mouth snaps shut. Chloe continues. "You know what this last little while you have been a real jerk Pete and I am almost at the point of not caring about whatever it is that has set off your little teenage rebellion. No doubt you were about to whine how I took away the one thing you love to do. Well here's a startling revelation for you. You can race legally in legitimate events if racing is what you seriously want to do with your life. Now I'm going to stop speaking in a minute but if all you are going to say is some complaint against what we did today then you know where the door is," she tells him pointing at the door. "If on the other hand you are ready to stop being an ass and tell us what is going then we are ready to listen and to help. The choice is yours."

Pete just glares at her some more before without a word turning round and leaving.

"Damn," Chloe mutters as her face falls at her failure. She really thought Pete would talk rather than walk out this time. Guess she way overestimated him. She sighs sadly and rubs her forehead. "Sorry," she apologises to everyone.

Clark purses his lips as he contemplates this situation as he hears Pete drive off at a great rate of speed. Maybe it was time to take a leaf out of Rogue's book and confront this problem more head on instead of always giving Pete ways out.

The next thing anyone else knows is a gust of wind blowing their hair about.

"Ah hate it when he does that," Rogue mutters.

Pete drives away at a fair rate of speed essentially seeing red and then he is seeing red literally as two red beams hit the hood of his car. The temperature gauge spikes in a few seconds, the engine overheats and cuts out dead as the car rolls to a halt. There is a small bump as the car is brought to a complete stop.

Pete fumes as he stares out at the only person he knows with powers like that. He gets out of the car and slams the door shut. "You had no right to do that Clark!" he yells as he stomps round to the front of the car to confront Clark.

Clark does not back down. A lot of times Pete had helped Clark see things clearly by being bluntly honest to the truth of things. Now it was time for Clark to do the same. "Pete. Chloe is right. You are being a jerk. Now you and I are going to have it out right here and now."

"You have no idea. You can't understand," Pete says angrily.

"The hell I can't," Clark says using coarser language than normal. "You remember last summer right?" Clark says in reference to his acting out period.

"What is this Clark? Hmm. I thought you would have bigger problems than little ol' me to deal with."

"That's relative Pete and your problems are just as important as any others I deal with. More so because you are my friend. I know we haven't see much of each other this last year and I wish I hadn't had to move away..."

Pete cuts Clark off right there. "Now we both know that isn't true."

"Of course it's true," Clark argues back. He has missed both Pete and Chloe and to some extent Lana and Lex as well.

"Admit it Clark. You are happier being at that institute where you can be yourself than you ever were here with us."

Clark pauses for a second because in a way Pete is right. He is happier but he could put that down to being with Rogue. "I won't deny I am happy," he says. "However that doesn't mean I wouldn't have been happy if I stayed here. I am your friend Pete despite the fact you have been both rude and insulting to my girlfriend, to Chloe, to Jordan and to me. You are trying to cut yourself off from everyone who cares about you and from someone who did that let me tell you from experience it is a horribly lonely place to be. Also as I recall from my experience my friend standing right in front of me never gave up on me. He came looking for me. Tried to reach me even though I could literally turn him into a pretzel."

A tiny little smile appears on Pete's face at Clark's joke.

"I'm not going to give up on you Pete no matter what you do so talk to me please. What is going on?"

Pete lets out a sigh but says nothing.

"Come on Pete. It's just you, me and the wheat fields," Clark points out that they are basically alone.

There is silence for several long moments before Pete's hard expression melts completely. "My parents are divorcing," he admits in a quiet voice that is laced with pain at what he is telling Clark.

Clark's face instantly shows feelings of great sympathy. "I'm sorry Pete."

"Irrevocable differences they told me. They've just grown apart. Fallen out of love."

"I don't believe you ever really fall of love."

"The eternal romantic huh Clark?" Pete shakes his head and continues before Clark can answer. "Don't answer that. I think I know what your answer is but we aren't all as lucky as you to have Jonathan and Martha Kent as parents. Some of us have to deal with parents who are sleeping in separate rooms and barely talk to each other or to me."

Clark suddenly gets the acting out...he thinks or Kitty has been making him watch too many daytime shows but he thinks this is Pete trying to get attention or simply distract himself from his emotional pain.

"Mom's going to be moving to Wichita. Dad's staying here and Mark, Mike, Sam, Kathy and myself have to decide who to live with," Pete says in reference to himself and his brothers and sisters. "I mean what kind of parent does that to their children Clark that they make them choose one over the other," Pete says angry at what he thinks his parents are doing to him and his siblings.

"I'm sure that is not what your parents are meaning to do Pete but you really need to be saying this to them and not me. You need to make them understand that despite the pain of what they are going through they can't forget about you. That they need to talk to you."

Pete smiles thinly. "Still trying to see both sides aren't you Clark."

"I try not to judge until I understand both sides if that is what you mean. Your parents are going through something painful Pete and I think it is understandable at least if not right that you and your brothers and sisters are forgotten momentarily."

Pete looks forlornly at his car. "It allowed me to forget just for a few minutes. It allowed me to feel good about myself."

"It's your red kryptonite," Clark makes the analogy.

"I guess it is."

"That only masks your pain Pete. It doesn't make it go away. It doesn't make your problems go away. In fact it can make things a hell of a lot worse," Clark says once again from his own personal experience and it reflected in the slight strain in his voice. He continues. "I know you are going through a rough patch now Pete but it will get better. I know because I've been there. Hell you were there too."

"Yeah. Your short lived career as a criminal." Pete then shakes his head half amused by this sudden thought. "And now you go out and catch criminals."

Clark shrugs. "Meh. Have to do something with my spare time," he jests.

Pete manages a tiny chuckle.

"When was the last time you actually spoke to your parents?" Clark asks getting the subject back on the more serious business at hand.

Pete thinks on it. "Have no clue," he admits. "I mean we talk but we don't really _talk._ If you get my drift."

Clark nods. He does. "Talk to them Pete and I'm sure they'll realise their mistake," he tells his friend.

Pete sighs. "I will," he agrees. "Although I doubt that will be a fun conversation," he says sarcastically.

"And no more racing?" Clark inquires hopefully.

"No more illegal ones," Pete promises. "I would perhaps...maybe...after this is settled with my parents...just might look into racing...professionally."

Well that is possibly the best Clark could hope for under the circumstances. "If that is what you want to do I'll support you."

"Thanks although can we avoid any manly hugs you might be thinking of giving me."

"You're no fun," Clark says in a mock sulk.

The two friends share a chuckle.

"By the way you owe Rogue an apology," Clark adds, having not forgotten Pete's words this morning.

Pete nods in concession. "Yeah. I know. I guess I need to give Chloe and Jordan one too." He takes a deep breath. "Thanks Clark. For coming out all this way."

"It's no problem," Clark assures Pete. "That's what friends are for..." Clark trails off.

"Clark?" Pete queries.

"Chloe's in trouble. Yelling for me," Clark informs Pete at what his hearing just picked up.

"Go Clark," Pete tells him and Clark is off with a whoosh and a gust of wind.

Clark reaches the house in seconds to find Jordan and Chloe sprawled on the kitchen floor. Clark moves over to the groaning Chloe first and helps her up. "Chloe what happened?" he asks. He then realises who is not here. "Chloe where is Rogue?"

Chloe looks at him with sad sorrowful eyes that she couldn't stop it. "I'm sorry Clark but she took her. She took Rogue."

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought with Clark being trained more with his powers it would allow him not to miss the fact that one of the Deputies was on Dante's payroll so unlike the show the Sheriff finds Dante with the evidence. So basically that ties up Pete's problem. This is now my 1st story with over a thousand reviews. Thanks everyone! Next up; Can Rogue be found in time before she meets her demise. Just another typical day in Smallville really._


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Chloe helps Jordan back to his feet. Clark was gone. As soon as she said Rogue had been taken he whooshed off. No doubt to try and look for her. Chloe hopes he succeeds. She helps Jordan to a seat and goes to the freezer and grabs some frozen peas for him to place on his head which he is holding.

"Thanks," he tells her.

Chloe gives him a small smile and spends a good few moments fussing over him. She really doesn't know if what she and Jordan have is the real thing or not. She just knows that she feels the need to help him. After all how many others infected by the meteors has she just helped lock away without giving any thought to helping them.

Besides Jordan wasn't dangerous or psychotic. He was just shy and repressed due to his powers. He was really kind of sweet honestly.

A gust of wind soon signals Clark's return. The deep seated frown, the expression of deep worry and the fact there is no Rogue kind of gives it away he was unsuccessful. "No sign?" Chloe asks to see if he found anything at all.

Clark shakes his head feeling as useless as he did the day Rogue was taken by Nathan Dean when he was blind. Whoever it was moved so fast that they didn't leave a coherent enough scent trail to follow. He tries to keep the creeping fear for Rogue at bay. Anything but a clear head will just make things worse. "What happened Chloe? Who was this she?" he asks in reference to the fact she used the word 'she' to ascribe a gender to whoever took Rogue.

Chloe shakes her head. "I don't know. It all happened so fast. She just came in...through the wall," she says pointing at said wall. "She tossed us around like a sack of potatoes. I didn't see what she did to Rogue except that she took her and then she left at superspeed."

"You never saw her face?"

Chloe shakes her head. "It was blurry." She spots Clark cocking his head quizzically. "I mean she was blurry literally. She was out of focus although it was obvious she was female by her build."

That strikes a chord of familiarity in Clark. "She was blurry...like the molecules of her body were vibrating really fast?"

"I guess," Chloe says a little hesitantly as her journalistic nature doesn't like jumping to unproven conclusions.

Now it sounds even more familiar to Clark. Superstrength. Superspeed. Ability to walk through walls. "Emily?"

"Dinsmore?" Chloe jumps to. "Lana's friend? Lana's dead friend?"

Clark nods. "Remember Emily's father cloned her."

"Yeah I remember. He used the meteor rock as a kind of supergrow. I think that whole thing still creeps Lana out."

"Yes well what you described were the powers kryptonite gave her and we never did find Emily or her father Chloe," Clark reminds his friend.

"The Prince of Darkness did one of his vanishing tricks. I still haven't been able to find Pete Dinsmore," she tells Clark and it wasn't through lack of trying. It was just Lionel has a lot of resources at his disposal to make people vanish. Chloe then realises Clark thinks that their attacker was Emily except there is a flaw in that logic. "Clark I couldn't see her face but this person who attacked us was a lot bigger than a 8 year old."

"What if her accelerated growth had continued," Clark speculates.

Chloe considers that. "Hmm. Well this being Smallville I wouldn't rule it out I suppose but equally Clark we need proof before jumping to conclusions."

Clark runs his hand through his hair utterly frustrated and Chloe can tell he is struggling to keep his emotions under control. "We'll find her Clark," Chloe promises him.

Clark tries to calm himself down.

"As I recall don't you have a big mutant finding machine at that mansion you live at," Chloe says.

"At this distance it would only pick Rogue up if she is using her powers," Clark explains the limitations. "Also it is kind of a bit more difficult in Smallville to pick up individual signals."

"In what way?" Chloe asks.

"Due to how many mutants the meteors created."

"How many we talking here?"

"Well the Professor can't get an exact reading but somewhere between 2 and 3 hundred."

Chloe's eyebrows rise up towards her hairline. "Seriously?" she asks in complete surprise that there are that many.

Clark nods. "Yeah," he confirms.

Chloe shakes her head. She had no idea that there were so many. She guesses a lot of them just keep a low profile especially since Lex has that mutant hit squad that assists the police. She can't blame them for that and maybe it goes to show that not all of them end up psychotic. But that is a musing for another time. Back onto the urgent subject at hand. "So even if we assume the girl who attacked us is Emily we can't be sure how she looks now."

"True. However..." Clark starts to say as a idea suddenly strikes him.

Chloe quirks an intrigued eyebrow. "However?"

"If we do a link-up to the institute's computers do you think you could run one of those ageing progressions on a photo of Emily to see how she would look if she was say roughly our age."

That's a good idea Chloe will admit. Assuming it was Emily that attacked them they could find out basically how she looks now. "I should do. From my last talk with Kitty those computers should have the processing power." Chloe and Kitty have an online friendship going. "I'll go get my laptop," she announces.

"I'll phone the Professor and let him know what is going on. At the very least he can set Cerebro to scan for Rogue just in case she uses her powers," Clark decides.

Chloe heads off to get her laptop, giving Jordan a quick kiss on his cheek as she goes. He gives her a small smile while trying to decide whether this has any relation to the vision he saw of Rogue's death. Of her strapped down while blood flowed from her eyes, nose and ears. She did look pretty much like she does at the moment. He spots Clark on the phone and he knows Chloe will be working hard so he'll let them do their stuff first and if that falters then he'll mention it.

* * *

Rogue is a little groggy as her brain tries to recover. She remembers being in Chloe's kitchen waiting for Clark to return when Jordan yelled at something behind her. Before she could react an immensely strong gloved hand grabbed her and jabbed a needle into her neck. The last thing Rogue saw before she blacked out was a blurry figure attack Chloe and Jordan.

Rogue opens her eyes and blinks to adjust to the low light. The whole room is filled by an eerie green glow. She tries to move and finds she can't. She can feel leather straps tightly fastened around her wrists and ankles.

Rogue raises her head and takes in her surroundings. She is strapped to a metal stretcher above a tank filled with what looks like faintly green coloured water. She spots an IV going into her arm down which a green liquid is flowing into her veins but worse than that is that when she was unconscious someone has stripped her down to her underwear and attached sensors on her chest. She can also feel a couple of sensors attached to her temples but back to the fact someone stripped her clothes off because if anyone touched something they shouldn't Rogue is going to kill them...slowly.

A thought occurs to her that whoever did it must have been wearing gloves or somehow her powers have stopped working. The first one seems the more likely option.

"Ah you're awake," a voice says over a PA.

Rogue looks to the end of the room and up to where there is an observation booth of some kind. "Who are ya? Where am ah?"

"Those are questions you do not need to know the answer to," the voice says with a cold dispassionate tone that sends a shiver up Rogue's spine. "You should be more concerned with answering my questions."

Rogue tries to keep herself calm. "Ah ain't tellin ya anything ya sicko!"

The voice chuckles amused. "Ah you are a spirited one I see but that liquid that is flowing into your veins is my own special concoction. It helps bring to the surface repressed memories. Memories that are either consciously or subconsciously being repressed. For simplification think of it as the ultimate truth serum."

Rogue is kind of puzzled. What the hell can she know that anyone would want to know.

"Now young lady it is time to begin," the voice announces and Rogue finds herself being lowered until she is half submerged in the cold green water. "Tell me everything you know about Clark Kent," the voice commands.

Rogue's eyes widen. Oh god. This is what this is about. Her mind instantly jumps to how Clark had told her how Lionel Luthor had used so many other people around him to try and learn his secrets and therefore she concludes that he must be behind this. Well she ain't tellin this guy anything. "Go ta hell!" she snaps back.

"Tell me everything you know about Clark Kent," the voice calmly commands again.

Rogue's mouth starts to open and for an instant she has an irresistible compunction to obey before her mind snaps back in control. She sucks in a breath. 'Oh god what was that?' she has to wonder. For an instant there she was about to spill everything.

"Tell me everything you know about Clark Kent," the voice says again.

This time the compunction lasts for a few seconds longer before Rogue can beat it back.

"Tell me everything you know about Clark Kent," the voice repeats.

Rogue grits her teeth as she fights off the compulsion to obey. She isn't telling this guy anything. She won't betray Clark. "Do...your...worst!" she shouts. "Ah ain't tellin ya anything!"

"**Tell me **everything you know about Clark Kent," the voice says with a harsher more demanding tone.

The compulsion is even stronger but Rogue fights it. "Screw ya!" she shouts back.

Up in the booth Dr Garner is caught between being impressed at her resilience and being annoyed at the fact she hasn't broken yet. Mr Luthor won't be happy if he fails and he depends on Luthor for his funding.

His assistant makes the following observation. "The last subject broke at half this dosage."

"Increase the dosage by another 50%," Dr Garner orders.

"Sir?" the assistant says with surprise at that.

"You heard me."

"Sir we have never exposed any test subject to that amount of the serum. We don't know the side-effects."

"Increase the dosage," Dr Garner orders with such a tone that indicates he is not to be questioned about this.

The assistant does so but with a shake of his head. Who knows what effect this will have on the girl.

* * *

**In Smallville...**

Emily comes to a stop in the alley behind the Talon. Even for her with all her speed it is quite some trip to Metropolis and back. She takes several moments to regain her breath and sort herself out so it doesn't look like she just ran all the way from Metropolis.

She had chosen her moment well after watching the group from afar as Mr Luthor instructed. She had seen Clark Kent race off out of Chloe Sullivan's house after Pete Ross. It meant it left that girl Mr Luthor wanted all alone so Emily ran in and took her. Mr Luthor will be so proud of her and hopefully so will Lana and it means they can be best friends again.

Speaking of Lana Emily should probably let her friend get going after Lana had been looking after the Talon for her.

Emily steps inside to find Lana cleaning after closing up.

"Hey Emma," Lana greets the girl. Lana wasn't sure where Lex found the girl but she seemed good at her job and Lana would say they were on friendly terms. Although Lana swears that Emma is familiar to her somehow. Like they had met before somewhere but Lana couldn't recall where or when.

Emily smiles. "Hey Lana. Thanks for looking after the place for me."

Lana waves her off with a smile of her own. "It's fine. How's your father?"

Emily had given the excuse to Lex of her father taken ill suddenly to get time off to spy on Clark Kent and somehow that ended up with Lana agreeing to come back and help out. Emily clears her throat. "Recovering. It is not as serious as first thought," she lies as her father is...Emily wasn't sure. She hadn't talked to him or seen him in months. She didn't want to as he never let her have any fun.

"That's good," Lana says just as she finishes wiping a table down. She looks around. "I kind of miss this place you know," she mentions.

"You are welcome any time," Emily says sincerely as she would love it if Lana would spend more time around with her.

"Thanks but I'm thinking it will be good when summer comes to get away from everything."

Emily's face falls. "Oh you mean your trip to Paris," she says with a sour taste at the fact Lana will be gone out of the country.

Lana smiles in happy anticipation at it totally oblivious to her companion's feelings. Sure she will miss Lex but this is a once on a lifetime chance to sink her teeth into something she loves doing in design. "Yeah. Like I said it is probably for the best. Smallville has too many memories and there are some things I would like to forget for awhile."

"Like?" Emily asks and then hastily adds, "I'm sorry. That's nosy."

Lana manages a small chuckle. "Oh it's alright. Well apart from the numerous times my life has been threatened by...certain individuals," meaning the meteor freaks, "there is also too many memories about what happened between me and Clark Kent. This being a small town I'm guessing you probably have heard something about that," she assumes since in Smallville nothing ever remained secret for long. It was like gossip was the town's hobby.

Emily blinks. She knew a little bit. "Um...he broke up with you or something."

Lana's face falls slightly and the old pain flashes across her features for a moment. "Yeah and then he moved away and when I next meet him I find he is dating that girl he was in here with the other day and apparently he tells her the secret he would never tell me," she says with her voice gaining bitterness as she talks. Lana takes a breath. "You probably don't want to hear me venting all that at you," she realises what she is doing.

"No. No. It's fine," Emily insists. After all when they were 8 she and Lana shared all their secrets.

Lana sits herself down. "I mean I don't get it. What is it that she has that I don't? Why did he never think he could trust me?"

Emily sits down next to Lana. "Because he's an idiot?" she puts forward. To Emily Lana was the greatest person in the world and anyone who didn't see that was stupid.

Lana laughs softly at what she thinks is Emma making a joke.

Emily debates with herself whether she should tell Lana that thanks to her actions Clark Kent's secret will soon be known but that means she would have to tell Lana how she knew that. Emily decides that perhaps this isn't the time to reveal who she is to Lana just yet.

Lana's laughter soon gives way to a frown as she remembers back to meeting Rogue at Christmas. "You know I really don't get it. I tried telling her...warning her about Clark but she didn't listen to me."

"Then she's an idiot too."

"I tried to be nice," Lana insists. "But..."

"But?"

"I don't know," Lana says with a shrug. "Something about her rubbed me up the wrong way. I don't get what Clark sees in her." She then rubs her face with her hand. "Urgh. I'm sounding really horrible and petty aren't I?"

"I don't know. Is this girl bad?"

"She's short tempered. When I gave my warning she basically told me I didn't have a clue what I was on about and threatened me if I didn't lay off Clark."

"But you were only trying to help her," Emily says appalled at this girl dismissing Lana in that way. Appalled and angry. When that Garner guy is finished with her Emily may have to go back and do something...unpleasant.

"Some people just don't want to listen to you no matter how much you are trying to help them and some people just don't plain listen to you. Clark never did no matter how many times I told him I could handle whatever his secret was and...I'm venting again aren't I?"

"Little bit," Emily tells Lana. "But it's alright."

"I shouldn't be burdening you," Lana says not wishing to dump her problems on someone else. She doesn't even know Emma that well but as she recalls her aunt saying once sometimes it can be easier to talk to a stranger than a friend which could be why she is unloading her probably too long bottled up feelings onto Emma. In fact she has probably been dwelling on all this for too long. "What I should be doing is getting over Clark and concentrating on Lex," she decides. She should be but for some reason she can't because no matter how hard she tries to it still just makes her so angry every time she think back to the way Clark refused to let her in when he insisted that he genuinely cared about her. You don't do that to someone you supposedly care about.

Lana notices the time and realises it is starting to get late and that she needs to get back to the mansion before Lex sends out a search party for her. She gets to her feet. "Well anyway I should be going. I cleaned everything I think so you just have to lock up."

Emily stands as well. "Ok. Again thanks for doing this Lana."

"It's no problem. It's what friends are for."

Emily smiles broadly overjoyed at the fact Lana called her her friend. Maybe one day soon they can be best friends again. As she waves Lana off Emily thinks that in that vain maybe she can do something to make Lana's life better. Like get rid of the girl who was so rude to her. Screw waiting Emily decides. She'll go back to Metropolis and deal with that girl tonight.

Shifting into superspeed Emily locks the Talon up and is off running down the road back to Metropolis.

* * *

Back with Chloe Clark is pacing around her kitchen. She can feel his worry coming off him in waves and he looks so tense that she worries he might explode. She can see him clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly. She feels so sorry for anyone who gets in his way of finding Rogue because she isn't sure anything could stop him. That thought could be almost scary if she didn't believe utterly in Clark's good nature.

Clark knows that pacing isn't all that helpful but he is feeling useless and he can't get himself to calm down enough to sit. He just has to wait until Chloe finishes with ageing that image of Emily. He had talked to the Professor on the phone who had set Cerebro to automatically scan for Rogue. As for getting the others who came on the trip to help Clark had said how there was little point right now until they had a lead considering there is no easy way to contact them. The point of the trip was to get back to nature so no technology like personal communicators or phones was allowed. Clark promised that he would keep the Professor informed.

Jordan is sitting there, his head feeling a bit better by now, when he spots something familiar in an open magazine lying off to the side. He stands and picks it up. He brings it in front of Chloe. "Chloe. What is this?"

Chloe looks away from her work for a moment to quickly re-familiarise herself with what is in front of her. "Oh that. That's research for an article about Dr Garner and his work into repressed memories. Why?"

Jordan frowns as he looks at the picture in the article of a tank filled with green liquid just like he saw Rogue in his vision of her death. "I saw this when I touched Rogue."

Chloe now looks at him intently. "Saw what exactly Jordan?"

Jordan explains his vision of Rogue strapped down in a tank looking exactly like this.

The look in Clark's eyes intensifies further. "Where is this?" he demands to know.

"Metropolis," Chloe answers. "The Summerholt Institute but before..."

_Whoosh!_

There is a gust of wind in the kitchen and Clark is gone before Chloe can finish saying that she was about to warn him off about rushing off on his own. Especially since she knows that Dr Garner has been illegally using meteor rocks in his experiments. That was what her article was going to be about. Exposing Dr Garner's shady practices and now Clark is running off headlong into a place containing a substance she knows hurts him and worse there is no way in hell anyone can stop him before it's too late.

Dammit!

When she gets a hold of Clark he is so getting a piece of her mind. As for right this minute she grabs her phone and starts dialling the Institute since she doesn't know where in Smallville's woods the others are. Out of the corner of her eye she spots Pete walking in wearing a much more contrite expression than when he left here. She'll deal with him later.

As she waits for someone to pick up the phone her link up with the Institute's computers produces results and brings up the altered image of Emily. At the sight of the familiar image of a person Chloe sees virtually every day when she goes to pick up her coffee Chloe can only think of one thing.

Double dammit!

* * *

**At the Summerholt Institute, Metropolis...**

Dr Garner had given his subject a small break in his questioning due to some unusual brainwave activity but his patience was fast running out so his questioning resumes. He resumes asking the one same single question.

"Tell me about Clark Kent!" the voice demands of Rogue sounding increasingly impatient and angry at her resistance.

"No!" she shouts defiantly.

"You are making this much more difficult than it needs to be. Tell me what I want to know and you can go."

Rogue has to summon all her mental effort to resist the compunction. "No!" she repeats.

"Increase the dosage," Dr Garner orders once again.

"But sir!" the assistant protests. They had already given her more than any other subject.

"Do it!" Dr Garner orders.

The assistant does what he is told but is seriously wondering what line they are crossing.

More of the eerie green liquid flows into Rogue's veins.

"Tell me about Clark Kent," Dr Garner starts over again in a much calmer voice. "Tell me...Tell me about when you first met him," he tries a different approach. Maybe a more roundabout way will crack her resistance and let him in.

Rogue tries to fight off the compulsion to speak but this time finds she can't. "Ah first saw him when he and his parents came ta tha institute. Ah was at tha top of the stairs looking down inta tha main foyer."

Dr Garner smiles. "That's good. Continue."

"Ah didn't talk ta him much until tha Sunday. Ah was in tha library and he came in tryin' ta hide from Kitty and...ah...won't beh tellin y'all another dang thing!" Rogue finally manages to get control back and stop herself but she really does not feel right. There is this horrible pressure building up in her head.

"Now don't be stubborn. We were making such good process." Dr Garner turns to his assistant. "Up the dosage," he orders.

"Sir I can't!" the assistant protests. "We have already given her double what anyone else has received."

Dr Garner fixes his assistant a cold glare. "Do it or I will. Either way it is getting done."

The assistant folds his arms across his chest refusing to obey this time. Dr Garner mutters about getting a new assistant and increases the dose himself.

When the liquid flows into Rogue's vein the pressure in her head gets worse. Then it becomes horribly painful, her head feels like it is going to explode and something else starts to happen. The voices of the people she has absorbed...all the voices she usually keeps suppressed are getting louder and louder. More and more of them, louder and louder until they are an overwhelming cacophony. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up all of ya!" she screams.

"Who are you talking to?" Dr Garner asks.

Rogue doesn't hear him. Only them. It is her worst nightmare coming true. The inmates were taking over the asylum and she was losing all sense of herself. 'Is this what going insane feels like?' she briefly wonders.

The assistant is the first one to spot it. "What the hell?" he mutters out-loud as he spots her brainwave readings.

"What are you babbling on about?" Dr Garner asks irritated.

The assistant points at the readings. "Look!"

Dr Garner looks and frowns. It didn't make sense. They were what looked like dozens of overlying but unmistakably separate and distinct brainwave patterns.

Down in the tank Rogue starts to convulse. The voices were loose and she could no longer control them. "Gawd...someone help meh...Clark...anyone...please...help meh," she whimpers out just as blood starts to drip from her nose.

* * *

_Author's Note: For those that noticed it yes this is me borrowing heavily from Memoria. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark to the rescue...with all that kryptonite about! Uh...yeah. Don't see that going well._


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

You do the maths and the 3 hour drive to Metropolis becomes less than a 20 minute run for Clark. Those minutes might have well as been an eternity as far as Clark was concerned as his thoughts were plagued with the terrible gut wrenching fear that he may be too late and what Jordan saw comes to pass and Rogue is...

No.

Clark won't let himself think that.

He reaches the Summerholt Institute and blurs through the doors and inside without stopping. In fact he doesn't stop for an instant as his hearing picks up Rogue's heartbeat but it sounds wrong. It is accelerated. She is in trouble so without bothering to look first he bursts into the room and finds her strapped down in the tank.

His worry at the sight of her overrides what should be the obvious observation about the green colour of the water. He zips forward and manages to pull the IV out of her arm. The green liquid spurts out of the tube and onto his exposed hand and what had been a medium feeling of nausea turns into an extreme one as he falls to the floor, his skin burning and his blood boiling in his veins.

As soon as the IV is pulled Rogue's convulsions begin to stop.

Up in the control room the assistant looks out and spots the figure in the red coat lying on the floor. "What the...? Where did he come from?"

Dr Garner looks out and spots the figure. He runs down, taking in the couple of guards who should have been guarding the door with him. He'll deal with their utter incompetence at allowing this person to slip past them later. When he rolls the figure over Dr Garner finds he knows this person from information supplied to him by Luthor. "Clark Kent."

Dr Garner turn to his guards. "Remove her!" he orders pointing at Rogue, who has stopped convulsing and is now unconscious, before looking down at Clark and pointing at him, "and strip him and put him in the tank instead. If Luthor wants to know everything about Clark Kent then we will get it from the source."

* * *

Rogue isn't sure exactly when her awareness returns but eventually the cacophony of voices inside her head quieten to the point she can force them back to the corner of her mind and regain control. She finds she is still in her underwear but is now in a empty cold white room.

Rogue tries to stand but fails the first attempt. She takes a moment and tries again pushing herself off the floor and then using the wall as leverage. She stands there leaning against the wall unsure her legs have the strength to stand on their own. Rogue looks around her and tries to figure out how she gets out of here.

She stares at the door when she thinks her eyes start playing tricks as a blurry figure walks through it and standing there in the cell with Rogue is that girl from the coffee place.

Emily looks disdainfully at Rogue. "It's all your fault," she hisses.

"What?" Rogue says having utterly no clue what the girl is on about.

"It's all your fault," Emily continues as she steps forward menacingly. "It's your fault Lana is unhappy but I'll make everything right as soon as I get rid of you!"

Emily reaches out to snap Rogue's neck but in her rush to get here and do this she had forgotten what she had been wearing previously. Her gloves.

As soon as Emily touches Rogue's bare skin the effect is immediate.

Rogue cries out as the powers and memories rush in. Considering what her mind has been through tonight the last thing she needs is another persona in her head and it takes her several minutes to push the memories down.

Once Rogue has done so she looks down at the now unconscious figure. "Mah gawd," she mutters. Everything that Emily has gone through and Rogue can see...not all of it but enough. Enough to see that the girl in front of her is nothing but a copy of a person who is dead but is haunted by the memories of that person.

Rogue shakes her head in some vain attempt to clear it. She needs to focus and get out of here while she has Emily's powers but not before she grabs Emily's coat to put on at least. That done Rogue raises her hand in front of her face and makes it vibrate. She tests it out on the door and her hand phases through.

Test successful Rogue slips into superspeed and is through the door and out.

She zips along the corridor to its end as she tries to pull on Emily's memories to navigate her way out of here except the memories are really not that clear for some reason. Maybe it is due to what she has gone through tonight or maybe it is because of what Emily is but there are a lot of gaps. Rogue is just going to have to do this the hard way and carefully look around for the exit.

She then hears a familiar voice as its shouts echo toward her.

"Lara! Lara! Lara!"

"Clark?" Rogue queries as she follows the shouts.

* * *

**A few minutes earlier...**

Clark has found himself stripped down to his boxers and lowered into the tank filled with the pale green liquid. He can feel it burning his skin and worse comes as the green liquid flows from the IV into his veins.

Dr Garner speaks. "Now Clark. Just relax and take me back to your earliest memory. Where did you come from?"

Clark is suddenly not in the tank but back in the arms of his birth mother as a baby.

"_Put him inside Lara. Our time has passed. The hourglass is empty," a voice off to the side says that Clark knows is Jor-El._

_Clark finds himself placed inside his spaceship. His mother strokes his head. "What if they don't love him?" she asks Jor-El, deep concern in her voice._

"_His destiny is set Lara. As is ours." Jor-El then slots a board like piece into the ship which lights up._

_As the ship closes up around him Clark can hear his mother say with the deepest sorrow, "Goodbye my sweet Kal-El."_

Clark desperately calls out to her.

Back in the tank it is exactly what Clark does. "Lara! Lara! Lara!"

"Who is Lara Clark?" Dr Garner asks but gets no response. He turns to his assistant who is back obeying directives for now. "Why isn't he responding?"

The assistant shakes his head. "I'm not sure but he seems to be having some kind of reaction to the solution."

"Lara!" Clark calls out again and the equipment around him starts to short out.

"We need to pull him out!" the assistant proclaims with real fear at everything that is now also shorting out around him.

"No!" Dr Garner snaps. Luthor will have his head if he loses this opportunity. "He hasn't told us what we want."

"Lara!" Clark calls out again as he starts to seize and the equipment shorts out worse than before.

Outside the lab Rogue has dealt with the 2 guards using Emily's strength and speed. She knew for certain now that it was Clark shouting. She pushes the door open just as an explosion rocks the room blowing her back.

Gritting her teeth against the pain she zips into the room and finds two men in white lab coats lying on the ground. They look like they fell from the observation booth. She checks the pulse of both and finds nothing. She moves further into the lab pushing past debris and finds Clark submerged under the water in the tank. "Clark!" she yells in a panic.

Rogue zips forward and punches the glass of the tank out allowing the water to drain out. "Clark!" she shouts out his name. "Come on answer meh!" she pleads. Oh god. He has to be alright.

Slowly Clark's eyes flicker open and he turns his head to look at her. "Rogue," he says weakly.

"Don't worry. Ah'll get ya out of here," she promises him as she rips the tank apart. She moves inside and snaps the restraints before picking Clark up. "Hang on," she tells him.

"My hero," he weakly jokes.

Rogue smiles and then zips off and out of there.

* * *

**The woods outside Smallville...**

Later that night Rogue walks down the ramp out of the x-jet after getting a change of clothes and having Beast check her over. He couldn't find any side-effects after her ordeal but was going to run more extensive tests when they get back to the mansion. Truth is taking Emily's powers and having that strength probably helped Rogue recover faster than she would have otherwise.

She walks past the camp-site where she spots Chloe, Pete and Jordan mingling with the others. The change of clothes bit had involved going back to Chloe's first since that is where her clothes were and somehow during explaining about what had happened that ended up with the 3 teens accompanying her and Clark here.

Speaking of Clark Rogue spots him at the edge of the clearing leaning against a tree deep in contemplative thought. No doubt where he had gone after Beast kicked him off the x-jet when Clark wouldn't stop hovering over her and was getting in the way. She walks up to him. "Hey."

"Hey," Clark says back, the single word not revealing one iota of the worry he felt over Rogue but equally at the same time he was trying to deal himself with what happened in that tank. He moves forward and wraps her in a bear hug.

Rogue wraps her arms around him knowing that they both need this after what happened. They just need that physical contact to reassure themselves that they are both alright. They stay like that for several minutes before pulling apart. Clark cups Rogue's face and they share a long, gentle kiss.

"How are ya feelin?" Rogue asks him, her voice a little bit husky after that kiss but filled with worry too about what effect the kryptonite has had on him.

"I'll be better once the sun is up," he explains since he won't shake off the lingering effects of kryptonite until then. He then sighs. "Not my best rescue ever."

"Yeah. Ya kinda forgot tha team work part," she points out as in him just rushing off on his own.

"I am getting one of Logan's punishments aren't I?" he supposes. This will be on top of the one his father had already promised him once they got back and told his mother what happened and together they would determine his punishment.

"Probably and then one of Storm's lectures but if it means anything ah would have done tha same thing."

"Thanks. How about you? Are you alright?"

"Beast says ah seem ta beh but he'll do more tests when we get home."

"I am so sorry Rogue."

"For what?" she asks somewhat puzzled.

"That you got caught in between me and Lionel."

Right. Rogue had explained that from the somewhat fragmented memories she got from Emily that she had been ordered to kidnap Rogue by someone Emily called Mr Luthor so as to learn Clark's secret. They all assumed that Mr Luthor had to be Lionel. "Ah told ya once Clark that if he threatened ya ah would drain him dry and believe meh ah'm sorely tempted ta. Ya don't need ta apologise for his obsessions."

Rogue looks at Clark brooding. "And if ya do that guilt thing about breaking up with meh ta protect meh ah will hurt ya," she vows.

"I wasn't thinking that."

Rogue looks at him sceptically since Clark likes to blame himself for stuff. "Ya swear?"

"I swear." Clark really wasn't thinking about breaking up with her. He loves her too much although he does feel some guilt over this whole thing.

"Good. Ah did know what ah was gettin' inta when ah started dating ya Clark and ah don't regret it. Besides it is not lahke mah life is safe anyway with Magneto around."

Clark would have to sadly admit that that is true although he swear to do all in his power to protect her. His thoughts then swiftly drift back to the other thing that is bothering him.

Rogue eyes Clark carefully and can see something is bothering him. "Clark. What is it?"

Clark is silent for a few minutes before giving a reply. "Lara."

"What?"

"My mother's name is Lara."

"Ya said ya couldn't remember it," she reminds him.

"I didn't until I was in that tank. I saw the day my parents put me in my ship. Her greatest fear was that no-one would love me."

Rogue takes one of Clark's hands into her own and squeezes it gently. "Then she has nothin ta fear because people do love ya."

Clark looks down into Rogue's eyes and sees something there and he briefly wonders if she is one of those people.

"Lara," Rogue repeats the name. "It's a beautiful nahme."

"It is and I wish she could have met you. I think she would have liked you."

"Ya really think so?"

"Call it an odd feeling but yes." Clark also thinks Lara would have thought the same about his mother. "I wonder...do you think she would be proud of who I've become?" he wonders.

"Of course," Rogue says without hesitation. "Because ah know your parents are and well...ah'm proud of ya too."

Clark ponders whether this is the moment to tell Rogue he loves her but before he can Bobby makes his way over. "Come on guys," he says. "You're missing all the fun. I haven't had a chance to tell you all about how we saved Mr McCoy from these game hunters."

"Maybe later Bobby," Clark says realising the moment has passed. "I have one more thing to do before we leave in the morning."

"Like what?"

Clark reaches into his pocket and pulls out the silver octagonal key. "Something I have been putting off for too long."

* * *

**The Kawatche Caves...**

As Clark enters the caves his heart is thudding against his chest showing how nervous he is. He knew that by coming back to Smallville this was something he needed to do...by himself despite the protests of Rogue and his father but Clark won't risk either of them being anywhere near Jor-El.

As he walks through Clark has a quick look around to see that no-one has been here in awhile. When he left Smallville Lionel had been obsessively having the caves studied. Clark guesses with Lionel's focus on Bayville these days the excavations have been mothballed.

Clark reaches the slot on the wall and places the key in. 3 ribbons of white energy erupt along the floor converging on Clark and surrounding him in a column of white light.

"Kal-El. My son. You have returned," Jor-El's voice booms out.

"Lara. My mother's name was Lara," is the first thing Clark says.

"Yes."

"Her only fear was that no-one would love me yet you have told me before that emotion is a weakness."

"These **human** emotions you suffer from have served their purpose in helping you remain hidden within the populous during your formative years. However now Kal-El they are your greatest weakness. Your feelings...your attachments to those around you make you easy to control and manipulate which is why for you to fulfil your destiny you must free yourself of them."

"Destiny?" Clark asks sceptically. "And what destiny is that? The one where I am meant to conquer this planet or was that a test?"

"Your thoughts Kal-El while hidden from others are transparent to me. It...pleases me you have taken an interest in your culture."

Clark guesses Jor-El has picked up on his conversations with Dr Swann where they have discussed along with everything Dr Swann had discovered about Kryptonian society whether Jor-El's message about Clark supposedly being sent here to conquer Earth was a test. Part of what they had discussed being that Kryptonians saw the journey to adulthood as a series of trials and hardships that had to be overcome. "I have come to accept only that I am a Kryptonian by birth. I have not accepted and will not accept blindingly doing what you tell me. I have my own life to lead. Now answer my question. Was the message a test?"

"It was," Jor-El confirms.

"Why? Why did you do that? What was the point?"

"I had to see how much humanity had corrupted you."

"It has not corrupted me," Clark insists while trying to keep his temper in check.

"That is still up for debate Kal-El. However in this instant you passed the test."

"How did I pass it precisely?"

"You should know from your own experience how power corrupts Kal-El. How others if they had your power would not have hesitated to conquer humanity. You on the other hand rejected that path."

Clark guesses that is true. "You really thought I could become someone like that?"

"It occurred to me that it was a possibility. One I had to prepare for."

Clark briefly wonders what would Jor-El have done to him if he had failed that test. Probably nothing pleasant but saying that if Clark had become that corrupted he would have wanted to be stopped before he hurt anyone.

Jor-El continues, "What I did not foresee is what you did next. Poisoning yourself with the substance you refer to as red kryptonite. Those actions proved you were not ready nor mature enough to undertake the next stage of your journey which is why I made a deal with Jonathan Kent and allowed you to return to him."

Clark was going to get onto that but since Jor-El raised it. "What deal?"

"That is between myself and Jonathan Kent."

"You're not going to tell me."

"No."

Clark can see he isn't going to get answers from either of his fathers on what this deal they made is so he moves on. "What is this next stage you mention?"

"The Day of Destiny approaches. If you had proven yourself capable last year I would have prepared you to be ready for it."

"Prepared me for what?"

Silence.

"Fine. Keep your secrets but remember what I said. I will not blindingly do what I am told."

"You have grown these months past Kal-El but you still have much to learn about your powers and yourself."

"You want some truths Jor-El. I don't like you. I don't like the way you have made my life and my parents' lives hell but you are the only connection I have to Krypton. I want to know about my powers and my people but I also have my own life to lead. I cannot...I will not keep doing things solely on your terms."

"You still react dominantly with human emotion Kal-El which is why on the Day of Destiny you will return to me. Otherwise your choices dominated by emotion as they are will only lead to disaster."

"I am not apologising for feeling. My emotions are part of who I am."

Jor-El continues as if Clark never spoke. "When the day approaches I will send for you and you will come Kal-El or face the consequences of your defiance."

Clark can guess that will be another punishment. It seems like nothing he has said has made any difference. "You haven't listened to me at all have you?"

"I have heard every word you have spoken Kal-El and nothing has persuaded me that you are ready for the destiny that awaits you. You require discipline and my guidance."

"And to rid myself of these pesky human emotions right?"

"Your emotions are your greatest weakness Kal-El. Unless you rid yourself of them they shall be your undoing," Jor-El darkly predicts.

The key floats out of its slot and hovers in mid-air.

"Heed my words my son for the Day of Destiny will be upon you shortly."

The key then zips towards Clark who catches it as the column of light vanishes. Truthfully he is not surprised by how that talk went although he had hoped for better. This is going to be a problem and soon Clark realises. Trouble is Jor-El is not something Clark can fight. He tried already last summer and look where that got him.

Part of Clark doesn't want to fight. Clark does want to know about where he came from but forgive him if he is being stubborn here he wants to do it on his terms in a way that fits in with his current life. Somehow he has to persuade Jor-El of this instead of his father's current 'Do what I say or else' approach to their relationship.

Well he has some time to think it over it seems. How much Clark doesn't know but some. He just has to conceive of a coherent argument that will convince Jor-El to do this Clark's way. Although that is hard when Clark doesn't know what it is Jor-El wants to prepare him for.

Well that is a thought for another day. Considering he was exposed to kryptonite today Clark is genuinely tried and his mind feels a tad fuzzy. He needs some rest and then he'll work on a solution to this and with that decision he zips back off to the camp-site.

* * *

**The woods outside Smallville...**

The next morning they are all packed up and ready to go. By now Clark had heard the story, more accurately than Bobby tried to tell it, about how a scientist had come to Smallville on the back of the Bigfoot sightings Sabretooth caused all those months ago to look for that same elusive creature. In the end he had ended up capturing Mr McCoy instead.

It had ended with Mr McCoy showing the scientist that he was not some mindless creature and with the New Mutants scaring the bejesus out of the scientist's two hired hunters whose attitude...well lets say it had taken a turn for the worse and leave it there.

Bottom line is that somehow all this has seemed to bring Mr McCoy out of his funk because he from what Clark has observed this morning he looks a lot cheerier.

There are a few people who look a bit cheerier in fact like Rahne and Roberto because unless Clark has misread the signs they have spent the morning so far flirting with each other.

Bobby has spent this morning and a lot of last night as well showing off trying to impress Chloe mostly and Pete to some extent since he has never had a chance before to be himself around a human. Clark has to fight to repress the snort of amusement at the thought that considering everything both Chloe and Pete have seen living in Smallville Bobby is not going to find it easy to impress them. Hell nothing short of Clark's revelation that he was an alien even seems to shock Chloe anymore. That is kind of worrying if Clark thinks about it.

More worrying is the fact that Chloe and Kitty are chatting up a storm and he knows they are sharing stories about him. Embarrassing ones.

"Are ya planning ta use your heat vision on them?" that much beloved southern accent breaks into his thoughts.

Clark tilts his head to the side to look at Rogue who has come to stand next to him. "What?"

Rogue points at his face. "Your expression is kind of intense," she explains what she noticed as she spotted him looking at Chloe and Kitty.

Clark makes a conscious effort to get his face to adopt a more neutral expression. "Sorry," he apologises and ducks his head slightly.

"Don't apologise ta meh. Ah would fry them."

Clark half-smiles at the joke.

Rogue fiddles with her white bangs as she tries to work out how to broach this. "So...ya nevah really said what happened with Jor-El."

Clark lets out a sigh. "It was about what I expected. I'm riddled with human emotion that is supposedly my greatest weakness."

"He said that?"

Clark nods. "My feelings...my attachments to my friends and family...apparently these are things I don't need."

Rogue frowns, a deep severe frown. "That's tha most ridiculous thing ah evah did hear. Ah hope ya told him where ta get off because if ya didn't ah sure as hell will."

"Appreciate the thought but it would do no good. He is still insisting things are done his way." Clark runs his hand through his hair in sudden frustration. "You know it is not as if I don't want to learn about Krypton. I do! I just want to do it in a way that fits in with how my life is now but he wouldn't hear it. He just keeps insisting I think too much with my emotions and that I need...discipline. I might as well have been talking to myself."

A sudden knot of worry appears in Rogue's stomach due to how Clark told her how Jor-El has punished him before for disobedience. "Will he punish ya again?"

"I don't know," he admits honestly although Clark suspects from what Jor-El said about dire consequences should he refuse to obey that another punishment would be likely. "I can't lie to you and say that he won't." There is little point in lying since he told her about his last punishment.

"What will ya do?"

"I...haven't got a clear idea...yet but I'm working on it," he assures her.

"He's...that message," she says in reference to the message she saw the day she and Clark went to see Dr Swann. "That Day of Destiny thing. He still expects ya ta return ta him doesn't he?" she asks with real fear that she will lose Clark.

Clark has to give an affirmative nod." Yes but I'll figure something out," he swears. "You're not going to lose me ok?"

Rogue nods but she can't stop the knot of worry and fear in her stomach getting tighter.

Clark decides to change subjects. "I did a quick run into town earlier. There was no sign of Emily at the Talon or anywhere else I looked," he mentions.

"What do ya think happened ta her?"

Clark shakes his head. "Haven't a clue. As soon as her powers returned no cell could hold her even if we assume she was found where you left her which we can't considering the mess the place was in. If she believed we weren't on to her she would just have come back so I can speculate that she thinks we are on to her in which case she may have done a runner. Anyway I'll talk to Chloe before we leave and make sure she knows to call me if Emily does come back."

That said all that is left really is to say goodbye to his friends. Chloe gives him a big hug. "Thanks for coming Clark."

Clark returns the hug. "No problem Chlo. I trust you'll keep Pete out of trouble." he says with a tiny smirk.

Chloe snorts. "Pete's been trouble since the day he was born."

Pete frowns at that one while Clark chuckles softly. "By the way whatever happened with Mandy?" he asks Chloe in reference to the cheerleader Pete was dating.

"I'm standing right here," Pete points out sounding miffed at why Clark doesn't just ask him directly.

Chloe ignores Pete. "What always happens with Pete and girls."

"Ah. I see. Did they even make it to a 3rd date?"

"Yes actually so by Pete's standards that counts as a long term relationship," Chloe jokes although it is in fact a truth that Pete's relationships rarely last very long.

Pete pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. "Remind me why I'm friends with you guys again?"

"Huh. Good question," Chloe replies. "It would probably need me to do years of research to come up with an answer."

"Pair of comedians," Pete grumbles at his friends.

Clark chuckles once more before he turns to Pete and they share a much shorter manly hug. "You ok?" he asks Pete more seriously.

"Yeah. I'm fine or at least until I get home and have that talk with my parents," Pete mentions, his expression showing how much he is really not looking forward to that but realises with grim determination that he needs to do it.

"If you need me Pete just phone please."

Chloe shifts to Pete's side and loops her arm with his. "Don't you fret Clark. I'll take care of him unless he repeats his stupid ass antics of the last few weeks in which case you'll never find the body," she jokily threatens.

Clark looks at her and then to Pete. "You know the scary part is she could probably plan it so she gets away with it."

"I know and you're leaving me with her."

"If you think I'm scary you should meet my cousin Lois sometime," Chloe tells the two of them.

On their way home the mutants drop Chloe, Pete and Jordan off at the edge of town and the 3 teens watch the jet fly off out of sight.

"And there he goes...again," Pete says referring to Clark leaving them.

"Yeah," Chloe says in agreement before turning to Jordan. "You could have gone with them you know," she point out to her boyfriend. Chloe would have been upset at that but being selfless she would have understood.

"Maybe one day," Jordan considers. "But for right now I have a feeling I should be here."

"Just a feeling?" Chloe wonders or has he seen something.

Jordan smiles. "Just a feeling," he confirms. His smile falters slightly.

"What?" Chloe asks when she notices it.

Jordan shakes his head. "Nothing."

"Jordan I hate to break this to you but you are really poor at lying."

Jordan takes a breath before deciding what to say. "It's nothing," he insists.

Chloe eyes him closely for a moment before deciding that pushing won't get her an answer right now but she'll get it one day. "Ok but do me a favour. Touch Pete and tell me he lives to a grand old age."

Pete opens his mouth to protest but it's too late as Jordan lays a hand on Pete's shoulder and the images flash by.

Pete bats the hand away. "Don't do that without asking me first," he says with a glare.

"Well?" Chloe asks Jordan.

"Well he isn't dying in a car crash and he looked fairly old in my vision so..."

"That's good enough. Thanks," Chloe says and then gives Jordan a small kiss on his cheek.

Pete starts to walk. "Come on. We better get going," he says since they have a couple of miles to walk into town.

Jordan and Chloe catch up holding hands as they go. Jordan glances at Chloe hoping she doesn't push for an answer to what she was probing at earlier, what he failed to hide from her completely. That being what he saw when he shook Clark's hand when they said their goodbyes. It was something so different from what Jordan saw before. It was also extremely violent. Clark locked in the most brutal fight imaginable with this huge grey monstrosity with bony spurs on its body and these soulless glowing red eyes.

Jordan just didn't understand though what they could possibly have changed to alter Clark's destiny so much. All they did was save Rogue...

Wait.

Is that it?

Somehow saving Rogue altered Clark's destiny.

Jordan doesn't have that answer and he never will because his power only shows him snippets of one particular moment and not how that moment was reached. It leaves him as always, as every mutant feels at some point, wondering why he of all people was given this power.

* * *

**Belle Reve...**

Elsewhere that morning at the almost notorious mental institute that has almost as many secrets as your average government Dr Lia Teng is explaining the current status of a certain patient to her employer.

"We found her in a cell at Summerholt unconscious," the North Korean defector explains to her current employer as she walks around the bed of where the patient lies. "Initial tests indicate a sudden and unexplained escalation of the condition I informed you about."

"Cellular degradation," her employer ascribes the condition.

Dr Teng nods her head. "It is like I said previously. The mutation is unnatural and her body is rejecting it. The side effect of this causing a complete breakdown in the cell walls' integrity. It was made worse by her accelerated growth. The only reason she has lasted this long is that her powers afforded her cells unusual strength."

"How long?"

"For her...a couple of days at the outside. For the others here...many of them are starting to show the early symptoms. Their cells are breaking down at varying speeds."

"They will all die?"

"Normal probability curve," Dr Teng says in reference to the bell shaped graph that indicate probability. "There are always a few exceptions but as I said the mutation is unnatural. My best guess would be that roughly 90% of those altered by the meteors will die eventually. It is only a matter of time and before you ask nothing short of an absolute genius could create stable mutations that could avoid this. I simply do not have the expertise. I am a molecular biologist. Not a geneticist."

"You would also be back on a plane to your former home if it wasn't for me doctor. Never forget that."

Dr Teng's expression shows how uncomfortable that thought is to her. She defected. If she was ever sent home the government of her country of origin would be extremely unforgiving. Most likely she would be shot for treason.

Her employer looks at his watch. "I have places to be. I want a complete analysis of Ms Dinsmore's demise. Maybe we'll learn something from it."

"As you wish Lex."

Lex turns and leaves. This had not turned out like he wished at all. The explosion at Summerholt meant police looking where he didn't want them. It also meant he had no idea of what happened as all the recordings from the cameras had been lost as well as Dr Garner and his assistant being killed and it seems from the short time she has left to her that Emily is not about to give him any answers. After all he did to extricate Emily from his father it has now all seemingly gone to waste.

Lex knows Clark would not have approved of what he has done but he is doing this for Clark. The only way Lex can protect Clark from his father is to find out what it is his father is so obsessed about as regards to Clark. Rogue would not have been harmed...permanently. The plan was to find out what she knew, wipe her memories and send her back to Clark.

Lex even had the cover story all worked out. It would have involved carefully placed evidence indicating Emily's involvement and her unstable mental state. It would have ended with Emily dying when she resisted arrest therefore making sure she could not implicate him.

Harsh it may sound until you remember this is not the real Emily or even a real person at all. It is a clone and in the war with his father Lex must use all weapons in his arsenal.

Lex's phone rings and he fishes it out of his pocket. He checks the caller id. "Hi Lana," he greets her, his voice soft only for her.

"Hi Lex. Just making my usual call since I woke up all alone this morning."

Lex can visualise the pout Lana is making. "Sorry about that. I had an early meeting and I didn't want to wake you."

"No I get it. You have work. I know there are many issues with your father and setting up this new company."

The new company being a way of dealing with his father. A company owned solely by Lex over which his father has no stake whatsoever. Lexcorp he was planning to call it.

"By the way that new assistant of yours is here," Lana mentions. "I don't like her."

Lex chuckles. "Jealous Lana?"

"No!...Well maybe a little," she admits.

"Rest assured that is solely business and she is not really my assistant."

"I know. You told me about sneaking her into the Bayville operation to spy on your father. Does she really speak Latin?"

"Along with a few other languages."

"That red hair can't be natural," Lana points out.

"I'm pretty certain it is."

"Romanova...that's Russian right?"

"You are awful curious for someone who doesn't like her."

"I need to know about my competition."

Lex almost rolls his eyes at having to reassure Lana of his feelings again. Clark left a lot of insecurities behind. "Lana there is no competition. I hired Natasha solely for her professional skills. She came highly recommended."

"I'm sure she did," Lana sneers.

Lex sighs. "Lana. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"Then trust me over this. Natasha Romanova is just another employee like any other. Lana Lang is my girlfriend and to prove it I'll take her to the best restaurant in Metropolis tonight."

"Can I get a new dress?" Lana asks, suddenly sounding very excited.

That question makes Lex smile as he visualises it because Lana does possess naturally excellent taste and can make herself look spectacular. "Of course and feel free to use the credit card I gave you."

Lana squeals slightly with excitement. "Thanks Lex. You're the greatest boyfriend ever!"

And those words reaffirm in Lex's mind that everything he is doing is worthwhile and that his methods are justifiable. It also leaves Lex with the thought that while Clark is his friend he is a fool for not realising what he could have had with Lana. It is a mistake Lex will never make.

* * *

_Author's Note: Of course it was Lex behind it as he starts down his path to villainy and yes Lex has unwittingly hired the Black Widow which is me tying it in to Fury having her spy on Lionel through Lex. May seemed a little contrived but I wanted Rogue to not find out which Luthor was behind this so as to leave Clark in the dark which is why her absorption of Emily's memories was not complete. The issue with the meteor mutants dying because their mutation is unnatural will be a thread I will pick up on later. ____Clark's conversation with Jor-El was never meant to go well as it will tie in to how this story will conclude. Jordan's final vision of Clark is of course his future death at the hands of Doomsday and no I'm not blaming Rogue for altering Clark's future. That is just Jordan wildly speculating and keeping secrets from Chloe. Hmm don't see that being a good thing for their relationship do you? __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Hank calls out Jonathan on certain health issues and someone with the initials WW makes a long overdue appearance._


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

_Sometimes when Clark is talking to Jor-El time can pass him by a little bit. By the time he got back to the camp-site he found Rogue in a tent asleep. He wasn't going to wake her up but he just needed to step inside and check on her._

_He kneels down next to her and takes a good few minutes just watching her sleep. She looks so immensely beautiful in repose. He pushes a few loose white strands of her hair off her face._

_Rogue stirs a little and her eyes flutter open. "Clark?" she murmurs sleepily._

"_Shh. Go back to sleep," he says softly._

_Rogue's eyes drift closed and Clark stands to make his leave._

"_Clark," Rogue's voice says barely above a whisper. In fact anyone but him would never have heard her. "Ah...don't want ta beh alone."_

_Clark looks down at her. Her eyes are back open and he can see the slight fear in their green depths. No doubt as a result of what she has been through tonight. In public she always hides it but in private with him she lets her defences down...not completely but enough. He takes his boots off and slips into the sleeping bag next to her wrapping his arms around her. Clark knows if they get caught like this by anyone it won't look good but he doesn't care right now. Rogue needs him._

_Clark strokes her hair and after awhile he feels her body relax completely as she falls back asleep where he soon joins her._

_The next morning Clark had woken up first to find that during the course of the night Rogue had ended up sprawled half on top of him, her head resting on his chest and their legs entwined while he still had an arm wrapped around her waist in what could be construed as an intimate position. Despite being a 'hormonal teenager' there was actually no feelings of arousal. As Clark took in Rogue's features, her looking so beautiful, peaceful and innocent, all he felt was a tender love and a wish he could just hold her like this forever._

_Clark has always felt loneliness to some degree. From as far back as he can remember he was aware he was different to everyone else. Then his father showed him his spaceship and then he learnt as far as anyone could ascertain he was the only survivor of his species and that feeling of loneliness opened up into a giant chasm inside him._

_Only now he doesn't feel it so much. He has his friends but more importantly he has Rogue. Lying together like this he can almost forget his loneliness for awhile._

_Clark knows he needs to get up before everyone else does and he gets found in here. 5 minutes. He'll get up in 5 minutes. For right now he closes his eyes again, pulls Rogue a little closer and basks in the feelings of love, peace and happiness he has by being here with Rogue._

_This...what he feels right now...this could arguably be the happiest Clark has ever felt. He almost feels like he is floating on happiness._

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

Clark's brow furrows. Stupid alarm clock ruining his wonderful dream. He reaches to turn it off only to find himself hitting nothing but air. After a good 30 seconds of trying and failing to find it Clark forces his eyes open...to find himself floating above his bed!

"Whoa!" Clark calls out as gravity reasserts its hold over him and he crashes down from virtually the height of the ceiling onto the bed whose frame gives way under his weight and momentum.

Clark pushes himself up. Well that is one way to start his morning. Not the way he would have chosen mind you because now he has to explain how he broke his bed when he asks for a new one.

Clark is not the only one who had been having a pleasant dream about that night. Rogue too had been dreaming of it. She had never felt safer in her life than she did when Clark wrapped his arms around her but it was more than that. Rogue had woken up during the night to find herself sprawled atop of Clark, their legs all tangled up and she had taken a few minutes to watch him sleep.

Oh she had seen him sleep before when he had been hurt during the incident with Parasite but she was too worried about him then to really take time to just look at him, to study his features when he is completely at peace. He looked so...boyish. Normally Clark looks older than he actually is, maybe Kryptonians matured earlier or something, but when she looked at him there sleeping he looked more like his real age.

It did not detract from how devastatingly handsome he is. In fact it added to it. The only part of his face she wished she could see right then was the part she noticed first. His eyes. Those incredibly expressive cerulean blue eyes. She loved looking into those eyes and watching the way the light would oddly reflect off of them as if his eyes were...constructed of a hundred tiny separate lenses or at least that is what it looked like to Rogue. One sad part of Clark's secret identity drive was that those glasses he wore dulled his eyes down to an almost bluish-grey.

Anyway as she laid there looking at him feelings of tender affection welled up inside her and despite the fact they were curled up together there was no overwhelming feelings of arousal inside her despite the fact more and more lately Rogue had found her thoughts drifting in that direction. In fact when she and Clark are alone making out their touches have slowly been getting more intimate but right there and then all she felt was...deep contentment and happiness and...and a feeling she can't quite ascribe a word to or maybe she is just afraid to because of what it would mean.

"Rogue. Are you like humming?" Kitty's voice snaps Rogue out of her reminiscence.

Rogue blinks. "What?"

Kitty just looks at Rogue for a few seconds. She had just come back into their room to pick up her stuff for school when she found Rogue sitting in front of her mirror brushing her hair and humming. Kitty has never heard Rogue hum. "Where were you just there?" Kitty asks.

"Ah...uh...nowhere."

Kitty looks closer at Rogue and can a faint blush colour the Goth's cheeks. A knowing smile comes to her face. "Daydreaming about Clark again huh," she teases.

"Ah...uh...no."

Kitty giggles at Rogue's poor attempt to lie. "Rogue I hate to like break this to you but it is totally obvious when you are thinking about Clark."

Rogue subjects Kitty to one of her infamous glares that states quite clearly how she is not going to talk about this. Although on the inside she is slightly mortified that Kitty seems to know when she is thinking about Clark.

Kitty takes the hint. "So...how are you feeling? No lingering side-effects from what happened last week?" Kitty asks in reference to what happened in Smallville.

"Ah'm fahne Kitty. Just lahke every other day in tha last week ya have asked meh that," Rogue says sounding a bit fed-up and annoyed at being asked that repeatedly.

"Ok. I'm sorry. I'm...just...you know...worried."

"Ah know ya are," Rogue acknowledges and truthfully she is touched Kitty cares.

"By the way did Mr McCoy and the Professor manage to figure out what happened to you?"

"Well tha technical stuff went over mah head but it was something along tha lines of that tha drug they fed meh with was designed ta jostle loose repressed memories only in mah case those repressed memoires happened ta beh tha pieces of everyone ah have absorbed. The drug broke down tha mental barriers that keep them locked up."

God. Kitty can't imagine how awful that must have been. "Rogue. If you ever need to talk..." she makes the open offer since so far Rogue has not talked about it...or at least not with her.

"Ah'm fahne Kitty...but thank ya," Rogue adds on.

Kitty smiles pleasantly surprised by that last bit. Clark must be rubbing off on Rogue.

* * *

Down in his office Charles is discussing with Ororo the latest in regards to the students when there is a knock on his door. He senses the mind, the only mind he cannot read. "Come in Clark!"

Clark opens the door still creeped out when the Professor does that. He spots Ms Munroe. "Is this a bad time?" he asks.

"No," Charles assures Clark. "What is it?"

Clark steps forward and rubs the back of his neck which Charles has come to recognise as a gesture Clark did when he was nervous or unsure. "I...um...broke my bed," he says sheepishly.

Charles slightly arches one eyebrow. Considering Clark's strength and the several alarm clocks he has crushed Charles is not overly surprised in fact at this.

"Bad dream?" Ororo queries as a possible explanation. That Clark was tossing and turning because he had a bad dream.

"No. The opposite really."

Charles and Ororo share a quick look. "Please explain Clark," Charles ask of him.

"It was a good dream. A really good one. I was happy, content. I felt like I was floating and then I woke up and found that I was."

"What?" Charles asks seeking clarification.

"Floating." Clark can see the identical puzzled expressions on the Professor's and Ms Munroe's faces so he elaborates using his hand to illustrate his point. "I woke up floating above my bed before I crashed down and that is how I broke it."

Identical expressions of astonishment adorn the two adults faces. "You were floating?" Ororo asks Clark to confirm almost not quite able to believe he has yet another ability.

Clark nods. "Yeah. It's...uh...happened before...once but that was nearly two years ago. I never could make myself do it again. Actually I never tried."

Charles puts his amazement to one side and concentrates on that last part. "Why did you never try Clark?"

"A couple of reasons. I was afraid of heights and of flying and...well..." he trails off.

"Go on Clark," Charles encourages him.

"Back then I...I just wanted to be normal. To be like everyone else and well normal people don't float," he admits with a tiny hint of shame at thinking that he or anyone else here isn't already normal in their own way.

Charles smiles reassuringly. "Clark you are not saying anything that I haven't heard from virtually every mutant I have ever met at one point. Myself included. After all when I found I could hear people's thought don't you think I wanted to not be able to do that."

Charles' voice is laced with slight pain due to what happened during the period he was learning to control his powers. Some of those things tie directly into why his brother Cain hates him so much.

Charles continues, "Eventually Clark I learned to accept who and what I was and correct me if I am mistaken but so have you."

Clark would say that is true. If it wasn't he would never have come here let alone tell people what he truly is.

"In that vein Clark maybe a reason you are floating is a subconscious acceptance you are now ready which is why the power has re-manifested."

Clark looks a little unsure about not. "I'm not sure Professor. I'm better with heights but I'm not entirely comfortable with them and I am really uncomfortable with flying although that could be because Kitty suckered me in to assisting her on the x-jet simulator the other day."

Both Storm and the Professor chuckle at Clark's joke. Saying that Kitty had somehow managed to break the simulator but don't ask the Professor how because it shouldn't have been possible. Clark still gets queasy just thinking about it.

The conversation soon comes to an end since Clark has to get ready for school. The Professor permits him to take a bed from a spare room and they work out an agreement to try and arrange sessions for Clark to see if he can consciously activate this floating ability.

* * *

A little later that morning Jonathan is taking down some coffee for Hank who as normal was down in the lower levels working. Jonathan was certain that they brought down here a coffee maker at some point but maybe it is broken or something.

Jonathan finds Hank as usual working over a computer. It's funny Jonathan thinks how he barely notices Hank's appearance anymore. It had to be truthful taken several weeks to adjust but once Jonathan had he took Hank as what he was. An intelligent, cultured man and although he and Hank had few common interests they had managed to work up a friendship.

Jonathan places the cup of coffee down next to Hank and while he does so spots the said coffee maker off to the side bubbling away. Now why does Jonathan feel like he was just set up?

Hank looks up as soon as the cup of coffee is placed down. "Good morning Jonathan," he greets the blond-haired man.

"Good morning Hank."

"The children away?"

Jonathan nods.

"Good. That's good."

"So care to tell me why my wife sent me down here when you obviously don't need coffee?" Jonathan asks as he nods his head in the direction of the coffee maker.

Hank has the good grace to smile sheepishly. "Possibly for the same reason she has noticed what I noticed during our camping trip to Smallville?"

"That being?"

Hank takes the small round glasses off his nose and speaks calmly but seriously. "How long have you been having heart pains Jonathan?"

Jonathan looks shocked. "Martha knows?" he asks horrified. He had been trying to keep his ill health hidden, not wanting to worry her.

Hank nods. "To quote her; 'I'm his wife and he is the man I love. He can't keep anything hidden from me'."

Jonathan takes several seconds to absorb this before pulling up the spare chair and sitting down. Now that he knows Martha is aware there is no point in keeping it secret anymore. "I don't know exactly when it started," Jonathan admits. "At some point I started to notice that any kind of work would leave me short of breath and feeling weak and dizzy. The chest pains came later."

Hank can say he certainly noticed that when they were out in the woods although Jonathan did a fine job of hiding it but Hank has medical training and he can spot the symptoms. "Why didn't you come to me?" Hank asks out of concern for Jonathan's health.

Jonathan feels enough guilt to squirm slightly in his chair. "Because I doubt there is anything you can do Hank. I know what caused this and I would do it again in a second."

A puzzled expression comes to Hank's face and Jonathan explains his theory. Explains about Jor-El giving him powers to stop Clark last summer but he leaves out the details on the deal he struck with Jor-El. Jonathan's theory is that this is price he has had to pay for that power.

Hank's brow furrows in deep contemplation. "Jonathan...I am not criticising your actions. They were done out of love for your son but..." Hank trails off and gets to his feet before continuing. "You must understand that while what Clark can do may seem extraordinary it is perfectly normal for him. His body is evolved to cope with the immense power he possesses. For a human to just suddenly have such power grafted onto him artificially...I can't even begin to imagine the strain it must have placed on your physiology."

"As you said Hank I love my son. If this has shortened my life in some way I see it as a price worth paying because I got him back. That is all that mattered to me."

"Well why don't you let me do some tests and see if I can do something to extend your life as long as possible hmm?"

Jonathan gives his consent and Hank gets to work.

* * *

That evening after school and the mandatory DR session the male mutants plus one alien were winding down with a light game of basketball. The girls were asked to join in, none of them were in the mood. Well Volcana was but she was banned from playing after setting a ball on fire during a temper outburst and it ended up hitting Logan in a..._delicate_ area.

Best, funniest day ever!

Rogue had pictures absconded away, hidden safe for use as blackmail material at a later date.

"Come on Kurt!" Ray complains after Kurt manages to steal the ball away. "We agreed no powers."

"It's a tail," Kurt argues back. Kurt had used his tail to steal the ball. "No-vone said anyzhing about a tail not being allowed."

Ray looks to Scott to clear this up. "Well technically Kurt's right," Scott has to say. Kurt's tail isn't a power...exactly.

"Thank you," Kurt says with a smile.

Ray frowns. "Still doesn't seem fair."

The game continues although you would be hard pressed to separate who is what team as membership seems to be fluid. When they take a break Scott grabs a bottle of water he left at the side of the court and takes a drink. Scott then broaches a subject with Clark he has been thinking about for awhile. "Clark. How did your friend Pete take it when he found out about you?"

Something flashes across Clark's features that Scott would call hurt. "Not well at first," Clark admits. "Why are you asking?"

"Jean and I...we've been thinking about telling Paul and Taryn about us being mutants and I know your friend Chloe took it all ok but I wondered about Pete since I never really talked to him all that much when he was here."

"Are you asking for my opinion on whether you should tell them?" Clark seeks to clarify.

"No...yes. Maybe. What I mean is Paul and Taryn have been our friends for years and I'm just trying to get some idea how they might react."

"I see. I'm honestly not sure what to tell you Scott. I don't know them as well as you. Pete...he was hurt at first. Angry as well that I had been keeping this whole big secret from him. I guess he felt a little betrayed. If you tell Paul and Taryn you will have to prepare yourself for that to be their first reaction."

Scott tries to imagine how he'll feel if that is their reaction. He wouldn't be totally surprised if it was but once they got past the initial shock it would be ok wouldn't it? "Pete...he accepted it in the end though?"

"Eventually. Still it was never quite the same."

"What do you mean?"

"Pete is still my friend. That will never change but I don't think he has ever completely trusted me again not to keep secrets. He just doesn't look at me quite the same way."

A frown puckers Scott's brow as the thought of Paul never looking at him again with trust enters his head.

"It's a risk," Clark says breaking into Scott's thoughts. "But life is full of risks isn't it. After all if you and I hadn't taken the risk with Rogue and Jean we would still both be single."

"True," Scott concedes. "Also I have been thinking about how the Professor wants us to live in harmony with humans. Surely that means we can be friends with them. If we can't even do that then there isn't much hope."

"I won't tell you what choice to make Scott but despite Pete's initial reaction as I said he still my friend and Chloe...well Chloe's reaction may not be the best one to use as an example. Chloe's weird."

Scott chuckles with a shake of his head. Clark is usually polite almost to a fault but get him talking about Chloe or Kitty and this snarky sarcastic teasing side comes out. He does it with Rogue as well although not as much and it is much more of a loving tease. "So how is Pete doing?" Scott decides to ask. He had gotten the summary of everything involving Pete's parents.

"About as well as can be expected considering." Clark talked to Pete yesterday and after taking up Clark's suggestion Pete had talked to his parents and it seems Pete had gotten them to realise that caught in their own emotional pain at their separation they had been neglecting their children. Things were a little better now but there was still the issue of Pete's mom moving to Wichita and which of Pete's brother and sister were going to end up living where. It seemed inevitable that the outcome would split up the family. Clark's heart really goes out to Pete and he wishes there was more he could do but for once for all his powers there isn't.

"Hey. So vhat's happening?" Kurt asks Clark and Scott as he walks over. "Anyzhing new?"

"No," Scott answers.

"Not really," Clark says. "You know apart from waking up this morning floating above my bed."

"Say vhat now?" Kurt exclaims.

Clark tells the story of waking up floating above his bed this morning.

"Is zhis a new power?" Kurt asks, frankly flabbergasted at the thought.

Clark scratches his head. "I wouldn't go with new. It happened once before a couple of years ago but it never reoccurred until this morning."

"Does the Professor know?" Scott queries.

Clark nods. "Yeah. I told him. I had to. When I fell onto the bed it broke under my weight and I had to ask for another one."

The rest of the mutants wander over. "So what are we talking about?" Bobby wonders.

Kurt explains about Clark's admission.

"Man. That would be so freaky," Evan comments about waking up to find yourself floating.

Sam and Roberto fold their arms across their chests and look at Evan unamused. "Excuse meh," Sam says.

"A couple of us around here can actually fly," Roberto reminds Evan.

"Not very well," Bobby disputes the assertions. "And I have the bruises to show it," he adds considering how many times in DR sessions either Sam or Roberto fly into not just him but others as well.

"So do we all from your missteps," Ray tells Bobby.

Bobby again disputes that. "It is not my fault you stepped into the way," he says.

"You should have shouted a warning."

"You should pay attention."

"You should grow up."

"You need to grow a sense of humour."

"Guys," Scott tries to step in but it is too late as a full blown argument breaks out about whose fault certain things are that have happened in the Danger Room stretching back months.

It ends when Clark and Scott physically intervene to separate the bickering teens and Scott orders them to go cool off which they do but shooting glares at each other and at Scott and Clark as they go.

"What was that about?" Scott asks puzzled at how they go from playing basketball to shouting at each other.

"People living in close quarters build up tensions that eventually leads to an explosion. We all have habits that annoy each other," Clark explains.

"Really? And what habits do I have that annoy you?"

Clark smirks. "Now that would be telling Scott."

"You're not funny."

"Am too."

"Are not."

"Am too."

"Are..." Scott stops when he realises what Clark is doing and subjects Clark to the glare of death that he usually only saves for Avalanche.

Clark laughs and walks off. As he enters the mansion he finds a rather downcast looking Jamie. "You alright Jamie?"

Jamie looks up at Clark and debates whether to say what is bothering him. "I was just thinking about how you have another power," he begins.

"Hmm, hmm."

"It's not...fair."

"What isn't fair Jamie?"

"You have all these cool powers and get to go out there and stop criminals. All I can do is make copies of myself and I can't even control that. I have to spend all my time worrying about getting bumped into," he complains.

"So do I."

Jamie looks at Clark with a puzzled expression.

Clark elaborates. "Jamie. I'm invulnerable. If someone bumps into me with me being unawares they are liable to hurt themselves."

"At least you can control your powers."

"As will you in time Jamie," Clark assures the younger teen. "And it does take time. When I was younger I can't tell you how many things I broke or crushed. I still crush my alarm clock every couple of months. Then there is when my heat vision developed. I was scared out of my mind that I couldn't control it and would hurt someone. You saw what happened when my hearing developed. You know how difficult that was."

Ok yeah Jamie saw how difficult it was at first for Clark. "But you have control now."

"Of a sort but it is not as you think of it a cool power."

"But you can hear when people are in trouble," Jamie argues. After all what is cooler than being able to know when people need you.

"I can but I can also hear a whole lot of things I don't want to. Things no-one should ever have to hear. My powers have their downside Jamie. You're looking at their upside. You have to look at both as you need to do with your own powers."

"There is no upside," Jamie says a little morosely.

"Sure there is. You can do the one thing I can't no matter how much I want to."

"I can?" Jamie asks with complete surprise that Clark would envy him in anyway.

"Yes. You can be in two places at once. More than two places at once. If you were out there with me the criminals wouldn't stand a chance," Clark proclaims with absolute certainty.

Clark's words give Jamie some encouragement.

"Tell you what," Clark says. "Why don't we go and see about beating Bobby's score on Halo," he suggests. "I don't know about you if I have to hear him crow one more time about how no-one can beat him I might be tempted to break that hero code about not hurting innocent people."

"I'm not sure that code applies to Bobby," Jamie jokes with a smile.

Clark leads Jamie off towards the rec room. "Well lets just say I doubt any court of law would convict me."

* * *

Later that evening after dinner Clark gets a call from Mr McCoy to go down to the infirmary. When he gets there he finds his parents are already there. "What's going on?" he asks with understandable confusion.

Martha is the one to answer. "Your father isn't well."

"Now Martha. That's not exactly true," Jonathan tries to correct his wife. "There are just some...issues with my heart."

A knot of worry starts to form in Clark's stomach. He lets his hearing focus in on his father's heart and for the first time notices that its rhythm does not sound...healthy would be a good description.

Hank steps in to clarify. "There is some narrowing of the arteries around your father's heart as well as some other general signs of deterioration."

"I don't understand," Clark says.

"From my tests your father's heart would be perfectly normal if he was say around 70 years old. The unusual stress event of last summer has caused what could be described as premature ageing of his cardiovascular system."

"Unusual stress event?" Clark queries perplexed until it hits him. "This is because Jor-El gave you my powers isn't it?" Clark asks of his father.

"Clark do not blame yourself," Jonathan tells his son.

"How can I not? It's my fault. You only took those powers to stop me."

"And I would do it again Clark," Jonathan says insistently. He steps over to his son and places a hand on Clark's shoulder. "This is not your fault. This is Jor-El's doing trying to force you into following his idea of your destiny. Your destiny is whatever you want it to be and if necessary I will give my life to ensure you are free to choose."

"I don't want you or anyone else to do that dad. Jor-El is my problem."

"Clark Kent!" his mother snaps at him. "In case you forgot in this family we deal with problems exactly as that; a family."

Clark hangs his head at his mother's chastisement as she gives him that dreaded glare of disappointment. "Yes ma'am," he mumbles.

Hank fights not to show his amusement at the scene. "May I continue?" he requests.

"Of course. By all means," Martha permits Hank.

"Ideally Jonathan needs a heart transplant. For that I'll send you to a friend of mine who can put you on the list. I can't do it considering I'm...on extended leave from the medical community," Hank chooses to phrase the fact he is officially listed as a missing person due to what happened when he transformed. He continues, "Unfortunately that is a long waiting list as Jonathan's condition isn't immediately life threatening. His condition can be managed in the meantime with drugs."

"Thank you Hank," Martha says with deep genuine appreciation of everything Hank is doing for Jonathan.

* * *

Approaching bedtime that evening and Clark is sitting on the end of the jetty at the bottom of the cliff below the Institute lost in his thoughts. He hadn't even been in the mood to go out and do a patrol even though usually running helps him think.

This time, however, he knew it wouldn't help. Nothing was going to assuage his guilt over his father's condition. They had had a talk about it as a family. During which, even though she tried to hide it, Clark could see the worry in his mother's face over his father's health.

And this is on top of him surprising his mother earlier in the week with his admission over what he saw about his birth mother. Turns out in fact from what his mother said that 'Lara' was the first word he ever spoke but neither she nor his father knew what it meant. He told his mother how she wishes she could have met Lara and for Lara to know that he was found by the best people imaginable.

However that is really an aside to the current problem which all stems from last summer. Last summer...it's never going to leave him alone. It's approaching a year later and he is still dealing with the consequences of his decision to run away. Only this time the consequence happens to be the risk of his father dying much sooner than he should do.

"There ya are!" a southern laced accent says with some notable exasperation. "Ah've been lookin' for ya everywhere," Rogue finishes as she sits down next to him.

Clark was really lost in thought there. He didn't even hear her coming. "You know all you have to do is shout on me," he reminds her.

"Yeah and how stupid do ah look standing there shouting your nahme."

"You never look stupid," Clark promises her. "You only ever look beautiful and sexy."

The automatic blush appears in Rogue's cheeks which makes Clark grin. Seeing the look Rogue gently elbows him in the ribs. "Flatterer."

"I don't think it can count as flattery when it's true."

Internally Rogue knows that she probably has some self-esteem issues but she really never sees herself as beautiful. Personally apart from the dark Goth clothes and make-up she never puts a lot of work into her appearance. Generally only enough to make herself presentable. Certainly nowhere the amount Kitty or Jean do. She just isn't the kind of girl who spends hours obsessing over that. Although since she started dating Clark she puts in more effort than she use to. If they go out on a date to somewhere nice she'll put the effort in.

"So what brings you out here?" Clark asks her.

"Clark ah'm your girlfriend," she reminds him.

"I know and I'm thankful every day that you are."

"Well then ya should realise ah can tell when something is bothering ya. Especially when ya brood as much as ah do."

"Pft. No-one broods as much as you do," he jokes.

"Well good. Ah'm glad mah title as tha Brood Queen is intact," Rogue jokes in the same vein.

"It is," Clark assures her.

More seriously. "So what's tha matter that ya are out here by yourself?" she asks him.

Clark lets out a long deep sigh and tells Rogue about the situation with his father.

"Ah'm sure he'll be alright," she says and also she hopes so. Mr Kent...well he is the kind of person she would have loved to have been her own father.

"I know I'll outlive everyone even though I try not to think about it too much but I just never imagined that I could lose dad so soon and worse still it is partially my fault...and don't say otherwise because it's true. You can't argue different. I was the one who put the red kryptonite ring on and ran away."

"Clark ya were in pain," she reminds him from what he has admitted to her over the incident. "Ya were grieving and that gives y'all a hell of a lot better excuse than ah evah had for mah exploits."

"I...just...can't imagine losing him," Clark says, his voice choking with emotion.

In response Rogue wraps her arms around Clark as he draws in a shaky breath. She wishes she could do more to ease his pain, fear and worries. It tears her up to see Clark like this. After all why wouldn't it. He is the man she loves...

Her eyes widen at her sudden realisation...of the solidifying of that emotion she has been feeling but hadn't put a word to.

'Oh mah Gawd,' she thinks to herself. 'Ah'm in love with Clark!'

* * *

**At Stryker's Secret Base...**

Colonel William Stryker was back at his base overseeing the finishing off of its refit courtesy of the money Lionel has given him. It means soon, very soon, his plans could be put in motion. It also means he will be ready when his old friend Trask puts his plans into motion. Stryker knew Trask was almost finished his prototype Sentinel.

Perhaps not before time as Stryker had noted a significant spike in the number of mutants being born. It meant that soon it would be impossible to keep the existence of mutants a secret. It meant the world would be changing very soon.

Stryker walks through his base checking up on everything. He hadn't been here in awhile as he had been busy cleaning up after the Bayville Blur and the Parasite had blown through his MRD like tissue paper. It showed that there needed to be work done to improve the MRD and to get it ready beyond the simple rebuilding everything that was destroyed and replacing the people Parasite killed. The Bayville Blur seemed to have one of those annoying hero-type personalities where you avoid killing from what Stryker had seen of him. Luckily Stryker is a soldier. He was doing Black Ops before the Bayville Blur was probably even born. He knows how killing can be a necessary evil to achieve a greater good.

As for capturing or failing that dealing with the Bayville Blur in some fashion that will have to wait until Stryker comes up with some means to stop him. From what he saw the Blur is a being of immense power and he will have to be studied and analysed for some sort of weakness before any kind of attack is made against him.

At this point a soldier rushes up to Stryker, salutes and tells him there is a video call from _her._

Stryker has to fight to stop himself from making a face. He hates having to deal with _her_ but it had been one of those necessary evils at the time. He swiftly heads to his office and activates the monitor upon which appears an image of a woman, her face half hidden by green hair. In fact the only other feature of her face you can see clearly is her lips, coated in green lipstick. "Madame Hydra," Stryker greets the woman. "Do what do I owe the pleasure?" he asks with false politeness.

Madame Hydra or Viper is her other commonly known name. Those who know her real name are so few they can be counted on one hand and those still left alive even fewer. She is the current head of HYDRA, a criminal organisation whose aim is no less than world domination achieved through terrorism and other subversive activities. "I want a progress report on the status of Weapon XII," she demands getting straight to business and not bothering with civilised niceties like saying hello.

"The final pieces of equipment are being installed and the target subject is being kept under surveillance," Stryker reports.

"And Luthor? SHIELD?"

Stryker knows what she is asking without it being said. "No-one knows HYDRA is involved in anyway. If any of the funding can be traced it will show what everyone thinks. That I work solely for Lionel Luthor."

"Good. Fury must be kept in the dark. Nothing must impede the creation of Weapon XII. With it HYDRA will reign supreme."

"Of course," Stryker humours her. "By the way how's X-23 doing?" he inquires.

"Weapon X-23 is currently on assignment. Its performance in previous mission has been...adequate," Madame Hydra informs him in a monotonic voice.

"I see," Stryker says flatly not revealing whether he feels anything about that one way or the other. "Is there anything else?" he asks.

"Not for now. Just keep me updated when you are ready to acquire the subject."

"As you wish." Stryker raises his arm in salute. "Hail Hydra!"

"Hail Hydra," Madame Hydra repeats before ending the call.

Stryker lowers his arm and makes a face of disgust. The day that he can terminate his relationship with that woman and put a bullet in her head can't come soon enough. It had been necessary at the time as he needed the money she had been willing to provide. That had been after Weapon X's destruction when he was a virtual outcast from government circles and their money. It was purely a business arrangement. She provided him money. He provided her with a genetic sample he possessed of Wolverine. Hydra had been interested in attempting to reproduce Weapon X and they succeeded in a way with what they called X-23.

Of course the downside to doing business with HYDRA is once you are ensnared in their tentacles it is very difficult to get yourself free ever again but Stryker is working on that and one day he will be free to pursue his agenda the way he wants.

There is a knock on his door and a soldier enters and salutes. "Sir. Your guest has arrived," he informs Stryker.

Stryker can see that is true from how perturbed the soldier is looking. "Send him in," he orders.

The soldier salutes. "Yes sir."

The soldier turns and departs and Stryker waits. This relates to why he wishes to be free of all influence including Lionel Luthor's. His guest was here to help sort out one of Lionel's problems revolving around Metropolis' Crime Lord Morgan Edge. Lionel wanted Edge _dealt _with before Lionel's son Lex found Edge and extracted information detrimental to Lionel's wish to remain a free man and not one incarcerated in prison for what remains of his life. Stryker feels this is the kind of situation he shouldn't have to be dealing with. He has much more important work to do which is why when the appropriate time comes he will end this arrangement with Luthor.

Anyway Stryker had a plan to have Edge _dealt _with in such a way that it looked like he was struck down in a battle with rival crime lords. Essentially he needed to trigger a gang war. For that he needed to hire someone who could wage a one man war. The door to Stryker's office opens and in walks a tall, athletically-framed man, clad in a red bodysuit, with a vest laden with numerous weapons including two swords hosted on his back and a red-and-black cowl covering his face with only his eyes visible.

Upon seeing Stryker the man opens his arms out wide. "Bill!" he shouts joyously at seeing the military Colonel. "Old Billy Stryker. The Billster! The Bill-minator! The Bill-minster!"

5 seconds in and Stryker is already starting to regret his choice of mercenary. "Wilson!" he yells. "Shut the hell up!"

Wade Wilson aka Deadpool aka The Merc with the Mouth salutes. "Yes sir! Absolutely sir! 3 bags full sir! I will absolutely follow your orders to shut up."

Stryker sighs exasperated. "Wilson are you doing this on purpose or are you just crazy?"

"A little from column A. A little from column B." Deadpool then scratches his head in a puzzled manner. "Never understood that saying personally." He waves that off and makes his way round Stryker's desk to stand beside the Colonel and put an arm across his shoulders. "You know Bill when I got your call and heard your voice it brought back so many good memories," he says sounding nostalgic. "You remember all those missions we went on. All those people we killed. Good times," he reflects back on it while wiping a mock tear away.

Stryker shakes his head and prays for the strength to survive this.

Deadpool continues to speak. What? You didn't think he would actually shut up did you? "You know I look back on our time together so fondly Bill...despite the fact you're a character from a movie that is completely different from the one in the comics and have been dropped into this totally wacko merger of a cartoon and tv series. I don't know what the writer is smoking. I just hope he gives me some."

'Oh god Lord,' Stryker thinks to himself. Wilson is even crazier than he remembers him being.

"Man I was beginning to wonder if the writer would ever get around to adding me to this little tale. I mean its been 15 chapters since I even got a mention. God I hope I get some sweet action scenes. I love action scenes almost as much as I love money. Speaking of which..."

Stryker extricates himself from Deadpool and goes over to a safe in the wall. He opens it and pulls out a briefcase. He places it on the desk and opens it up to reveal bundles of green bills. Deadpool grabs a few bundles, brings them to his nose and inhales deeply. "Ah. I love the smell of money in the morning!"

"Deadpool could you focus for 5 seconds," Stryker pleads.

"I don't know. My record's only 3 seconds but since I like you so much I'll give it a go."

"In that case maybe you'll like to know the name of the person I want you to kill."

"Sweet! I get paid a shit load of money and I get to kill someone! Is it my birthday?" Deadpool asks very excitedly with child-like enthusiasm.

Stryker sighs. "No."

Deadpool scratches his head. "You sure? Cause I tend to forget."

"It's not your birthday," Stryker insists.

"Is it Christmas? Is Santa here?"

Stryker groans. "No."

"Passover?"

Stryker feels like crying. "No."

"Well since I'm not Jewish that's probably a good thing...or am I Jewish? You know I can never remember that either. Although that reminds me of this one time I gatecrashed this one family's Passover celebration..."

Stryker is now resisting an urge to pull out his gun and shoot Deadpool as he gets regaled with a story of one of Wilson's many hits. Not that it would do any good apart from perhaps shutting Wilson up for a couple of minutes while he healed. Perhaps copying Wolverine's healing factor to Wilson hadn't been Stryker's best idea now he thinks on it. "Deadpool!" he yells to stop him.

"Hmm...yeah...what?"

"The mission I have for you," Stryker reminds Deadpool.

"Just point me in the right direction," Deadpool says enthusiastically. "And then supply me with a map because I'll probably get lost."

Over the course of the next half hour in between Deadpool's insane ramblings Stryker manages to get across what he wants Deadpool to do.

"So not only do I get to kill this Edge guy 'collateral damage' is acceptable. That is a sweet deal Bobbo. After all who I am to say no to a little murder...or a lot of murder or...hey who I am kidding. I just love killing people especially when I'm getting paid to kill them." Deadpool shakes some muscles out. "Now don't you fret none there Bill. Old Wade is on the job. Lets strike a pose!"

Deadpool then strikes this ridiculous looking pose that frankly defies description. Stryker drops his head into his hands and wonders if its too late to hire Elektra instead.

* * *

_Authors Note: WW...Wade Wilson of course! Gotta love Deadpool. I thought this chapter a good point to start Clark floating although him gaining control and actually flying is still awhile off. Next up: Wanda finds out who the Brotherhood really work for. I can see trouble ahead._


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

**At the Boarding House...**

The life of Wanda Maximoff. An autobiography by Wanda Maximoff. Warning; Not to be read by anyone under 18.

The sad truth is Wanda muses to herself as she stares at her reflection in the bathroom mirror is that the warning is probably true. The story of her life thus far would probably give grown men nightmares.

A crash from downstairs followed by loud voices arguing makes her groan loudly.

It was far too early in the morning for this. She was barely up although early is a rather relative term for her since her sleep is fitful at best. She keeps dreaming about that..._place._

The one her father threw her into.

Other people would call her dreams nightmares as her mind lives out the worst horrors she feared would happened to her there but Wanda has them so often she stopped thinking of them as nightmares and just considers them normal.

Her life on the other hand is far from normal. She means apart from her brother who she still doesn't want to talk about and his loutish friends. There are aspects of living here that are starting to cause her to think there is something going on. She agreed to stay here on the condition that the Brotherhood would help her find her father. A few weeks in and she feels like Mystique keeps giving her excuses as to why they are not doing that.

Oh Mystique claims she has 'others' searching for Magneto but Wanda does not trust Mystique at all. That has a lot to do with the way Tabby looks at Mystique when Tabby thinks no-one is looking. Well Wanda is looking and she knows fear when she sees it. She saw it enough times in her own reflection all those years she was locked up to recognise it. Tabby's reaction alone is enough for serious doubts to creep in about Mystique's promises.

Tabby is the only person around here Wanda likes. She had reserved judgement on Lance but ever since he broke up with this 'Kitty' person he has been like a bear with a sore head being grumpy and snapping at everyone including her which has resulted in her hexing Lance almost as many times as she has hexed Toad.

Wanda stares at her reflection for a bit longer trying to decide what to do. If her doubts are right then she needs to leave here and start hunting for Magneto but she could be wrong she supposes. She just needs...more information. Problem is she doesn't know how to get it.

Wanda lets out a breath. What does she do? What does she do? Well...if Tabby's look of fear is anything to go by then maybe Tabby has some answers. That being the case she needs to talk to Tabby. That is what she needs to do. Alone obviously and away from here. Maybe she could offer to walk Tabby to school.

Plan devised Wanda turns to exit the bathroom. She opens the door...

"Snookums!"

Wanda's reflex response is instinctive as she hexes Toad into the wall.

* * *

"Why are you so afraid of Mystique?"

"W-What?" Tabby stutters out. When Wanda had offered to walk with her to school she never expected that question.

"Look I may have been locked up for a long time but I'm not blind. I can see it in your eyes."

Tabby gulps. She had been cultivating her friendship with Wanda for weeks for the express purpose of telling Wanda the truth and having her believe Tabby but the more time passed the more she realised that Wanda was utterly obsessed with destroying Magneto. So obsessed in fact that Tabby doubted Wanda would believe her against Mystique's promise of finding him.

Or that could be proof that somewhere along the line Mystique has shattered Tabby's self-confidence and self-belief in herself.

"Y-you're imagining it Wanda," Tabby finally says in reply with this uncharacteristic stutter.

Wanda's eyes narrow dangerously. "Never say that to me!" she snarls. Claiming she is imagining something is like claiming she is crazy. Wanda is not crazy. She. Is. Not!

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that but I'm not afraid of Mystique Wanda," Tabby tries to assure Wanda.

Wanda looks at Tabby with extreme scepticism.

"Well ok maybe I am a little," Tabby admits. "But only when she loses her temper but that's understandable she does that from time to time considering the boys. Mystique is our leader and she is a great one at that. She will help you find Magneto."

"You're positive?"

"Absolutely."

"That's all it is?"

"Definitely," Tabby says with sudden and suspicious cheerfulness and assuredness. "Well here we are," she says as they arrive at the school. "I'll see you after school. Maybe go to the mall?" Tabby suggests.

"Sure," Wanda says. She then turns around and starts heading home all the time thinking that something is off with Tabby.

Tabby waves Wanda off before turning round and heading into school. She reaches the door when she suddenly stops as she recalls that last conversation. 'Mystique is a great leader? She will find Magneto?'

Tabby blinks. She has been trying to subtly hint at the opposite for weeks so that begs the question. Why the hell did she just say that?

* * *

**Later that same day...**

Anger is the one emotion Wanda has in buckets. It means she tends to enrage easily and living with the Brotherhood enrages her often especially her brother's half-assed attempts at reconciliation. That is of course if some pretty girl doesn't distract him. It's amazing how little he has changed in the years they have been apart.

Right now Wanda is out for a long walk to cool off. If she hadn't left after the latest antics of her house mates Wanda would have levelled the building. It meant no trip to the mall with Tabby but that was probably for the best until Wanda's temper simmers down.

Wanda is also feeling a bit confused about events as of late. Tabby's weird attitude changes for starters. Then she is still trying to figure out that whole episode at the mall a few weeks back. It had taken a few days after the event but eventually Tabby confessed to her that the group she fought was formed by Professor Xavier. Tabby called them her friends which did make any sense to Wanda. If they were Tabby's friends why did she go and fight them like they were the enemy?

The incident also left Wanda feeling a bit remorseful about her actions. Xavier had come to visit her, the first person to do so in years. He was kind and patient and tried to help her work through her anger and in a way she repaid him by attacking his students.

Wanda is missing something. She doesn't know what exactly but something. Too much doesn't make sense.

Wanda is lost in thought as she continues what has turned out to be her long walk around Bayville. The sun has set and it is now dark. Wanda is so lost in thought she doesn't notice a group of men following her until it is far too late. She is grabbed by her hands from behind and pushed into an alley. She is slammed face first into a wall. She tries to get her hands free but can't get them free enough to unleash one of her hex bolts.

One of the men stands close and brings his lips to her ear. It sends a cold chill up her spine. In the..._place_ something like this happening was one of her biggest fears. Her in a straitjacket at the mercy of anyone who could do anything they wanted to her. It never happened but it was a fear.

The man speaks. "Now you know how this works. Give us all your money and you won't get hurt."

"I don't know," another man says. "She looks..._enticing_."

The word 'enticing' is said with obvious sexual intent making Wanda break out in a cold sweat.

_Whoosh!_

That is the next sound Wanda hears followed by the man holding her being pulled off of her and then some sounds of fighting. Wanda turns round to see the group of men fighting a guy in black who is beating them up with consummate ease. The group of 4 is down to 1 in no time. The last one standing pulls out a knife. Red beams shoot from the man in black's eyes heating the knife up red hot. The man screams in pain and drops the knife which melts into a puddle of molten metal.

The man then blurs forward in a very familiar way to Wanda and he knocks the last guy out. He then turns to look at her and Wanda catches the odd blue of his eyes. Wanda knows him. He's one of the ones from the mall. The one Wanda sent into the staircase. She remembers being slightly surprised when he burst free of the rubble looking completely unharmed. He makes a step towards her and she raises her hands which glow blue.

Clark stops and holds his hands up. "Whoa. I'm not here to hurt you," he promises her. He was just out doing a patrol when he spotted her in trouble.

Wanda looks at him and sees a kind gentle look in his eye and recalls he did just save her and lowers her hands. "Why did you save me?" she asks him.

"Because you looked like you were in trouble."

Wanda hates to admit this. She hates being weak but she was in trouble. "Thank you but I still don't get why you would after everything I did to you."

"Oh you mean at the mall," Clark realises.

Wanda nods.

He gives her a warm smile. "I don't hold grudges. Besides you only ended up dropping a few tons of concrete on top of me. Trust me I've had a lot worse than that done to me," he jokes.

Wanda doesn't smile only cocks her head to the side slightly looking at him curiously, trying to figure him out.

Okaaay. She is more difficult than Rogue was when he first met her Clark observes. He could at least manage to get Rogue to crack a small smile. Clark rubs the back of his neck unsure what to say. It wasn't like he expected to run into Wanda. The plan last he checked was to wait and see what Tabby did.

The sound of sirens approaching indicate that someone has overheard this little scuffle and called the police. Wanda's eyes widen slightly. She was broken out of the asylum and if the police catch her will she will be sent back. She takes a few steps back. "I-I have to go. The police...they can't find me."

Clark can hear her heart racing and literally smell her fear. He offers her his hand. "I'll take you out of here."

Wanda hesitates.

"I promise I won't hurt you and I know you don't know me but one thing I never do is break a promise."

Wanda looks into his expressive blue eyes and can see him willing her to trust him. His lips then curve up into a rather sardonic smile. "Besides," Clark continues. "You already kicked my butt once. I'm pretty sure you can do it again," he jokes with a goofy half-smile.

Wanda's lips twitch ever so slightly and only god knows why but she takes his hand. He pulls her to him, wraps an arm around her waist and bends his knees slightly. "Hold on," he says softly. His voice carries this warm reassuring trustworthy quality to it and Wanda finds herself feeling immensely safe in his hold for the first time in a long time. She links her hands around his neck as he pushes off the ground and leaps up where they land with amazing grace upon the rooftop. The world then blurs and when it comes back into focus Wanda can see they are on another rooftop some distance away from where they were. That was a lot of speed. Now she gets part of why Pietro goes on and on about his dislike of...what's his name again?

Wanda asks that very thing as she takes a few steps away from him.

Clark suddenly becomes a little annoyed at himself. That's rude not introducing himself. His parents taught him better than that. He holds his hand out and since Wanda has seen him already and must know about him from the Brotherhood introduces himself. "Clark Kent."

Wanda takes the hand briefly. "Wanda Maximoff," she introduces herself.

"Yes. I know. Professor Xavier mentioned you."

"I...he was always kind to me. I didn't know you were his students when I attacked you at the mall. I am sorry for that," she says remorsefully.

"That's ok," Clark says brushing it off. "I'm sorry I didn't spot you sooner tonight."

Wanda eyes him carefully. "You really mean that don't you?"

"Why would I say it otherwise?" Clark asks with genuine confusion.

Wanda doesn't know what to say to that. She isn't sure what to say next at all and is starting to feel uncomfortable because of that. "I should go," she decides.

Clark watches as Wanda heads for the metal fire escape wondering if he should say anything. After all from what Tabby said Wanda is in real danger from Magneto. "Um...Wanda," Clark tentatively says her name.

Wanda stops and tuns to look at him.

"If you ever need help or if you're in trouble or even if you just need someone to talk to just call my name and I'll be there."

"You really mean that too don't you."

Clark nods shyly. He just thinks he has to try reach out to the girl in scarlet red.

Wanda laughs a little. A mirthless laugh but still a laugh. "God Pietro would choke himself to death rather than ever say anything like that. He couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it." Which could be another reason her brother doesn't like Clark. He reminds Pietro of his weakness.

Wanda blinks as her words strike a sudden meaning. Pietro does lie all the time. Pietro said he no longer cared for their father but...Pietro lies. Wanda thinks on it more as she comes to realise that Pietro would never turn against her father which means...which means she has been lied to from the beginning.

Her hands clench as her short temper rises. "You mean what you say right?" she asks her voice having a sudden clipped tone to it.

"Yes."

"If I ask you something will you promise to tell me the truth."

"Ok," Clark says uncertain where this is going.

"Does my brother work for my father?"

Clark hesitates in giving an answer. Oh no. What did he say to her that has led to this and has he put Tabby in danger.

"Tell me!" Wanda demands.

Clark did promise. "Yes," he says in a quiet voice.

"Mystique?"

"Yes."

"The rest of them?"

"Not Tabby. She was staying to try and protect you even at her own risk," is the answer Clark gives.

'Her own risk?' Wanda wonders. Then she realises that if all the others work for Magneto but Tabby is trying to protect her then Tabby is in real danger if she is discovered. Wanda knows just what kind of things her father is capable of. Under all her anger Wanda is touched. No-one has ever shown her that much care.

Well Wanda will spare Tabby her wrath but the rest of them are dead!

Wanda looks up into the expressive blue eyes which are obviously trying to figure out what she will do next. "Thank you."

Clark blinks. "For?"

"Telling me the truth." She has been lied to so often that he will never know how much it means to her to hear the simple honest truth be spoken. She then stalks off towards the fire escape.

Clark has a feeling he knows what she is about to do. She doesn't hide her anger well and Clark lives with a lot of people with short tempers so he has learned to recognise it. "Wanda...don't," he starts to say.

Wanda stops at the top of the fire escape. "Don't try and stop me," she warns him.

Clark isn't sure he could even if he wanted to. "I can't dissuade you can I?"

"No and don't think of following me either. This is something I am going to finish alone. Promise me!"

Clark sighs. "Ok. I promise. I won't follow you but be careful and remember what I said. If you need help just call my name."

From most people Wanda would not trust them to mean that but from him...there is just something about him which tells her he will keep his word.

Clark watches Wanda go and mentally kicks himself for whatever it was he said that clued her in. He hopes she will be alright. He hates this. He hates knowing someone is walking into danger and he can't do anything but he gave his word. Sometimes it's hard to be the good guy.

* * *

Wanda rapidly walks towards the Boarding House, all the time her anger slowly building within her. So much so on her way she sets off car alarms and cracks their windows. She even causes a mailbox to twist into a knot.

As she turns into the street where home is a tiny little malicious smile comes to Wanda's lips as she spots her brother no doubt returning from another one of his dates. For possibly the first time in her life this is just too perfect. "Pietro!" she calls out forcing her voice not to give away her anger or true intent.

Pietro zips up next to his sister in complete surprise she called to him. Despite his best efforts she had not exactly been friendly to him although he was convinced given enough time for her to calm down they could be a family again. "Sis. You called."

"Yes Pietro I did. I want to ask you something?"

"Ask away."

"Where's Magneto?"

Pietro is caught completely off-guard by that question. "I...um...err...how would I know sis. I told you I haven't seen him in years."

"Oh I know you said that Pietro but I also know you are a manipulative, lying, selfish, egotistical jerk. I know too that you would never turn against our father. I should have seen it sooner. Luckily I met someone tonight who is the opposite of you and he helped me see it. Now I ask one more time Pietro. Where is Magneto?"

Pietro gulps. Oh crap. She's on to him. He turns to run away but finds his legs won't work. He looks down to see them surrounded by blue-black energy. "Wanda. Please. You have to understand..."

"What!" she screams interrupting him. "What do I have to understand Pietro? That you left me? Abandoned me? I'm your sister!" she shouts with incredulous rage that he could do that to his own sister.

"Wanda I was a kid," Pietro pleads in his defence.

"And when you stopped being a kid Pietro why did you never come for me?"

Pietro doesn't have an answer to that one.

Wanda moves forward and glares at her brother with an almost murderous look. "Now Pietro you and I are going to have a little chat and you will tell me **everything**. You will tell me what Mystique is up to. You will tell me what our father is up to and you will tell me where he is and for once in your life it better be the truth I hear coming from your lips or I swear on our mother's grave you will live just long enough to regret it."

Pietro gulps once more. He is so much trouble!

* * *

**At the Boarding House...**

Down in the basement Mystique is spending what she considers quality time with Alicia as she continues training her daughter. Her reason for doing this is actually two fold. The first being the obvious to make her daughter as well trained and capable of defending herself as possible and second because it gives her an excuse to broach something that she has noticed about Alicia lately.

When Mystique manages to throw her daughter to the ground and lock a hold on Alicia's arm this seems like a good time. "You're distracted," she remarks.

Alicia winces slightly at the pressure her mother is applying. "In what way?" she asks while trying to figure out an escape.

"Because you fell into this hold too easily."

"And this makes me distracted?" Alicia queries unable to see how Mystique is linking the two things.

"It is not a recent thing my daughter. Lately I find you staring into space with a dreamy smile on your face so that leaves one question."

Alicia is still struggling and failing to get out of the hold. "What question?"

Mystique deliberately increases the pressure and the pain. "Who is he?"

The surprise followed by sheer panic on Alicia's face confirms what Mystique had suspected. It's a boy. "You really did not think I would know when you teleported away. I'm your mother Alicia. Mothers notice these things."

"I...uh..." Alicia stumbles over her words and has given up trying to escape her mother's hold because she is just in too much shock.

Mystique relinquishes the hold having gotten the admission she wanted and allows her daughter up. Alicia gets to her feet and rubs her shoulder. That was going to hurt in the morning.

"I'm not angry," Mystique says, her voice calm showing clearly she is not angry. At least not yet. "A little surprised considering what happened with Clark Kent. You seemed to go off boys."

"I did," Alicia admits with a little sigh. "But he is just so sweet and kind and funny and gorgeous and I love his red and black eyes..."

Red and black eyes..."Gambit?" Mystique screams in disbelief. Now she's angry.

Alicia looks like a deer in the headlights or maybe the victim in the cross-hairs is a more apt metaphor.

"I knew it! I knew I should have killed that no good Cajun!"

"No! No. Please don't!" Alicia pleads.

Mystique moves over and gently brushes some of Alicia's hair back off the young girl's face. "Alicia, you are young and I don't blame you. I blame him. I know men like him Alicia. He does it for the challenge. To see if he can seduce you and get you into bed. It's all just one big game and once he has gotten what he wants from you he will toss you away like yesterdays' garbage. I will not just stand by and watch him break your heart."

Alicia sakes her head. "He isn't like that!" she insists in utter denial of Mystique's claims.

Oh god. It's worse than she thought Mystique realises upon seeing the passion and fire in Alicia's eyes. She needs to put an end to this right here and now. "Alicia," she speaks the name in a deep commanding tone. "In a very short time Magneto's plans will come to fruition. Do you really think this is the time to start anything?"

Alicia opens her mouth to answer. Mystique doesn't let her.

"The answer is no and I know you know that. Don't you?"

Mystique stares hard into Alicia whose eyes after a few seconds drop to the floor. "Yes mother," she says barely above a whisper.

"You will keep only a professional relationship with Gambit," Mystique states.

"Yes mother," Alicia says almost robotically.

Mystique is getting no pleasure from doing this but it needs to be done. Emotional attachments at any time and especially now are a weakness. Mystique knows that from painful personal experience. By doing this now Mystique is protecting Alicia from it hurting a lot more later.

At that moment the whole house shakes and Toad's screams can be heard. "What are those kids doing now?" Mystique mutters while she rubs her head trying to assuage the headache she can already feel forming. These kids will be the death of her.

Mystique heads off upstairs to put an end to whatever is going on leaving Alicia behind, alone, her head bowed and a single solitary tear running down her cheek.

Mystique stomps into the living room. "What is going.."

Her words are cut off by a blue-black energy bolt striking her flinging her into the wall while her appearance flickers beyond her control, a most unpleasant experience. Mystique looks up to see the boys cowering behind the couch, Tabby standing off to the side wearing a rather vacant expression and standing there looking the embodiment of rage is Wanda.

"You!" Wanda says in a hiss, pointing at Mystique.

Mystique shakily stands herself up. "What is the meaning of this Wanda?" she demands to know angrily.

"Don't lie to me!" Wanda spits in fury. "I had a little chat with my brother. After I..._leaned _on him a little he sang like a canary."

Mystique mentally swears. So much for her plan in wooing Wanda over. She'll get Pietro over his cowardice later once she had found a way out of this situation.

Wanda's hands glow brightly and the whole house shakes once more. "You get one chance. Where is Magneto?" she demands to know from Mystique because despite Pietro's inability to tell the truth it became obvious that he didn't actually know where their father was so that leaves Wanda to extract it from Mystique instead.

Mystique remains calm. "It doesn't work like that. I only talk to him by phone. I have no idea where he is," she blatantly lies.

"You lied to me!" Wands snaps. "You used me! Did you really think I would ever...**ever** work for my father!"

"I calculated that in the face of the threat we face from humans you would see reason once your temper had simmered down," Mystique plainly states her track of thinking.

"You calculated wrong," Wanda says in a low dangerous tone.

"Think carefully about this Wanda," Mystique cautions the angry Goth girl. "I know you are angry but there is still a chance for you to have a family. Don't you want that?"

"I have no family," Wanda says in a low slow deliberate tone. "All I have are those that betrayed me."

"I see. Then I guess there is no choice." Mystique moves swiftly to try and disable Wanda but she is not quick enough as she receives another Hex bolt for her troubles.

Wanda's face grows grimly determined. "You will tell me what I want to know," she vows darkly and raises her hands above her head as she plans to use her powers to force Mystique to tell her where her father is. Wanda is not buying that Mystique doesn't know where he is. She has been lied to too often to believe anything she is told anymore.

Just as she is about to begin at that moment something smashes through the window, shattering the glass. The something turns into two somethings that wrap around Wanda's wrists before lifting her and pinning her to the wall.

Wanda looks up to see two metal bands now around her wrists which are embdded into the wall holding her there. A few seconds later two more have wrapped around her ankles. There is only one person who is capable of doing this. The same said person who floats his way inside the house, accompanied by a little troll of a man and Alicia.

"Father," Wanda says in a deep voice full of hate and loathing. She struggles against her bonds. If she could just get one hand loose. Just one hand and she'll finally make him pay.

Magneto looks at his daughter with immense sorrow that it has come to this. He removes his helmet allowing himself to look clearly at his daughter for the first time in years. "Hello Wanda."

"Don't speak to me!" Wanda screams at him. "You have no right! Not after what you did!"

The Brotherhood boys peek out from behind the couch. None of them are brave or foolish enough to get involved in this.

"I did what was necessary Wanda," Magneto tells his daughter. "You couldn't control your anger."

"Anger?" Wanda says through gritted teeth. "You haven't seen me angry but you will father. I promise you you will. You can't hold me forever! And when I get loose you will feel my anger!"

Magneto internally sighs. This is not what he wanted at all but he has no choice. "I'm sorry Wanda. You leave me no choice." He turns to his companion. "Mastermind. Begin."

Mastermind strides forward to stand near to Wanda.

"What are you doing yo?" Toad finds the courage to ask.

Mystique is the one to answer. "What I said would happen if she couldn't be controlled."

Lance understands first. "He's the telepath."

"Correct."

"N-No," Tabby stutters out, her voice weak. "You...can't," she says struggling to formulate the words as if she is fighting against some force trying to restrain her.

"Mastermind," Magneto says stopping him. "Her first," he commands meaning Tabby. He can't have the girl causing trouble.

Tabby tries to take a step back.

"Stop," Mastermind commands and Tabby stops. He walks up to her and places a hand on her head. "Just relax child. It will all be over soon. No harm will come to you just like before."

"Before?" Lance queries.

Mystique explains. "My daughter picked up on Tabitha's less than subtle attempts at trying to drive a wedge between us and Wanda. It raised some suspicions so we had Mastermind probe her mind one night while she was asleep and found that Tabitha was planning to betray us and tell Wanda everything. Since we didn't want to alert Wanda we had Mastermind make some subtle alterations. Nothing anyone would pick up on but enough to stop Tabitha continuing her path. We have been planting suggestions in her mind for several days now which have slowly been making her more loyal to the cause."

Wanda snorts loudly in disgust. "There is just no low to which you won't stoop to is there father."

"Everything I do is for the greater good," Magneto says in complete belief of the righteous of his cause.

Wands glares at him, her anger even greater at the thought her one and only friend in this world is being used by her father like a tool.

Mastermind finishes with Tabby. "I have temporarily blocked her will to resist. She will cause no more trouble."

Magneto nods. "Good. You can finish her reconditioning later. I want Wanda done first."

Mastermind bows his head in obedience. "As you wish Magneto."

Wanda strains against her bonds as Mastermind returns to her. "I will get you for this father!" she swears. "I don't care what you do to me! I won't stop! I'll never stop!" she promises.

"You don't understand Wanda. What I did was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. I know it must have been hard on you. Believe me I don't want to do this and I won't if you are simply willing to start over again. We can forge a new relationship," he offers with just a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Save it!" she snaps. "You never cared about me! I was just something that was in your way. An inconvenience. The only person you care about is yourself!" she spits out in fury.

It pains Magneto to see his daughter who so looks like her mother, his beloved Magda, looking at him with so much hate and fury. His eyes grow cold as does his voice. "Well then I guess there is no choice. Mastermind. Now that there will be no more interruptions you may begin."

Mastermind starts to delve into Wanda's memories while she tries to resist.

"This doesn't seem right," Fred says in a hushed voice to his two friends.

"You said it yo," Toad says in agreement.

Lance glances at Tabby standing there, her expression uncharacteristically vacant, and for a second agrees. Then he remembers the choice he made. "Magneto is in charge and what he says is right is what is right. You guys may want to remember that or it will be your minds that will be next to be messed with."

That shuts Fred and Toad up.

"How did you know?" Mystique asks Magneto as she moves to stand next to him while she watches Mastermind do his work.

"About Wanda?"

Mystique nods.

"Haze overheard Wanda's confrontation with you and immediately came to get me." Magneto turns to Alicia. "Excellent work," he praises her before turning back to Mystique. "And you said I was...what was it again? Oh yes. I was scraping the barrel when I recruited her."

Mystique's face sours slightly. That was no accident he said that out loud in front of her daughter. That is him undermining her position and strengthening his.

"She resists strongly," Mastermind reports. "If I push harder I may damage her mind," he cautions.

"Push harder," Magneto commands coldly.

Wanda resists but she can feel Mastermind pushing into her mind. No! It can't end like this. She has to make her father pay! She has to! There...there has to be something she can do. Some way out of this.

Then suddenly it strikes her.

"_If you need help just call my name."_

That is what he had said so in desperation that is what she does at the top of her voice. "Clark Kent!"

It is her last effort as she loses the fight against Mastermind and droops unconscious.

No-one in the room expected her to shout that and no-one knows what is suppose to happen next. Not until there is a sudden _whoosh_ and a gust of wind.

"Magneto," a stern authoritative voice says his name. Magneto turns round to find Clark Kent, dressed in black, his arms folded across his chest keeping a respectful distance. No doubt due to the glowing green rock in Magneto's chest piece.

"The 'Bayville Blur'," Magneto says back using the label the papers have given Clark. "I see you have still learned nothing. Going out and playing hero," he says scornfully. "I thought you would have seen from what happened to Warren where that leads."

"I'm not going to take lectures from someone who puts innocent children at risk just to try and prove their false assumptions," Clark snaps back in reference to what Magneto did to set up Warren, almost killing a little girl. "People are a lot better than you give them credit for."

"You are almost as much a hopeless idealist as Charles is I see." Magneto's eyes turn to Wanda for one brief second. "This is neither the time nor place to have this discussion," he decides. "But one day Mr Kent I assure you we will discuss how your powers should be used for the benefit of the only people that matter; mutantkind."

"Everyone matters. Every single person matters," Clark argues back.

"An interesting philosophy. One we shall discuss another day but as for right now I have family matters to attend to." Magneto addresses the Brotherhood, "Boys. Will you please escort Mr Kent to the door."

"Are you serious yo?" Toad exclaims. How in the world are they suppose to do that. Although secretly part of him is glad Kent showed up when he did. He...likes Wanda and the thought of what Magneto was doing to her made him...made him wish he had the courage to stand up against their Big Boss Man.

Magneto gazes at Clark. "I don't think he will cause trouble will you?" he says gambling his piece of meteor rock will make the boy see sense that trying to fight him would be unwise.

"That depends on you but I gave my word to Wanda that if she ever needed my help I would give it and I always keep my word."

Magneto could respect that but he is afraid he can't let the boy keep his word on this occasion. "I am afraid I must insist."

Lance takes this moment to demonstrate his new loyalty and show how useful he can be. He slams his foot down onto the ground making everything shake ahead of him including Mystique, Magneto, Alicia, Mastermind and Clark. "Blob. Charge!" Lance orders.

Blob roars and charges right at Clark who is still momentarily off balance and slams into Clark and the gargantuan teen drives Clark right through the wall to the outside.

In response Mystique shakes her head, looks to the heavens and mutters unkindly about the damn kids who keep wrecking her house.

From outside there are sounds of fighting before Blob comes flying back in.

"Incoming!" Fred yells, his arms flailing, one of each which strikes Mystique and Alicia knocking them over before Fred he plows right into Magneto who ends up squashed on the floor under Fred's mass.

With a gust of wind Clark is back. 'Good aim,' he thinks to himself because it was no accident he hit Magneto. He was meaning to. "Now where was I?" he asks no-one in particular as he walks over to Wanda and frees her from where she is pinned to the wall and carries her in his arms.

Mastermind tries to use his telepathic powers on the boy to stop him but finds he can't. The boy's mind is like nothing he has ever sensed before. It is...alien to him. Completely unreadable. Mastermind finds the boy's steely gaze locked onto him.

"That won't work on me and if I find out you have harmed Wanda permanently I will be very annoyed," Clark says sternly, taking an educated guess from what Tabby warned him about what Magneto was planning that this guy is the afore mentioned telepath and that he just tried to get into his mind.

Mastermind gulps. His only asset were his powers. Physically his body was weak and he was no match for the boy.

At seeing what is going on Lance growls angrily and prepares to unleash a stronger force.

"I wouldn't do that Lance," Clark says spotting the earth-shaker preparing to strike. "You hit me with anything stronger you'll bring the house down on top of us all. I can survive that. You can't."

Lance stops realising Clark is right. Mystique however, who is now back to her feet, has a way to stop him because she knows the do-gooder type. As fast as she can move she is behind Tabby with her arm tightly around the blond girl's neck. "Try anything Kent and I'll break her neck," Mystique swears. She will use Tabby as leverage because as a do-gooder the boy can't allow any harm to come to a so-called innocent.

Clark's eyes narrow as he gazes at Mystique and at Tabby. Clark had noticed Tabby standing there but his main focus had been on Magneto. Now that he is looking closer at her he can see the oddly vacant expression on her face that indicates something is very wrong.

"Now put Wanda down and back off!" Mystique orders.

Clark does neither. He just stands there trying to figure out his next move. During this Fred has rolled off Magneto who gets back to his feet although a little unsteadily.

"I have tried to be patient with you Mr Kent but my patience is fast running out," Magneto declares and takes a few deliberate strides towards Clark until they are almost nose to nose. He expects the boy to collapse like the time in New York but to his surprise the boy still stands unmoving.

Clark reckons it is a good thing he has learned his lesson from Smallville. Before he charged in after hearing Wanda call his name he x-rayed ahead inside the house and saw Magneto. It gave him time to activate the switch on his belt that generates the electrical current that realigns the molecules in his costume giving him protection against kryptonite. Unfortunately not 100% protection so he can only keep up this pretence of not being affected for so long as he can already feel the kryptonite poisoning slowly start to affect him.

Clark needs...he needs Tabby to act. He addresses Magneto. "I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that you've done to Tabby what she feared you would and use a telepath on her."

"She was becoming troublesome," Magneto says like that justifies his actions.

"I think that is another case of bad judgement on your part because the Tabitha Smith I know is stronger than that. She never lets anyone boss her around and somehow I doubt she is going to start now."

"I hate to disappoint but that never works in real-life," Magneto points out guessing that what Clark thinks is that if he can just say something inspiring enough Boom Boom will be able to break Mastermind's telepathic conditioning.

Clark shrugs still hiding the fact he is getting sicker by the second. "If you say so although it has been my experience people can surprise you especially when they are feisty blonds who refuse to take guff from anyone. Who put their own freedom and well-being at risk because they wanted to help someone else. Who proved by doing that they are in their own way more heroic than I am."

Magneto claps his hands together in applause. "Very touching speech. Quite inspiring. When mutants take over I can see you will be a great leader amongst them," he says genuinely meaning what he said. It's rough and uncultivated but Magneto can see the basis of a great leader in the boy.

Magneto then spots Clark's face flinch slightly and a bead of sweat form on his brow. Magneto doesn't know why it has taken so long but he can see that the meteor rock is affecting the boy although much more slowly than last time. "You're running out of time and I am out of patience. Hand over my daughter to me," he demands. "Hand her over and you can leave without any more trouble," he vows and then gives the threatening alternative, "or face the consequences."

Clark is running out of options. He could leave with Wanda now but that would leave Tabby at Magneto's mercy and he can't do that. If he leaves now due to Alicia's power Tabby could end up anywhere and he won't be able to save her. Clark told himself to think like Captain America in situations like this. Right now he wishes Captain America was here to help him.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Mystique suddenly howls in pain caused by a certain blond energy ball generator stamping on her foot.

"Hey Mystic!" Tabby shouts. "Don't ever put your hands on me again!"

Then before Mystique can react Tabby has generated one of her time bombs and stuffed it down Mystique's top. Mystique just barely has time to register the self-satisfied grin on Tabby's face before the ball explodes causing immense pain and blowing Mystique clear across the room.

Clark takes the distraction as his cue to act by raising his foot and shoving Magneto in the stomach pushing the Master of Magnetism across the room as well where he slams into the wall cracking it.

Tabby follows this up by rolling several of her energy balls at the feet of Lance, Todd, Alicia and Fred where they explode knocking them all off their feet before she swiftly moves and slams her fist into Mastermind's face knocking the repulsive troll of a man to the floor. "You ever mess with my mind again and I'll shove a time bomb up your ass! Got it!"

Tabby is kind of satisfied by the fear she sees in Mastermind's face at her words. For what he did to her he deserves a hell of lot worse.

"Feeling better?" Clark asks her.

Tabby looks at him and grins, her cheeky cocky grin. She had been standing there like a prisoner in her own mind when Clark's words struck a chord. Tabitha Smith does not just take things lying down so she didn't. She found the strength within herself and broke free.

Clark notices the others starting to regather. Time to go. "Afraid we don't have time for your stuff," he tells Tabby regretfully.

Tabby shrugs. "Gives me an excuse to go shopping."

Clark shakes his head slightly in amusement before bending down. "Get on my back."

"Ooh! A wet dream come true!" Tabby proclaims as she climbs on Clark's back which means she misses his cheeks going red at that comment.

"Hold on," Clark tells her and Tabby holds tight around his neck as Clark blurs out of there with Wanda still safely ensconced in his arms. As he zips back to the mansion he briefly wonders where Pietro was during all that.

* * *

"Help! Wanda! Lance! Fred! I'll even go with Toad!"

You follow the shouts and what you find is a boy with silver hair hanging upside down from a tree tied up with cable. This would be where Wanda left her brother after their talk.

"Hello!" he shouts again. "Anybody!"

* * *

_Author's Note: Alicia's presence allows things to happen that couldn't otherwise. Without her Magneto could never have gotten there in time to try and brainwash Wanda. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The immediate aftermath of this chapter as Wanda and Tabby end up at the mansion. Will they decide to stay though?_


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

**At the Institute...**

Logan is quickly walking towards the Professor's office after receiving an urgent telepathic summons. He wonders what this is about. He reaches the office, opens the door and the first thing he sees is... "Time Bomb?"

Tabitha is sitting on a chair in the corner. She gives Logan a little wave. "Hey Badger."

Logan's eyes note some faint bruising on her neck and he lets out a low growl. "Who's the soon-to-be corpse responsible for that?" he asks pointing at it.

Tabby smiles. She's barely back and Logan is already acting like an overprotective father. "Starts in Myst. Ends in Ique," she says.

Logan growls deeper. That woman! One of these days he is going to give her what she deserves. He turns to look at the Professor for the explanation.

"I'm afraid it is a long story Logan which we can get into later but for now I summoned you because we must be ready in case Magneto comes."

"Why would he come here?" Logan asks.

"Because we have his daughter."

Logan's eyes widen in real surprise at that. Just what is going on around here tonight?

"She is down in the infirmary for the moment," Charles fills in what would be Logan's next question. "I want you to activate the mansion defences and put the X-Men on alert."

Charles isn't certain even Magneto would risk coming here after Wanda but he won't take any chances especially after getting the summary from Clark of what had transpired. It had left deep sadness in Charles' heart at yet another example of just how far Erik has fallen.

Logan stands there for a few seconds clearly unhappy at not knowing what is going on but leaves and goes and does what the Professor asked and be ready in case old Mags decides to drop in and pay them a visit.

"Do you really think he'll come?" Tabby asks the Professor, her voice tinged slightly with fear.

"No," Charles tells a soft lie. "I'm just being cautious."

In reality Charles does think it highly unlikely Magneto will come. Whatever anyone thinks of him Magneto is a clever, calculating man. He rarely does anything without thinking it through from every angle. From that point of view he would not come as he must realise that Charles would have created defences for the mansion that would work on Magneto which Charles does. However despite Erik's claims to the contrary he is human and like all humans if he is angry and his pride has been wounded he might act rashly so it is better to be safe than sorry.

Now Charles has to deal with what Erik has been up to in regards to both Tabitha and Wanda. He rolls around from the other side of his desk and moves next to Tabby. He gently takes her hands into his own. "Tell me how you are feeling Tabitha," he requests of her.

Tabitha forces a smile. "You know me Professor."

"Tabitha," he says her name gently, asking her not to try and put on any sort of front.

"I-I-I don't know...what he did. I don't know what that guy did to my head," she admits her immediate fear that her brains have been scrambled.

Charles nods. "It's ok Tabitha," he assures her. "There is nothing wrong in being afraid. Now will you allow me to have a look?" he asks her permission.

Tabby nods needing to know what was done and trusting the Professor.

Charles places his fingers to her temples. "Just relax," he says in a soothing tone.

Tabby closes her eyes and tries to relax.

Charles gently traverses her mental landscape trying to find what damage this telepath of Magneto's has done. It thankfully turns out to be nothing he can't repair. The fact Tabitha managed to break free of it shows that it was mostly superficial. Of course if the events of tonight hadn't transpired in a few more days it could have been a lot more serious. It is mostly subtle adjustments in Tabitha's attitude to make her more compliant and to prevent her warning Wanda. Hmm, there seems to be a fail-safe psychic suggestion to essentially freeze Tabitha. That would be why she stood there at the side and didn't help Wanda. Not Tabitha's fault.

Charles leaves her mind. "There are a few things I will need to undo but there is nothing that was done that is permanent," he assures the blond girl.

Tabitha feels a massive wave of relief hit her at that. She had been terrified that she had been messed up for good. Even more so than she already is. "So I am still me?"

Charles smiles. "Tabitha you are as you always were. One of a kind."

Tabitha smiles widely at that. She had almost forgotten how nice the Professor could be. God has she missed this place more than she ever let on.

"I will undo this telepath's work over the next few days. It is best done in stages so as to allow your mind time to adjust. That alright with you Tabitha?" he asks of her needing her to agree and trust him.

"Yeah. Thanks Professor," she says truly grateful.

"Now do you want to come and see how Wanda is doing?" Charles asks.

Tabby nods and the two of them head down to the infirmary.

* * *

Down in the infirmary Wanda lies on the examination table, still unconscious, as Hank determines if there is any physical harm to her. From what Clark had said more likely the damage done is psychological which is of course Charles' department.

Speaking of Clark is was in the corner leaning up against the wall not looking too great in Hank's opinion. Kryptonite exposure without sunlight to undo its effects left Clark pale looking and obviously far under 100%. Hank was glad that the suit he helped make did seem to work as well as it did when they tested it or tonight could have turned out a lot worse.

Clark was not the only one down here. Martha was too sitting beside the bed gently stroking Wanda's dark hair, its tips dyed red, off her face. Martha was burning with anger as she looked at the beautiful girl on the table. She looked so peaceful and innocent and the thought of what Magneto did to his own daughter was what was stoking her anger.

She had met the man briefly once when he tried to kill them all back in Smallville. Therefore as forgiving a soul as she might be Martha's opinion of the man was pretty low. Looking at Wanda and thinking about what Magneto did it was even lower now. It was right down there with Lionel Luthor.

The door opens and in comes Charles and Tabby. Martha gets to her feet. "You'll be the famous Tabitha that Amara speaks of," she says at her 1st sight of Tabby in the flesh.

Tabby's eyes fall on the woman in her 40s with the red hair.

"I'm Martha Kent," she introduces herself. "And what happened to your throat?" she asks with instant concern when she spots the bruising.

"Mystique happened," Clark chimes in from the sidelines.

Mystique. Another so-called fellow parent Martha would have a few choice words for if they ever met. It tore Kurt up Martha knew to be so at odds with his mother.

Hank's attention is soon caught up by the throat comment and he rushes over to Tabby and takes an initial look. The bruising looks fairly light but he will soon make sure.

Charles comes to Wanda's bedside.

"How could he do it?" Martha asks Charles in a whisper. "She's his daughter."

Charles can sense the anger. He feels it too but with Erik it is always tinged with sadness due to the friend and person Erik use to be. "I wish I could give you an answer Martha. Magneto has fallen into the belief that the ends justify the means."

Martha snorts in disgust at that justification. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions except his intentions aren't good."

"In his head they are," Charles points out.

That's no excuse as far as Martha is concerned. Parents love their children. It's unconditional. They don't toss them into mental institutions because they are an inconvenience and they don't use telepaths to mess with their minds. Magneto has no right to dare call himself a parent in Martha's opinion and he doesn't deserve such a beautiful daughter as Wanda.

"Can you help her?" Tabitha asks the Professor with worry for her friend.

Charles takes a breath and mentally prepares himself for the task ahead. "Lets find out." He places his hand on Wanda's head and enters her mind.

It is only briefly to see what Magneto was intending to do and see how far he got. "You interrupted them Clark. He had only just started," Charles informs the alien teen.

"Doing what?" Clark asks as he strides over to the bed.

"I can't be certain but I think the aim was to replace her less than favourable memories of her father with ones that showed him in a good light as a kind and caring figure who was always there for her."

"She's going to be really angry when she wakes up," Tabby points out which is a bad thing.

"Wanda's anger is what I was trying to help her with before Mystique organised her escape. She will still need help with it. Hopefully I can persuade her into staying here."

"I'll help," Tabby offers thinking that maybe she can aid in persuading Wanda to stay.

"Thank you Tabitha. In Wanda's case it is best if I undo the damage now, repair her memories and then let her sleep until the morning."

Just then the infirmary door opens once more. "Tabby!" Amara shouts as she runs in and gives her friend a hug. "I just heard you were back!"

Tabby smiles. Amara had been her best friend before she left. "It's good to see you Mara."

"Are you staying this time?" Amara asks hopefully.

"Looks like."

Amara smiles, delighted at that. "That's great!"

"Tabby if you wish you can stay with Amara in your old bed tonight," the Professor proposes.

Before Tabby can say anything the intruder alarm goes off. Charles looks at Clark who is looking up through the mansion. "It's him," Clark says grimly.

Charles nods. He knows who 'him' is. "Everyone stay here," he orders. " Hank please stay and look after Wanda," he requests knowing Hank would automatically wish to come but he needs to be sure Wanda is safe. "Clark come with me," Charles asks of the tall teen.

The two of them make their way to the mansion and out into the garden where the X-Men are already and floating there apparently waiting for Charles' arrival is Magneto. Charles had hoped Magneto would not be this rash. Once again it seems like he has misjudged his old friend. He and Clark join the rest of the X-Men.

"Hello Charles," Magneto greets his old friend.

"Erik," Charles says back rather curtly.

"I am here for my daughter," Magneto states.

"No," Charles says simply.

"You have no right to keep her Charles!" Magneto says with a flare of temper.

Charles remains calm. "And you have no right to claim her after what you did. Attempting to erase the memories of her real life and altering them so she remembers you fondly," he deliberately says so the others know what Magneto was trying to do and why he might have to ask to fight to protect Wanda.

"That's sick!" Wolverine exclaims with a loud snarl and considering the crap he has been through in his life he knows sick. The X-Men all agree with Logan's sentiment. It is sick.

"I make no apologies and I have no need to explain myself," Magneto says.

Charles explains the situation as he sees it to Magneto. "Wanda will remain here Magneto until she chooses to leave of her own free will. Now you can accept this and leave peacefully. I don't have to explain the alternative."

Cyclops steps forward. "You heard the Professor Magneto. You want Wanda you have to go through us," he declares.

Jean steps forward next to Scott followed by every X-Man who all make ready to do battle if necessary. Spyke gets his spikes ready. Storm's eyes crackle with electricity as clouds begin to roll in. Wolverine pops his claws. Charles presses a button on his wheelchair and varying weapons pop out of the ground and point at Magneto. "The choice is yours Magneto," Charles informs his friend as to what happens next.

Plastic weapons as Magneto can not sense any metal. Charles is well prepared. He will begrudgingly admit that. Magneto can see that alone this is a battle he cannot win. "Very well Charles. You may keep her for now," he very reluctantly accepts. "But one day I shall return for her and on that day you will not keep me from her."

"We'll see about that bub," Wolverine challenges the assertion.

"Indeed we will," Magneto promises darkly. He then soars upward into the sky and away.

Cyclops looks at the Professor. "Do we go after him?"

Charles shakes his head. "No Scott. Not today. Wanda's well-being is more important. We let Magneto know that he will not take her without a fight for as long as she wishes to be here."

Charles did abhor violence but to protect Wanda or anyone else here he will fight when given no other choice.

"Does she wish to be here?" Logan asks the pertinent question.

That is the question. Not one they will find out an answer to until the morning. With this dealt with Charles turns round and heads back in to the mansion so he can undo the damage Magneto has done to Wanda's mind.

* * *

The next morning Tabby makes her way down to the infirmary in some clothes she borrowed. Shopping to replace her own stuff was a priority for later. Knowing Mystique her own stuff is probably in the trash or something by now.

It was kind of strange to be back here at the institute but it was also really good. Upon entering she finds the Professor is already here. Tabby is here because she felt she should be when Wanda wakes up. After the Professor had done his thing in Wanda's head last night he had made sure she would remain asleep until the morning.

The Professor and Tabby had a scheduled appointment later for him to undo what Mastermind did to her.

"Morning Tabitha," Charles greets her. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. Alright I guess considering." She looks around briefly. "Just the two of us?" she wonders.

"Yes. I thought it best to keep the numbers down. She will most likely be quite agitated upon awakening."

'There's the understatement of the century,' Tabby thinks to herself.

Wanda starts to stir and her eyes flutter open. She blinks as she adjusts to the light. A frown comes to her brow as she tries to figure out where she is. The memories start to rush in and she shoots up into a sitting position.

"Calm yourself Wanda. You're safe," Charles says in a soothing tone.

Wanda looks around. "Tabby?" she queries when her gaze falls upon the blond girl.

"Hey. How are ya feelin?"

"Confused," Wanda admits. "What happened? Where's my father? Where am I?"

"I can answer that last one," Charles volunteers. "You are in my Institute Wanda."

"I am? How?" she asks her mind not really up to speed yet.

"Clark heard you shouting for him and he rescued you so to speak."

Wanda blinks as her last memories come back to her. "He came?" she asks sounding like she is unable to believe it.

"Yeah. He did. Gave your old man a good hard shove into a wall," Tabby catches Wanda up.

"He came," Wanda repeats like she is saying a foreign word. "No-one ever came before. I would shout and call and beg for my father, my brother but they never came."

Charles thinks Wanda didn't mean to say that but he lets it go. In fact it is good for Wanda to get some of this out. The pain in her voice is stark and it helps him understand a little bit more what drives her anger.

Wanda looks to Tabby. "So that Clark guy came and saved us. Really?" she asks, still a little unbelieving and needing it confirmed.

Tabby nods. "Yep."

Wanda will have to thank him before she leaves. She looks at the Professor. "Where is my father?" she asks what is the most important question to her so she can hunt her father down and make him pay.

"I don't know Wanda," Charles tells her truthfully.

"He...what was he doing to me with that telepath?"

Charles knows in Wanda's case he must be honest so he tells her what was being done and that he has repaired the damage.

Wanda's fists clench. Damn him! God the idea of her having positive memories of her father makes her feel sick. He is sick. Just let him wait until she gets her hands on him. Then he'll suffer a thousand times worse than anything he has done to her and even then it will still not be enough.

Tabby can see the barely contained rage in Wanda's expression.

"We have a room for you if you want Wanda," Charles makes the offer.

"Thank you Professor but I have to find my father," Wanda rejects the offer. "I have to make him pay," she swears darkly, repeating the mantra she practically lives by.

Tabby has to stop Wanda before she makes a terrible mistake. Tabby got told what happened last night when Magneto visited. He is probably just waiting until Wanda is away from the safety of the mansion before trying to snatch her again. "And what better way to start getting back at him than joining his rival and enemy," Tabby puts forward. "Think about it."

Wanda does. The image of her father's face..of him yelling in rage at finding out she has joined the X-Men does make her smile a little bit. Still it is not enough. "I need to find him," she states her intention.

"Why trouble yourself?" Tabby asks. "Sooner or later we'll end up fighting him. It's inevitable around here but in the meantime you can have a nice roof over your head, a soft bed, 3 decent meals and best of all no Toad hitting on you all the time."

That does sound nice...especially the bit where she doesn't have to put up with Toad. Wanda has never had those other things before really. The..._place _was a nightmare and the Boarding House wasn't actually that far above it. For the first time she finds her resolve to hunt her father down wavering just a little bit.

Tabby moves next to Wanda and places her hand across the girl in scarlet red's shoulders. "And hey if you stay we could room together. Right Professor?"

Charles smiles knowing what Tabby is trying to do. It is like he said to Logan. Tabitha is rough around the edges but she has a good heart. "Of course," he says in reply to Tabby. "It is no trouble if that is what you want Wanda."

Wanda's resolve cracks a little more. Tabby is basically the only friend she has ever had in her life. She doesn't want to lose that but there are problems with her staying she can think of. She looks at the Professor. "But what about what happened at the mall? Don't the others hate me?" she asks thinking that they must do. She would if the positions were reversed.

"Of course not Wanda. They understand that Mystique was using you," the Professor assures her.

Wanda's fists clench in response at that. Mystique. Another person Wanda has to make pay.

"Yeah and besides they would much rather have you with them than against them," Tabby inputs supporting the Professor. "I mean you pretty much wiped the floor with them single handedly."

"I pretty much did kick their butts didn't I," Wanda says with a small smile.

"And how," Tabby adds.

Wanda then adds as an afterthought to the Professor, "No offence." As in she didn't mean to offend him in saying that.

Charles smiles softly. "None taken Wanda. You did in fact defeat them. I had to up their training afterwards. In fact if you want a truth it was a good lesson for them," he confesses to Wanda.

Wanda finds herself warming to the idea of staying here slightly more. It is better than going out and living on the streets which is what she is essentially facing. "I'm going to have wear something with an X on it aren't I?" she realises making a face.

Tabby laughs a bit. "Yeah but hey it could be worse. At least Xs are cool."

Wanda thinks on it some more and makes her decision. "I'll stay." Although she isn't sure 100% whether this is what she really wants but if only to be close to her first and only friend she'll give it a go.

Tabby helps Wanda down off the table. "We're going to have to go shopping," she tells Wanda. "In the rush last night there was no time to get our stuff."

Wanda frowns some more. She had few belongings to start with but they were hers.

"That's why we went and got them for you 1st thing this morning," a voice announces his presence at the door. They all look to find Clark standing there. He had wanted to check up on Wanda and see how she was doing.

"We?" Tabby inquires.

Clark nods. "Yes you know we as in myself, Rogue, Scott, Jean, Kurt, Evan, Kitty, Ms Munroe, Logan..."

"Badger!" Tabby exclaims in total surprise.

Badger? Ooh Clark will have to remember to tell Rogue that one to add to her blackmail material. "Yes Logan and Bobby, Jubilee, Amara, Rahne, Roberto, Sam, Ray, Claire, Jamie...I think that covers it."

"That's everyone," Tabby points out.

"Is it?" Clark asks in false naivety.

Tabby laughs. "Oh my God. What was Mystique's face like?"

Clark grins. "Oh yeah. That was pretty funny actually. She was so steamed I was almost worried she was going to have an aneurysm."

"Was there any trouble?" the Professor asks.

Clark shakes his head. "No. I think they saw how outnumbered they were and thought better of it." Although they were glared at a lot.

The Professor had been a little reluctant to authorise this particular venture but when everyone showed up in his office and said they would go en mass to the Boarding House he decided it could be risked. Magneto would be long gone and his hope as turned out to be reality would be that seeing how outnumbered they were the Brotherhood would not cause trouble.

"Well," Charles says. "Now that that is settled how about we set about finding the two of you a room. Clark can you please show the girls to one of the spare rooms since they have decided to room together," he requests of the alien teen.

"Not a problem Professor," Clark replies instantly always willing to be helpful.

He then proceeds to lead the two girls off up into the mansion. On the way up to the first floor the girls pick up their belongings that were hastily stuffed into two large travel bags due to the fact no-one thought it was a good idea to spend any longer than strictly necessary at the Boarding House.

In a short time Clark finds them a room that both Wanda and Tabby like. Wanda spends a few moments just taking it in. The room is huge and was a massive step up from the Boarding House.

"I'll leave you to unpack," Clark announces the fact he will now leave them to it.

"Yeah. Thanks a lot CK," Tabby says.

"CK?" Clark queries.

Tabby grins. "Yeah I thought you could do with a nickname. Good isn't it."

"That's one word you could use," he responds dryly. Just not the word Clark would use but is too polite to say so. He turns to leave.

"Thank you," Wanda suddenly says. "For coming for me," she clarifies.

Clark stops and turns back to her. He shrugs like it wasn't a big deal. "You called. I simply kept my word. I'm just glad I got there in time."

"I've was meaning to ask," Tabby mentions. "How did you hear her?"

"Superhearing," Clark answers.

"Superhearing?"

"I can hear everything in Bayville and if I concentrate I can even pick up some of the closer suburbs of New York."

Tabby just stares at him blankly for a few seconds. "Doesn't that mean you have like 6 abilities or something," she says going off what she can remember.

"7," Clark corrects her adding in the zoom thing his eyes can do. He hasn't come up with a name for that one yet. "Well 7 and a half," he ends up correcting himself because he floats although he still can't make himself do that consciously no matter how hard he tries so doesn't quite count as a whole ability yet.

"How can you have half an ability?"

"Because it only happens when I'm asleep. I can't activate it when I'm awake so since I can't control it I'm only counting it as a half for the moment."

"What is it?" Tabby wonders.

"I...uh...can seem to float."

"Float?"

"As in hover...you know...off the ground," he says, raising his flat hand to illustrate what he is getting at.

"Okaaayyy. How is it you can do all these things?" Tabby has to know. She isn't that stupid not to see how unusual Clark is.

"I'm..." Clark starts to say and then stops. He was about to say his usual 'I'm unique' and leave it there but surely after what Tabby did for Wanda she has proven she can be trusted. Wanda from what Clark knows has been lied to far too much. She doesn't need more of it from him. There's also Claire as Clark thinks about it. She has been here as long if not longer than Clark had been when he decided to tell everyone. He could tell her the truth too while he is at it. After all Claire is now trusted enough to be let out on her own without an escort. If the Professor trusts her that much then that is enough for Clark.

It strikes Clark that if he is going to tell people the truth of himself he might as well tell Kurt's girlfriend Amanda too. She has probably seen enough to have her suspicions. In fact Clark knows she has because he has said stuff in front of her and never really explained it probably.

So Clark makes the decision to just tell everyone he can trust who doesn't know. He just needs to gather them all together.

"Tabby can I get back to you on that later today?" Clark requests.

"Sure," Tabby says with a little confusion.

"Thanks and if you want the truth too Wanda you can have it."

"Truth?" Wanda asks like the word is alien to her. She has been lied too so often it might as well be.

"About me. I have this...secret. It's...um...pretty big...and it takes a while to explain and there are a couple of others I want to tell while I'm at it so I don't have to repeat myself over and over because I tell you that gets really old...and I'm babbling aren't I?"

Tabby sniggers and nods her head. Even Wanda cracks a smile.

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry. I never use to do that. I'm totally blaming Kitty. She's a bad influence."

"Kitty?" Tabby queries unable to believe that.

"Don't let all that sweetness and light fool you. Under that 'Valley Girl' exterior she is like totally pure evil," he jokes doing a mock impression of Kitty.

Tabby laughs out loud at that. God what a great guy Clark is. Tabby sure hopes Rogue knows how lucky she is. Wanda just looks a little confused since she doesn't know Kitty well enough to get the joke.

Clark smiles at his own joke. "So I'll go and arrange this. I'll have to tell the Professor and I'll get back to you like I promised. Ok?"

"Sure," is all Tabby can say because she is kind of lost at what he is on about.

Clark then makes his leave. Tabby and Wanda both wonder just what it is that Clark is so nervous about telling them while they set about unpacking.

Wanda raises something that has been on her mind. "Clark said you only stayed with the Brotherhood for me. Is that true?"

"Yeah. I knew what Magneto was planning to do with the telepath and I couldn't just stand by and let that happen. I didn't expect to be on the receiving end myself though."

"I'm sorry," Wanda says with regret. "It's my fault. You only stayed for me," she says with guilt creeping into her voice.

"Friends stick together Wanda. I made a choice and if I had to do it over again I would make the same one."

Wanda has never felt so touched by words before. "You're my first friend," Wanda says in a quiet voice and that was the deciding factor is her choosing to stay. She didn't want to lose her only friend in this world. Tabby's friendship means more to her than her thirst to deliver vengeance upon her father.

Tabby stops her unpacking and looks directly at Wanda and can see that the girl in scarlet red really means that. "What about when you were little? You know before..." Tabby doesn't say before what but knows Wanda will get it.

Wanda shakes her head. "We lived alone up in the mountains miles from anyone else. It was just the 4 of us until my mother died. It was shortly after that my father dumped me."

Tabby is beginning to see how Wanda can hate her father so much. Well Tabby hates her own father too but not on the same scale Wanda hates Magneto. Tabby moves over and puts her arm across Wanda's shoulder. "I'm really bad at being all touchy and feely but I promise you Wanda you and me we're friends until the bitter end which is hopefully when we're both measuring our age in 3 digits and are yelling at those darn kids for being too noisy and interrupting our nap time."

Wanda manages a small laugh at that one. As long as she has Tabby's friendship she thinks she can make staying here work.

* * *

"Man vhat a veird day," Kurt says as he lounges around the sitting room with some of the others as they have a lazy Saturday after the excitement of the visit to the Boarding House this morning. He is of course referring to the fact Wanda, who kicked their asses a few weeks back, is now here living with them.

"Yeah it is pretty strange alright," Evan says in agreement.

"I'm just glad we don't have to fight her again," Kitty remarks. It had been an unpleasant experience having her powers go all wonky.

"It's nice to have Tabby back," Amara says having missed her friend. She then turns to her newer friend Claire. "I'll have to introduce you," she realises. "I'll think you'll like her. She's...kind of unique."

"Unlike everyone else here then in this mansion full of superpowered teenagers," Claire dead-pans.

Amara smiles. "You made a joke," she says in some surprise. Claire was usually just angry, normally at Bobby.

"Just because I don't share in Drake's sense of humour doesn't mean I don't have one. Where is he this morning?" she asks since she hasn't had a chance to do her daily routine of trying to fry Bobby.

"Cleaning the x-jet," Ray fills in. "One of his jokes backfired on Ms Munroe," he explains which he can do since he was there when it happened. Cleaning the x-jet for a week was the punishment Storm dished out.

Claire gets a positively evil look as she gets to her feet. "I'll think I'll just go and..._check _up on him then."

She then leaves the room chuckling maniacally at what she plans to do which will make sure he'll be cleaning that jet for possibly weeks to come.

"10 bucks says she's next to go evil on us," Evan offers up as a bet.

"I'll take some of zhat action," Kurt says taking up the bet.

"Count me in as well," Ray says.

Kitty and Amara roll their eyes. "Boys," they say at the same time.

Clark walks in and gives everyone a quick greeting before turning to Kurt. "Kurt are you and Amanda doing anything today?"

"Ve're going out to see a movie zhis evening. Vhy?"

Clark briefly summarises what he is going to do.

"You sure you want to do that Clark?" Evan asks.

Clark shrugs and explains his thinking about on all the girls, about Claire having been here long enough to prove she isn't running off. His similar opinion on Amanda and his opinions on Tabby and Wanda. "Besides it has not been fair on Kurt having to lie to Amanda," he adds feeling a tad guilty for Kurt having to do that.

"Clark," Kurt addresses the alien teen. "You are mein friend. I'll keep your secret for as long as you vant me to."

"I know you will Kurt," Clark says deeply appreciative of Kurt's friendship. "Look Amanda knows about mutants and if you think she can handle this extra thing then I'm fine with her knowing."

Well Kurt can't be 100% certain how Amanda will take it but he believes she can handle it. After all she handled the fact of what he looks like with no problem. In fact Amanda is always saying how cute she finds his appearance. "Vhen do you vant to do zhis?" Kurt asks.

"Well I still have to talk to the Professor but perhaps you could phone Amanda and see if she can come over this afternoon sometime."

Kurt nods and agrees to do that.

"You like just missed Claire," Kitty points out.

"I saw her heading for the lower levels. She's away to do something to Bobby isn't she?"

"Yep," everyone in the room confirms.

"That's what I thought. I'll just leave talking to her until after that blows over assuming the mansion is still standing." The scary part is that that statement probably has a ring of truth to it. Clark's eyes fall back onto Kitty. "Kitty. You're not at the mall?" he says with genuine shock.

"Jubilee and I are going after lunch."

"Oh. Ok. For a moment there I thought the world was ending or something." Because that is the only reason Clark can think of for Kitty not going to the mall.

That makes everyone but Kitty chuckle. She just flashes Clark a dirty look and sticks her tongue out at him. Clark manages a childish smirk in return before he leaves to talk to the Professor.

* * *

**At the Bayville Mall...**

Elsewhere that morning Scott and Jean were standing outside the mall where they were going to meet Paul and Taryn. They were going to reveal the truth about them being mutants to their friends. They planned to work up to it slowly and a bit later on this morning find a quiet spot where they would tell Paul and Taryn everything. After that the plan was to take Paul and Taryn to the mansion. You always do that second as the mansion can be a bit of a shock if you aren't prepared beforehand for what you'll find. They had planned on doing this before the thing with Wanda showing up and they had decided they didn't want to change their plans because of that. Besides the Professor was dealing with it and if he needed them he could easily call them.

As they wait Jean keeps glancing over at Scott. She loved him except she hadn't been able to find the nerve to tell him yet. Her. Jean Grey. Star Soccer player. Second in command of the X-Men. She faced pressure most people couldn't dream of and overcame it yet she couldn't tell her boyfriend she loved him.

"Jean?" Scott queries at her far off expression.

"Hmm?"

"You ok?"

"Of course Scott. I was just thinking...about what we're about to do," she lies chickening out of telling Scott again for like the hundredth time.

Scott rubs her arm reassuringly. "I'm nervous too," he confesses to her.

So is Jean. She really hopes this doesn't ruin her friendship with Taryn. That would be terrible.

"Scott!" Paul shouts and Scott turns to see the blond haired boy walking up to them.

"Jean!" a second shout a few seconds later signals Taryn's arrival as the asian girl arrives on the scene.

"Hey guys!" Scott and Jean say together giving out a little wave to their friends. The 4 teens then head into the mall. They break off into pairs. When they meet up again at lunch that is when Jean and Scott will put their plan into action

"So is there anything in particular you're getting?" Taryn asks Jean.

"Uh no. I thought I would just do some window shopping. You?"

"Well now that you mention it I did hear rumour that one of the shops in here is selling 'Bayville Blur' merchandise."

"Is that even legal?" Jean wonders, thinking how Clark will be even more mortified than he already is. He really hates all this fame stuff which just goes to prove what a remarkable guy he is. Most people would be milking it for all its worth.

"Who cares as long as I get the matching bra and panties set."

"The what?" Jean exclaims, unable to believe her ears.

"The matching black bra and panties set with that funny looking S thing in silver on the front of the panties and on the...left cup I think it is. I was thinking I could wear them to bed. I'm sure I'll have some very very nice dreams while I'm wearing them," Taryn says suggestively with a wicked grin on her face.

Jean's face drains of colour. That was too much information.

* * *

When lunchtime comes the 4 meet up again. Jean had managed to talk herself out of buying a set of said bra and panties despite Taryn's insistence that she should. Considering that the Bayville Blur happens to be her friend that would be way too weird.

"This is a really quiet spot you guys found," Paul remarks as he eats. They were almost alone.

Scott and Jean had sort of scouted out the mall ahead of time to pick this spot out. They share a look. It's time.

Scott takes a deep breath. "Guys Jean and I have something to tell you."

Taryn looks at Jean wide-eyed and jumps to the completely wrong conclusion. "Oh my god! You're pregnant aren't you?"

"What? No!" Jean yells in complete shock. Good God her and Scott had barely even talked about having sex yet let alone done it. "It's not that," she assures Taryn.

"Then what is it?" Taryn asks slightly puzzled and getting more so by the second as she realises that it is no coincidence that Scott and Jean corralled them to this out of the way place.

Paul has the same puzzled expression. "What is going on Scott? I mean whatever it is I'll understand. We've been friends for years. You can tell me anything."

Scott smiles slightly and prepares to take the big step. He feels Jeans take his hand and squeeze it slightly for support. They are in this together. "Guys you see the thing is Jean and I...we're not like other people."

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Rogue frowns as she taps her pen in frustration upon the report she is suppose to be writing for English. The report that simply refuses to flow from her brain. She had spent the entire morning on it so far and had only gotten a few paragraphs written and it was due Monday.

The door to the library opens and upon seeing who enters Rogue's lips curve up automatically into a happy smile. "Hey sugah," she greets her boyfriend.

"Hey yourself," he greets her back softly. Clark bends down and kisses her cheek. Rogue closes her eyes for one brief second at the feel of his lips. She'll always enjoy savouring the feel of the only person in the world he can touch. It's ironic or just plain funny that he happens to be not of this world.

Clark places a plate down on the desk. "Brought you lunch."

Rogue looks up at the clock on the wall to see it is drawing near to 1 o'clock already. Well she could do with a break. It might help clear her head.

"So what have ah missed this morning?" Rogue asks since she has been in here.

Clark sits down as Rogue bites into her lunch. "Not so much really. The usual with Claire and Bobby."

"Yeah. Ah thought ah felt tha mansion shake," Rogue remarks.

"Wanda's awake and is moving into a room with Tabby."

"She's staying?" Rogue inquires with a slight frown at the idea that the girl who kicked their collective asses is staying.

"For now anyway. Lets see what else. I saw Rahne and Roberto sneaking off into the woods. I'm giving Logan another hour to catch them," he jokes.

Rogue chuckles softly. Since that trip to Smallville Rahne and Roberto had taken up sort of dating. It wasn't full blown dating. More like a light flirty thing.

Clark continues catching Rogue up on the goings on. "Jubilee and Kitty are just away to the mall. Mom is the greenhouse with Ms Munroe tending to their flowers. Sam and Jamie are helping Dad out in the vegetable patch. Kurt's working on a new one of his culinary creations and somehow has gotten Ray to be his guinea pig. Pretty much the usual...and oh later on I'm going to be telling Wanda, Tabby, Claire and Amanda I'm an alien."

At that revelation a piece of food goes down the wrong pipe and Rogue starts choking. Clark is there in an instant gently slapping her back. "You're doing what?" she asks him sure she must have misheard that.

Clark bends down in front of her so he can look her in the eye and repeats calmly, "I'm going to tell them I'm an alien."

"Ok Amanda ah get and Claire..."

"Has been here long enough to prove she isn't going to be running off at the first opportunity and spilling all our secrets," Clark fills in.

Ok Rogue guesses that is true and Claire is an alright person. Rogue didn't know her that well though because Claire kept to herself a lot and well Rogue kept to herself a lot. "But Tabby? Wanda?"

"Tabby risked herself for Wanda's sake," Clark reminds Rogue.

"But Wanda?" Rogue repeats unable to fathom that one. It was one thing to help get Tabby and Wanda's belongings from the Boarding House. It is quite another to tell Wanda about Clark's alien origin.

Clark considers his words carefully. "You hate being lied to right?"

Rogue nods. Clark knows this all too well how much she hates it. He has felt her anger over that issue.

"Think about what Wanda has been through. Discarded by her father. Lied to and used by Mystique and then to cap it all off finds out her very own father is prepared to essentially brainwash her. She deserves at least the truth from people who are trying to be her friends."

At Clark's words Rogue's expression softens. He is really good at seeing that. He sees both sides of the situation before he makes judgements on people. "Why are ya so good?" she asks him softly.

"I'm not."

"Ya are," she says insistently. "And ya don't even have ta try."

"I do have to try Rogue. In case you forgot that whole thing with the MRD wasn't my finest hour."

"So? Ya made one mistake."

"More than one," he corrects her.

"But ya still try ta do tha right thing and see tha best in people. Ah can nevah do that."

"Sure you can," Clark says with complete confidence in her.

Rogue arches an eyebrow sceptically.

"Rogue...Anna," he says her name softly. "Look I know you have this whole 'Tough Chick' thing going." Rogue smiles slightly at the 'Tough Chick' remark. Clark continues, "But I also know you care for people and I know it is not easy for you with your powers. I know at least some of what Mystique did to you and you could have easily cut yourself off from the world but here you are part of the X-Men. I think life has been harder for you than it has for me and sometimes it can be our struggles that define us. Your struggles could have pushed you into isolation and distrust and don't hit me for this but could have made you like Mystique."

Rogue hits him for that. Clark puts on a show of it hurting. "Ok ow. My point being is that you didn't end up like her. You overcame it and proved you can be anything you want which means I believe utterly that you're wrong that you can never be or do anything. You can be or do anything Anna which emphasises my point that I told you before about you being a remarkable wonderful person."

Rogue looks into those bottomless blue eyes of his and sees the sincerity of everything he is saying. Next thing she knows is her lips locked with his giving him the kiss of his life. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close. God she loves him. She hadn't told him that yet. She was afraid to. Afraid of him not returning it and ending up hurt but at this precise moment Rogue can't think of anything she would rather do than to tell him.

She pulls back and locks gazes with him. "Clark. Ah..."

**Bamf!**

Kurt appears, his eyes wide when he spots Clark and Rogue kneeling on the floor, their arms wrapped around each other extremely intimately with their clothes a little messed up. "I don't vant to know," he says. "In fact I vas never here and I never saw zhis." He looks at Clark. "Amanda is here," he informs Clark.

Clark's cheeks have had time to go beat red. "Right. Um...give me a minute?" he requests or considering how turned on he is an hour or two might be better for him to cool off.

Kurt nods and vanishes in his puff of blue smoke.

Clark looks at Rogue and can see her cheeks have some colour in them his do at being caught like this by Kurt. He gives her a gentle smile and wishes he could find that moment to tell her he loves her but it never seems to come. They disentangle themselves, he gives her a brief goodbye kiss before she wipes her purple lipstick off his lips.

"Do ya want meh to beh there when ya tell them?" Rogue asks because if he does she will be there.

Clark shakes his head. "Thank you but no. I talked to the Professor and he thought it best if we just keep it down to him, me and them. The fewer there are the easier it is to handle the inevitable barrage of questions."

"How did your parents react when you told them?"

Clark shrugs. "A little concerned as always but they understand why I'm doing it."

Rogue nods. "Ok. If ya need meh afterwards just come find meh," she offers in case he needs to talk.

Clark smiles at her which always makes her heart beat a little faster. He then blows out a breath and goes off to reveal his secret leaving Rogue to try and get back to writing her report. She sits back down and actually mentally curses Kurt and his lousy timing. She had been all set there to do it too. Well for once Rogue will be positive. She'll get another chance to tell Clark that she loves him.

* * *

Clark steps into the Professor's office where this...'discussion' will take place on the Professor's advice after Clark informed him what he was planning to do.

Clark greets the 4 teens with a nervous smile. They had all showed. Tabby's curiosity was just too great for her not to be here. Wanda was kind of curious too and she wondered what it was he kept secret. Amanda and Claire had come for similar reasons. They had been hanging around Clark long enough to see that there was something about him no-one would really talk about. In Amanda's case not even Kurt who for him skilfully skirted around the issue constantly. Basically it all boiled down to the definitive human trait of curiosity.

That drive that has had man reach the moon, dive to the deepest parts of the ocean, created science and technology because curiosity drove people to try and understand the world around them.

"Thanks for coming everyone," Clark greets them. "So I'll just get right down to it. Tabby you asked how I could do everything I am capable of."

"Well yeah," Tabby says. "Cause I thought mutants could only have one or two powers," she remembers the Professor teaching from the brief time she was here.

"You're right," Clark confirms for her. "**Mutants** do only have one or two powers."

Claire gets the meaning of his words first. "You're not a mutant are you?"

Clark shakes his head. "No."

"So what are you?" Wanda asks, her tone taking on a sudden sharpness.

You would think this gets easier except it doesn't or at least it doesn't seem to for Clark. "Well the answer to that question has to do with where I come from. You see I'm not originally from Kansas or America or this planet. In fact I've not even native to this galaxy. I come from a planet called Krypton."

* * *

_Author's Note: I debated with myself for awhile whether to have Magneto show up or not. He is a very calculating man and not prone to charging into situations without thinking them through. Then I thought this is his daughter we are talking about and he has had his pride wounded so he would be prone to acting rashly. In the end I chose to have him show up but leave without a fight but leave with the dark warning that one day he will return to claim Wanda. As for Wanda deciding to stay I boiled it down to what I wrote that her friendship with Tabby meant more to her than her wish to get payback on her father. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; We find out how Paul and Taryn react to finding out their best friends are mutants and how Wanda, Tabby, Claire and Amanda react to Clark being an alien._


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

**At the Institute...**

A bit later that day Scott's car pulls up outside the mansion with Jean, Paul and Taryn. Understandably Paul and Taryn had been in somewhat muted shock at learning their two friends had these abilities. Confusion and apprehension had been the primary emotions. They had been debating with themselves whether this actually changed anything. Scott and Jean were still their friends right?

Everything they shared together still meant the same as it did an hour ago right?

On the way here Jean and Scott had been telling the story of how their powers first appeared. Jean had avoided going into the details of witnessing the death of her childhood friend which put her in a coma and simply vaguely referred to a traumatic childhood incident that had been the trigger that activated her x-gene.

Taryn had been totally taken aback by this. Jean had never mentioned it once. Taryn had tried to press for details but when she saw the stark pain in Jean's eyes she dropped it. Though in a strange way it was helping Taryn to start to accept this. Pain like that showed that despite whatever Jean could do she was still human.

Scott explained about the plane crash where he lost his parents and at the time also thought he had lost his brother and the brain injury that resulted that means he cannot control his powers. How because of it he was locked away in isolation in the orphanage before the Professor found him and gave him his first pair of ruby quartz glasses.

"Damn. I kind of figured that there was a reason for those glasses but I had no idea," Paul says in sympathy.

"It's not ideal," Scott admits. "I mean all I can see are shades of red but it is better than the alternative."

All this time and Paul had no idea what his friend had to go through and to have to live like that knowing if you ever take those glasses off you can punch a hole through a building. It was unthinkable to Paul. He didn't know how Scott could do it.

Taryn felt she just needed to sum this up in some attempt to get over the shock and see if it would sink in. "So you shoot...beams out of your eyes and you can read minds and move objects with your mind."

"Essentially yes," Jean confirms. "But I never read anyone's mind without their permission," she assures her two friends. "I don't like prying into someone's private thoughts. I have enough trouble keeping their thoughts out as it is."

"What do you mean keeping them out?"

Jean decides to be honest and explain the dark side to at least her telepathy. "Imagine you are in a room full of people all of them constantly talking. Most of the time it is just din. You can't make out anything specific but occasionally you pick up snippets of a conversation. Those snippets could well be someone's deep inner personal thoughts. However most of the time what you hear is just someone's surface thoughts. Essentially what they are thinking of at that exact moment. Now imagine being trapped in that room forever with no way out and no way to stop the people in it from talking."

Jean gives that a moment to sink in. "Now like with hearing I can choose to focus in on one conversation in particular, to hear everything that is in their minds or I can do the opposite and choose not to listen to anything at all only that takes constant conscious effort. I have to erect what are called mental barriers, like soundproof walls, and because I have to do this constantly it takes its toll like headaches and occasionally migraines. However I can't not do it because if I didn't do that I would be overwhelmed with the voices like they were all screaming in your ears at full blast only you don't go deaf you most likely would be driven insane."

Taryn swallows a lump in her throat. She had no idea that Jean suffered like that. These powers were starting to sound more like a curse than a gift. Taryn then notices how Scott has taken Jean's hand as she talked like he could give her his strength, like they are sharing some unique bond that reinforces what Taryn knew already and that is Scott and Jean are in love with each other.

The 4 teens get out of the car and Paul and Taryn take a good look at the mansion. Neither had ever gotten this close and now they understood why the walls were so high and security so tight. It was to create a sanctuary where people could fit in and feel comfortable and didn't have to hide what they were.

"I should probably say this now. Some mutations cause...physical changes," Scott says in an attempt to prepare them.

"What do you mean?" Paul asks beating Taryn to the question.

Scott looks at Jean and they try to figure out how to explain it.

"You remember Mr McCoy?" Jean asks them.

Both Paul and Taryn nod. He had been one of their favourite teachers.

"Well he lives here and...um...it wasn't that some blue hairy creature attacked him like it said in the papers. He became that blue hairy creature."

Paul and Taryn both look equally confused. "What does he look like?" Paul asks.

How to describe him? Scott takes a stab at it. "Kind of like a blue gorilla."

Jean thinks about hitting Scott for a moment for being that insensitive but in reality that is probably the best way to describe Mr McCoy to give an image people could relate to so she restrains the impulse.

"And just when I thought this day couldn't get any stranger," Paul remarks.

* * *

"Hi Mandy!" Kurt greets his girlfriend. He had been looking for her knowing that by now Clark must have finished. He found her wandering around the mansion gardens deep in thought.

Amanda looks at him and in her brown eyes Kurt could see her brain was still trying to wrap its head around the revelation. Kurt leads her over to the shade under a tree. "Are you ok?" he asks her.

Amanda opens her mouth but no words come out. It is one thing to learn about mutants. It is totally another to find out that yes there is life out there and she has been talking and hanging out with said life for months.

"Mandy?" Kurt queries trying to get her to say something. Anything.

"He's not human," Amanda finally says.

"Technically nein he is not."

"He's not from this planet."

"Nein."

Amanda's brow furrows as her brain tries to get it to sink in.

"Nothing has changed Mandy. He is still zhe same person," Kurt tries to make her understand.

"What did you think when he told you?"

Kurt grins at that one. "I thought and I said 'Zhat is so cool!'."

"You really thought that?"

"Ja. I did," he confirms. Kurt continues with saying something he thinks is important here. "Christ teaches not to judge somevone by zheir appearance Mandy or in Clark's case vhat species he may be but by zheir spirit, zheir soul, zhe goodness of zheir intentions and zheir actions. Clark is mein friend. Zhe fact he comes from a different planet never changed zhat."

Amanda drops her head into her hands. "You probably aren't thinking much of me right now are you?"

Kurt reaches under Amanda's chin and lifts her head to look at him. "Mandy I always think zhe world of you but let me ask you vhat did you think I really vas zhat first time you saw me?" he asks referring to when she saw his true appearance without him knowing.

Amanda lets out a breath. "I don't know but funnily I don't think alien ever entered my head. I mean I kinda guessed Clark was a little unusual..." Amanda stops as Kurt laughs. "What?" she asks him.

"He's not unusual Mandy. Zhat's always zhe weird thing about him. I know he's an alien yet he is zhe most normal down to earth person here."

"What's wrong with me Kurt?" Amanda asks as in why won't this just sink in.

"Nothing," Kurt assures her. "It just takes avhile to sink in. It did for a lot of zhe others too. You have no idea how much vork Kitty and I had to put in to knock some sense into zhem to make zhem realise nothing had really changed."

Amanda looks at him curiously. "Is this something I should be jealous of what you and Kitty get up to?"

Kurt laughs at that. "Oh Mandy. Trust me zhere is nothing going on vith Kitty. Ja I may have had a tiny little crush on her vhen ve first met but ve talked zhat out. She is more like a sister now," he explains being very honest about where he and Kitty were and where they are now.

Amanda sits down leaning against the trunk of the tree and Kurt sits down next to her, his tail wrapping around her waist. "I suppose it really isn't much of a jump from mutant to alien," she says as it now slowly starts to sink in. "Although that doesn't explain one thing."

"Vhat thing?"

"How he is almost as goofy as you," she says her lips curving up into a smile.

Kurt puts on a show of being offended. "I resemble zhat remark Mandy," he jokes.

Amanda laughs and leans into him. She likes the feel of his soft fur against her skin.

Kurt leans into her hair and plants a kiss. "You going to be ok?"

"Yes. You're right I'm being silly."

"Mandy I never said zhat," he points out.

"No because you're too much of a gentleman but you were probably thinking it."

"Never," he assures her.

Amanda thinks she is really lucky to have a guy like Kurt and she was being silly. God Clark is the guy who saved her and her parents and for that alone no matter what species he is she will always hold him in the highest regard.

* * *

Logan stands in the observation booth of the Danger Room as down below Volcana runs through a programme destroying everything in what is very reminiscent of what he does when he is trying to work out some of his anger.

"Has she been here since Clark spoke to her?"

Logan turns his head to see Martha walk in. "Yep," he confirms as Martha stands next to him.

Martha had spoken to Clark and from what he said about Claire's reaction Martha guessed she would be doing something like this. It is unfocussed anger about the fact Claire's parents died the day of the meteor shower. "She needs someone to blame," Martha supposes.

"That would be my guess."

"Clark?"

"She's uttered his name a few times," Logan mentions meaning Claire is imagining she is attacking Clark.

"She needs to understand," Martha says meaning they need to make Claire understand that no-one is really to blame for that day, especially not Clark.

"She needs to be in a mood to listen which she ain't at the moment."

"I need to talk to her."

"No you don't," Logan says somewhat bluntly. "Look I get it. You care for her and you care for Clark and you want everyone to get along happily but Firefly down there has baggage you can't understand. I do so for right now Martha I'm asking you to let me handle her."

Martha is not entirely happy at that but for now she agrees. "Alright but one thing Logan. We all have baggage."

Logan turns his head to look at her and Martha looks back at him and he can see in her eyes that what she says is true. There is some baggage there. He has got to remember to stop underestimating her at some point.

Logan makes his way down and enters the Danger Room as Volcana melts another target. "Feelin better yet?"

Claire glowers at him with literally burning eyes. "Leave me alone," she growls.

"Sure I'll do that. After all I completely agree with ya. It was Kent's fault that his planet blew up. I mean sure he was a baby at the time but I'm sure he was an evil baby and this was all some kind of plan. I'm certain he wanted to lose his own parents and while he was at his entire species."

"Do not mock me!" Claire explodes with anger and throws a fireball at Logan who lets it hit him on the left side of his chest. He lets out a grunt of pain as it burns a hole through his clothes and scorches the skin underneath which immediately begins to heal over.

"Firefly the last thing in the world I am doing is mocking ya. You want somebody to blame that's fine except when there is no-one to blame. Sometimes stuff happens kid and it ain't no-one's fault. Life sucks like that."

"If he hadn't come they would still be alive!" she shouts in anger, 'they' being her parents. "And I wouldn't be this!" she adds referring to her being a mutant which she demonstrates by making fire glow around her hands.

Logan pops his claws on his right hand and holds them up. "You see these?" he asks her rhetorically. "People did this because they wanted a weapon and I happen to be the best there is at what I do...except what I do...what I did back then was not very nice. I can't remember much of it, barely any of it, but it was no accident they chose me kid. I have no doubt there are probably others just your age out there looking for revenge for what I did to their parents and they have every right to seek their vengeance. I probably deserve everything that will come to me one day."

"It wasn't your fault," Claire says thinking...believing he is like her when Lionel co-opted her into being a weapon against her will.

Logan retracts his claws. "Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. What I know for certain is what happens when you misplace your rage and listen to me carefully here kid because I don't want ya to repeat my mistakes. What happens is that innocent people get hurt and worse. Innocent people like your folks. Now you say they wouldn't have died. Maybe not right there and then but take it from an old man kid everyone dies eventually. Blame God for that if you want. Hell blame me if it makes you feel better. Now as I said one day someone like you will want to blame me for something and I will deserve it but the Space Boy doesn't deserve it. He is just another innocent like your folks were."

Claire shakes her head slightly. "I always wondered why you kept calling him that," she comments in regards to the nickname Logan uses for Clark.

"Didn't think it was literal did ya?"

"No," she admits. Claire had thought 'Space Boy' some kind of metaphor for something.

Logan watches her as she paces back and forth. "I know how you feel Firefly. You want to tear everything apart with your bare hands. You want him to know the same pain you do except the thing is he already does."

Claire tries to find words for her feelings. "It's...it's..."

"Not fair? Not right?"

"Both."

"Life ain't fair kid."

"You're not very good at this."

"You want touchy feely go speak to Chuck. If you want the cold hard truth then that I can give ya."

Claire stops her pacing. "I won't like this will I?"

"Nope."

"Give it to me."

"Alright. You want to blame the Space Boy except that's like blaming the baby in the back seat for a car crash because he was the only one that survived. Now sure blaming him is easier because it allows you to focus your anger at someone. Otherwise all you are left with is pain, hurt and grief that you don't know how to deal with."

"And what about me Logan? Where does that leave me?"

"It leaves you where you always were. Your folks are dead. I can't do anything about that. No-one can. You just have to find some way to deal with it."

"Like you do?"

Logan snorts. "For the love of God Firefly never try and copy me because in case it escaped your attention I'm a wreck. I can't even tell ya the last time I slept through a whole night."

Claire frowns. "Are you going to be getting to a point any time soon?"

Great she is starting to sound like him even after what he said. He decides to summarise. "Ok fine. Nice straight-forward. Simple. Don't blame Kent because it ain't his fault. He is still exactly the same person you thought he was before he told ya what he was. Your folks died. It sucks. Deal with it. Don't misplace your rage on innocent people. You want to work out your anger feel free to trash this place. Heck I'll even let you run some of my programs and when you're old enough I'll teach you the wonders of how alcohol helps you cope and finally above all don't do anything to alienate your friends because in the end they are all ya got."

Claire lets that sink in. "You know I take it back. You aren't so bad at this."

"You tell anyone that and I'll kill you in your sleep."

"Was that a joke?"

"Never end up in a position where you find out for certain Firefly," he says in such a way you are forced to believe he could just do what he threatens.

Claire folds her arms across her chest and frowns some more.

"Now are ya going to be alright?" Logan asks.

"Only if everything that has happened to me since I was 3 can be undone."

"I'll take that as a yes," Logan supposes. He turns and starts to leave, talking as he goes. "Like I said feel free to knock yourself out trashing the place but if you try and take any of this out on Clark or Jon or Martha we will have a serious problem and then you'll find out why I'm the best there is at what I do."

"Is that your catchphrase or something?" Claire shouts after him as he nears the door due to how often he says that.

"Go with or something!" he yells back.

"I hate you!"

"Good!"

Claire can't stop herself laughing slightly at that. Her thoughts and feelings and anger are still mixed up though so she decides to stay here and destroy stuff until she figures them out.

* * *

Clark had gone up to his room after speaking to the 4 girls and answering their questions. He is sure there will be more later when they think of them.

Clark really isn't sure how well it went. Wanda, Tabby and Amanda all looked liked what he expected in that it needs some time to fully sink in. Well Tabby probably won't need that long. Similar to Kurt she commented about it being cool, checked him out and flashed him a flirtatious grin or 5.

Claire on the other hand was angry. He kind of expected that too. After all her parents are dead because of what happened the day he fell to Earth.

Clark has heard lots of people tell him it wasn't his fault yet he can never quite rid himself of the lingering guilt that somehow it is.

Clark could sit here and brood now but decides to do something useful while he broods and help his father do some work. Nice simple farm work always helps him clear his head.

He has barely fished out one of his plaid shirts from his wardrobe when there is a knock at his door. He briefly x-rays through it and is a little surprised by who it is. He goes and opens the door. "Hello Wanda." He steps back. "Please come in," he invites her.

Wanda steps into the room. She needed some things clarified.

"So how can I help you?"

"You're an alien."

"Yes," he confirms.

"And you're race...um..." she struggles to remember what he called them.

"Kryptonians," Clark fills in for her.

"They're gone. You're all alone?"

"Yes," Clark says the pain and loneliness slipping into his voice.

Wanda takes a moment to absorb that. While she wished her father was not around she missed her mother terribly. She could barely remember her now and here Clark was all alone, his own biological parents and his entire race dead. It has to be so much worse for him that she can barely imagine how he must feel. "Thank you," she says.

"For?" Clark asks with understandable confusion at what he is being thanked for.

"For telling me the truth. My whole life I have been lied to. You're the first person who hasn't."

"Wanda...I do lie when the occasion calls for it," Clark cautions her not wanting her to build up some false image of him. "I hope you understand that to keep my friends and family safe I do lie about what I am. That's why I go out wearing a costume. That's why I wear these glasses," he says pointing at said glasses sitting on his nose. During the discussion Clark had explained his heroics when asked about it.

"At least you do it for the right reason," she says. "And I'll keep it secret. You have my word."

"That's all I need to know."

Wanda makes a motion to leave having said what she wanted to. "I guess I'll see you around."

"I'm always around Wanda and like I told you if you ever need me for anything just call my name."

A thought briefly flickers through Wanda's head...a wish really about why couldn't she have had a brother like Clark instead of the one she got stuck with. She turns to leave but Clark stops her by calling her name.

"Oh Wanda. I'm glad you decided to stay," he tells her with his trademark goofy smile.

In response Wanda finds her own lips doing what a lot of women's lips do when around Clark as they curve up into that all too rare thing on her face; a genuine smile of happiness.

* * *

Scott and Jean are giving Paul and Taryn the tour of the mansion. So far the two humans were experiencing a mixture of enjoyment and awe as both had never seen the inside of this place before.

Both Scott and Jean were so glad this was going well and the fact that they seemed to have brought their friends on a good day when the mansion wasn't at risk of being blown up was also a major plus factor. Eventually they end up back outside on the grounds at the rear of the mansion where many of the mutants were out running around, having fun and enjoying their weekend.

Paul and Taryn watch in awe and amazement as a running boy trips up and becomes six boys. A older boy with blond hair flies through the air like a rocket. Another boy looking like he is made of ice is sliding along an ice-slide laughing while running away from a brown-skinned girl throwing fireballs and what looks like a red-furred wolf.

"Well if I was having doubts before I can now say I am officially a believer," Paul says.

Jean notices Taryn's rather stunned expression that shows her friend is still struggling to process this. "Hey," she says softly. "You ok?"

Taryn blinks several times. Being told about this was one thing. Seeing it with her own eyes was quite another. "I'm...not sure."

Jean purses her lips and hopes...really really hopes it is just Taryn taking some time to acclimatise to this new reality. Otherwise...Jean doesn't want to even contemplate the alternative. Then an idea strikes her about a way to help Taryn. "How about we take a break," she suggests while at the same time telepathically transmitting her idea to Scott. A nod of his head and thoughts of approval transmitted back show he is in.

Jean and Scott lead their two friends in the direction of the greenhouse where upon entering sitting at a table at the far end Paul and Taryn see a dark skinned woman with white hair and a fair skinned woman with red hair drinking some tea. Jean's idea being that perhaps Paul and Taryn need to meet another 'normal' person like them.

The two older women turn their heads as the 4 teenagers approach and smile warmly. Jean does the introductions. "Paul, Taryn this is Ms Munroe and Mrs Kent."

"We're letting them in on the secret," Scott explains although he and Jean had mentioned doing this to the adults beforehand.

Ororo and Martha greet them warmly. Martha notices Taryn's expression and can see she is struggling with the revelations. "Come, sit and have some tea," Martha offers.

Paul and Taryn sit down as Ororo pours them each a cup.

"So how are you two doing?" Ororo asks Paul and Taryn in her usual calm serene manner that puts most people at instant ease.

"I-It's a lot to take in," Taryn admits.

"I understand," Martha says gently. "It can take some getting use to."

"Some getting use to?" Paul queries confused by her term of phrase.

Martha smiles gently. "I am human like you are. No special powers I'm afraid."

"Apart from your cooking Martha," Ororo points out in praise of Martha's cooking.

Martha and Ororo share a friendly laugh while Paul and Taryn relax a bit to be in the company of another person like them.

"If you're human why are you here?" Paul asks Mrs Kent.

"My son Clark is a student here and when the Professor wished him to join he offered myself and my husband jobs and explained about needing help with looking after at the time 13 students. Although after recent events it's now...what?" she asks Ororo to confirm. "17?"

Ororo nods to confirm that is correct.

"Clark?" Paul queries as he tries to picture him and finds it a bit of a struggle. All he comes up with is "Tall, curly dark hair, wears glasses?"

Martha nods. "That's him."

Taryn sips on her tea. It was different from the type her grandmother use to serve her but still nice in its own way. Some kind of herbal tea if she is not mistaken. "Does being a mutant run in families?" she wonders. "I mean if your son is a mutant but you're not...err...I'm not sure you know what I mean."

"I do," Martha assures Taryn. "But that doesn't apply to me and my husband. Clark is adopted."

Ororo takes up the explanation of the x-gene and the answer to Taryn's question. "Many people carry the x-gene but it does not always become active. For example my nephew is a mutant. He inherited the gene from my sister but she is not a mutant as I am."

"So you can carry this x-gene and not know about it?" Paul inquires.

"That's correct."

It suddenly strikes Paul that for all he knows he could carry this x-gene. He could pass it on to his children if he ever has kids one day. He wonders how he would cope if they suddenly developed powers. He hopes he would try and do right by them.

Ororo then takes up the Professor's mantle and explains about this institute being a place where mutants can be taught to control their powers safely to be used for the benefit of mankind and of the Professor's dream of mutants and humans living in peace.

That strikes a personal chord with Taryn. During World War 2 her grandfather had been moved to one of the Interment Camps all those of Japanese decent were held in after Pearl Harbour. She could understand why they would want to keep all this a secret. "This has been a weird day," she remarks but with a more noticeably relaxed manner than a short time ago.

Jean can't stop a small smile as she can sense without intruding into Taryn's personal thoughts that maybe her friend can handle this.

"So why did you guys decide to tell us this today?" Paul asks either Scott or Jean.

"Well you're not the first to know," Scott admits. "You know Amanda Sefton right. Well she saw what Kurt could do accidentally only she didn't tell anyone for months. They're dating now. Also Clark had a friend back in Smallville who knew before he came here. He had another friend who didn't know originally but she ended up stuck here at Christmas so he decided to tell her and considering how well she took it it made Jean and I think that perhaps you guys could handle it. We've been talking about it for weeks and well when you said it didn't matter whether the Bayville Blur was human or not, that all that mattered is that he used his abilities for good, it helped us make up our mind."

A sudden thought strikes Taryn. "Hey wait a second. Do you guys know the Bayville Blur? Is he here?" she asks with her excitement rising at the possibility of meeting him again.

"Yeah," Paul says in agreement with Taryn. "And those Sirens? Was that anything to do with you?" he asks as he realises the possibility that they too could be here.

Jean blushes at the memory as it was still a little embarrassing to her as she acted so immaturely. For now they'll keep Clark's secret. Both of them. Today is not the day to dump on Paul and Taryn the revelation aliens are real. Better let the mutant thing sink in first for awhile. She will make one admission. "Yes. The Sirens were me and 4 of the other girls."

"I cannot believe you have been holding out on me Jean," Taryn says sounding quite annoyed at her friend. "How could you not tell me you were a superhero?" she asks sounding decidedly miffed.

"Well it's a long story," Jean tries to say in her defence.

Taryn folds her arms across her chest and looks stern. "I've got nothing better to do," she points out.

Jean starts her story of the Sirens and tells the half-truth that they are only 'vaguely acquainted' with the Bayville Blur.

Martha and Ororo watch on sharing a smile as it seems that the two teens are going to be able to accept this. It gives you hope that when the day comes mutants are revealed that a way can be found for mutants and humans to live in peace.

* * *

That evening Clark and Rogue were in his room, lying together with her head resting on his muscled shoulder and with one of his powerful arms wrapped around her waist holding her close.

"How's your report coming?" he asks Rogue in reference to the English report she was attempting to write.

Rogue makes a face. "Don't ask."

"That good eh?" he jokes.

Rogue rolls her eyes at his lame humour. "Don't quit whatever your day job is sugah," she tells him.

"You know I was going to offer to help you tomorrow but for that I think I'll just let you suffer."

Rogue levers herself up to rest her chin in her right hand with her elbow resting on his chest. A mischievous impish grin comes to Rogue's face. "Ya forget ah know all your weaknesses. Ah can torture ya inta helpin' meh," she points out as she wiggles the fingers on her left hand in preparation of attacking his ticklish spots.

An almost identical mischievous impish grin comes to Clark's face. "And you forget I know all your weakness too."

And before Rogue can stop him and before she has even realised it she is laying on the bed Clark tickling her sides. "Ah! No! Clark!" she squeals with laughter.

Clark doesn't make her torment last very long before stopping. Rogue just lies there catching her breath. "Dang superspeed!" she complains with a pout.

"It's funny how you don't complain about it when it lets me get you the last tub of chocolate ice-cream," he points out.

"Ah'll remind ya we shared that tub," she argues back as she sits back up.

"That's true," Clark concedes. He then leans right in until their lips are almost touching. "I also remember exactly how your chocolate covered lips tasted," he says his voice dropping to a husky baritone that always sends that really good shiver up Rogue's spine.

Clark then kisses her and did what he did that day as his tongue travels over her lips when he licked the chocolate off. Rogue's mouth soon parts open and their tongues meet and intermingle and that is when Rogue is sure Clark isn't from another planet but is an angel from heaven because no-one else can possibly feel or taste so good or make her feel so good.

A knock at the door stops them before they can get much further which makes the two teens audibly groan in annoyance.

"Ignore it," Rogue whispers in the hope that whoever it is will go away.

Whoever it is knocks again and Clark can't ignore it. His gaze turns to the door and he x-rays it. "It's Claire," he reports.

Rogue frowns. Clark had mentioned Claire hadn't seem to take too well what Clark told her about his origin. If Claire is here to blame Clark for anything then the fiery redhead will soon know what the wrath of a protective girlfriend feels like.

Clark gets off the bed and straightens himself out as Rogue does the same and he opens the door. "Claire," he says her name simply.

"Clark," she says back before her eyes briefly look past him to Rogue sitting on the bed. She then looks up into his eyes. "I don't hate you," she says. "I don't blame you," she adds having finally reached a conclusion about what to feel. "However it will take time for me to accept so don't expect me to be overly friendly for awhile. That's all I came to say."

And with that Claire turns and leaves without another word.

Clark stands there and watches her go unsure whether to feel happy or not. It could be worse. At least she doesn't hate him. From behind arms wrap around him that belong to his girlfriend. He feels her rest her head on his back.

Clark takes one of Rogue's ungloved hands, as they always are when they are alone, and holds it in his own as he turns round. He leans down and kisses Rogue gently in appreciation of her support.

They both go and sit on the bed side by side holding each other's hands.

"She'll come round," Rogue says trying to comfort him.

"Yeah," he says not sounding all that sure of that fact.

"She'll come round or Ah'll kick her ass all over this mansion."

Clark laughs. It's a joke mostly only in Rogue's case it always holds the threat of her actually doing that. Clark leans in and kisses her gently but deeply at the same time. How he wishes Rogue would see how wonderful she is or he could tell her. In fact he could let her know that by saying how he loves her.

He pulls back and looks deep into her glittering green eyes. "Anna I..."

"I have a question!" Tabby loudly announces her arrival as she walks into the room without knocking first.

'Great timing there Tabby!' Clark thinks sourly. There goes the moment. He turns to look at the blond bottle of energy. "Sure Tabby. What's your question?"

Tabby notices Rogue's bare hands being held in his. "Ok first off is the fact you're an alien the reason you can do that?" she asks pointing at Clark and Rogue's joined hands.

Clark looks down to where Tabby is pointing. "Basically yes."

"Mah powers are evolved ta only work on humans and mutants. Clark is too different for them ta figure him out so they can't absorb him," Rogue fills in, the time since learning that not reducing how amazing it is she can touch him.

"Uh huh. I see. Well honestly Rogue I'm glad for you," Tabby says with meaning it completely. "You deserve to be able to touch and for that guy to be really great."

"Thanks," Rogue says giving Clark's hands a little squeeze.

"Anyway that's not what I came in here to ask," Tabby says getting back in subject.

"What did ya come in here ta ask?" Rogue asks, a little annoyed at having her and Clark's too precious and always seemingly too short alone time interrupted for the 2nd time this evening.

Tabby looks at Clark up and down just like the first time she laid eyes on him like she is checking him out. "Well as an alien I was just wondering what other physical..._talents _you might have." Tabby's lips curve up into a salacious smile and she looks at Rogue instead. "Or maybe I'm asking the wrong person. So tell me Rogue does he come with anything..._extra?_" she asks with a strongly suggestive overtone.

"Tabby!" Rogue growls and grabs one of Clark's pillow to throw at her while Clark can't stop himself blushing all the way to the tips of his ears.

Tabby dodges the pillow before turning around and leaving, laughing as she does so. The fact Clark was an alien didn't bother her at all. She thought it was cool which she said to him earlier. Also if it wasn't for him coming to the rescue she would be a mindless puppet of Magneto now. He's her hero but just because he is that doesn't mean she can't have some fun with him and Tabby plans to have a lot of fun with him.

Rogue folds her arms across her chest and huffs. "Oh yeah it's so good to have her back," she mutters.

Clark chuckles softly, wraps his arms around her and kisses her gently on her temple. Rogue leans into him and lets out a cleansing breath. As long as she has him and they are together it doesn't matter because somehow she just knows that as long as she loves him nothing will come between them and there is nothing they can't survive...although Rogue has this feeling of foreboding Tabby will be testing that to its limit.

* * *

_Author's Note: It occurred to me considering what happened to Claire when she gained her powers that she might have reason to be angry at Clark and to blame him. Who thought Logan of all people would set her straight. So Paul and Taryn know about mutants and seem to be accepting of it. Good for them although I thought it best for them for the time being not to find out that Clark is an alien or that he is the Bayville Blur. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark tries to find out who is behind a series of bizarre crimes afflicting Bayville._


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

**At one of Magneto's secret bases...**

It had been a few weeks since Wanda and Tabby's defection and Mystique had neither seen nor spoken to Magneto since then until he summoned her here to meet him. The only contact she got was a message from Sabretooth reminding her that Magneto's order forbidding any kind of retribution against the Kent boy or the X-Men still stood. No doubt Magneto had spent the time nursing his wounded pride. Mystique had simply left him to it. Dealing with him in that state would have been more hassle than it was worth.

Right now Mystique is wondering what is keeping him when the door to the room she is in slides open and in he walks. "You called."

"I did." Magneto walks up to a few feet of Mystique. "I was reading over the last report you sent. This is accurate?"

"It depends if you believe Trask is telling the truth," she qualifies her last report which is basically an update on everything Lionel Luthor is up to including how close Trask is to completing his Sentinel prototype or how close he tells Luthor he is.

"I don't trust men like Trask to know what the truth is. He'll say whatever fits his agenda."

"You want me to infiltrate his base and find out first hand?"

"No. Trask possesses scanners that can detect mutants. Even you for all your skill would risk detection and I don't want him spooked and end up acting prematurely. The Day of Reckoning will occur on my terms."

"How long?" Mystique asks so she can be ready.

"Soon," is all Magneto says as he is not ready to reveal the timing of his enterprise. He needs to move a few last pieces into place first.

Mystique raises another subject since she can tell she won't get anymore detail from Magneto on his plans. "I have a question."

"Ask it," he permits.

"About what happened with Wanda but more particularly the Kent boy."

"What about him?"

"What is he? I have a right to know!" she demands frustrated that he keeps it secret whatever it is he knows. After all how can she plan anything if she doesn't know what exactly it is she is dealing with.

Magneto's eyes narrow. He doesn't take kindly to anything being demanded of him. When he speaks his voice is cold and slightly harsh. "The boy is the key to our victory Mystique. Surely you must have realised that by now."

Mystique looks at Magneto with a puzzled expression not seeing how Magneto can come to that conclusion.

Magneto sees he will have to explain it to her. "Think of everything we know about him. Every encounter we learn something more."

"Like?"

"My daughter shouted on him. She shouted and he came which means he must have heard her."

Mystique's brow furrows. "But he must have been miles away," she argues.

"Precisely. He could hear our enemies plotting from miles away and they wouldn't even know they were being spied on. Mastermind reported that he couldn't read the boy's mind making him immune to an enemy telepath. He has strength and speed which grows as time passes. He is nigh on invulnerable. He can shoot energy beams from his eyes. Think of the destruction he could bring to our enemies."

There is more he isn't saying about the boy's weakness because he doesn't trust Mystique to act responsibility with such knowledge. Although it is a weakness which isn't as much of one as it was. Clark Kent must have done something to try and address it. Magneto admires this fact. He would do the same if he was in the boy's position. It reinforces what he saw that night in the Boarding House. The boy will be a great leader as soon as Magneto has knocked the idealism out of him.

"And of what he did to you?" Mystique queries since the boy pretty much humiliated Magneto.

"I think of the greater good for our people Mystique as should you," he says meaning he can overlook such trespasses.

"You really believe Xavier and his students will join you don't you?" she says unable to believe Magneto clings to that belief.

"When the war comes as it inevitably will even Charles will see he cannot choose the side of those who will attempt to exterminate us in an act of genocide. Logic will dictate that united we will stand or divided we will fall. Even Charles' idealism must give way to logic and reality."

The war is only inevitable because Magneto plans to start it but Mystique won't point that out.

"Now let us get onto the other reason why I called you here," Magneto says.

"Which is?"

"Follow me," Magneto commands and Mystique does so until they reach a part of the base which is obviously a training room. She spots a few new mutants she doesn't recognise. "Replacements," Magneto says simply as to what they are. He had been busy finding those willing to join his cause.

"Your machine," Mystique assumes as to Sinister's device that he must have used.

"Yes." Magneto points at a red haired girl wearing a purple uniform with white boots and what looks like a white arrow pointing down over her chest. "Bette Sans Souci," he introduces her.

"I know that name. Wasn't her father some Quebecian separatist?"

"Indeed. His methods were somewhat...violent."

"He's a convicted terrorist and is in jail for several bomb attacks," Mystique summarises from what she knows.

"Leaving his daughter there a very angry young woman who was more than eager to receive the power and training I could give her so one day she can gain revenge on the Canadian government."

"So what is it she can do?"

"Plastique!" Magneto shouts using Bette's new codename. "A demonstration of your power for our guest," he orders.

"Oui Monsieur Magneto," she says with a heavy French-Canadian accent.

She moves over to a crate which is used for target practice and touches it with her fingertips before backing up quickly. Several seconds later the crate explodes.

"She can impart an explosive force on to any object she touches effectively turning it into a bomb." Hence the name Plastique.

"It's similar to Gambit's power," Mystique points out.

"True," Magneto concedes.

And she speaks French. She is like his female counterpart or something Mystique can't help but think which is not a good thing.

Magneto moves on to a scruffy young man with blond hair but was well built. "Nathaniel Tryon. Essentially a petty thief and thug but no family ties of any kind," Magneto describes who he is. The no family ties was useful in the sense it meant he had no connection or loyalty beyond now to Magneto.

"Neutron. A demonstration!" Magneto commands using Tryon's codename.

A coloured energy ball forms in the man's hand and he throws it a target which he essentially annihilates.

"He absorbs radiation and can store it in the cells of his body," Magneto explains the transformation. "And since there is a constant background radiation his powers are constantly being recharged. While we have not been able to determine the full extent of what he can do we have seen he can discharge the energy in the manner you saw. The energy in his body has the side-effect of making his body more durable and enhancing his physical strength."

And to demonstrate that Neutron picks up a large cylinder. "That's 10 tons which seems to be his limit for now," Magneto tells Mystique.

"And the other one?" Mystique asks pointing at another girl this time with brown hair.

"Valerie Van Haaften. She was in juvenile detention when I found her. Gijs would be horrified," he says with a touch of nostalgia and an actual subtle smile on his face.

"Gijs?"

"Her grandfather," Magneto explains and then Mystique notices him rub the arm where she knows he has the number the Nazis tattooed on him making her think this Gijs was someone Magneto knew back then.

Magento and Gijs were there together in the camps and after the war he just made the effort to keep track of the family. "She's the last of her family," he mentions which would be why he has taken the time and effort to break her out of her detention. He feels he needs to take care of her for Gijs.

"What can she do?" Mystique inquries.

"Puzzler! The same as the others!" Magneto commands using her codename.

'Puzzler?' Mystique thinks to herself. 'What kind of name is that?'

The girl nods and Mystique watches on as the girl's body turns silver. She raises her hand and pieces start to break off shaped like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They fly at tremendous speed and impact a target ripping it to shreds.

Magneto explains, "In this form she is almost indestructible and so are the pieces she breaks off which she can command to do anything. She can project them at any speed imaginable, faster than a speeding bullet even."

Mystique watches the pieces circle round, fly past her and Magneto before returning to the girl and slotting back in making the girl's arm whole again. Mystique gazes at Magneto and sees a look of pride on his face in the girl's performance. If this isn't him trying to make up for his failure with Wanda and essentially using this Puzzler as a substitute then Mystique will French-kiss Wolverine and since she would rather gargle poison than do that she is dead on with her opinion.

"I will keep them here for a few more weeks just to make sure their mutations are stable," Magneto informs Mystique. "Make any preparations you need to because after that they will be staying in Bayville. "

"What are you planning for the Brotherhood?" Mystique queries if he is sending her new replacements this close to his Day of Reckoning.

"You'll be told when I deem it necessary," he declares leaving no room for Mystique to argue with him.

* * *

In another part of the base the sounds of hushed giggling can be heard which if you follow leads to what is essentially a closet. Inside you will find Alicia not doing what her mother told her to do and keep her relationship with Gambit professional. In fact considering they are involved in some hot and heavy making out you can say Alicia is doing the exact opposite of what Mystique told her too.

A rebellious teenager. What a shocker.

Alicia moans as Gambit works kisses on her neck. "Oh God. I'm-I'm going to get into so much trouble."

Gambit stops and grins at her with that smile that makes women everywhere swoon. "D'at is what makes it so exciting non?"

Alicia can't stop herself smiling in return. "I feel so...alive," is the answer she comes up with which is just the opposite of what she stopped herself doing after what happened with Clark where she tried to shut her emotions down.

Gambit returns to kissing and nipping at the skin on her neck. "Remy promise you petit dis is only de beginning."

His kisses drift lower taking full advantage of the low cut top Alicia had chosen to wear until they are just above the swell of her breasts. By this point the only noise she is making is a pleasured whimper as her hands are in Gambit's hair gently encouraging him to go even lower. She feels so hot. She feels incredible. Gambit makes her feel incredible and she is quickly coming to the conclusion she doesn't want him to stop where he is but to take it...to take her...her thoughts become more and more scattered until suddenly the door to the closet opens. Alicia gasps in panic at the mere thought it could be her mother. Luckily as it turns out it is Colossus who is looking really quite embarrassed that he has walked in on this. Well more accurately he is completely embarrassed.

Alicia's cheeks blush redder than they were already thanks to the heat Gambit's administrations had generated as she straightens herself up. Gambit just grins his everything is right with the world grin and that his luck will never run out.

"Apologies," Colossus says in his thick Russian accent.

"No problem mon ami," Gambit says to assure the man whom Gambit would classify a friend. Colossus is at least as close as Gambit really every allows anyone to get which isn't all that close. "De lady and Gambit were just enjoying some..._quality time._"

"Alicia!" Mystique's less than dulcet tones echo through the base.

"Oh shit," Alicia whispers as she desperately tries to finish straightening herself out so her mother doesn't notice anything is off.

Gambit swiftly moves in, cups her cheek and kisses the breath out of her leaving her weak at the knees. "A goodbye kiss Cherie," he explains. "Come back soon and Gambit will show you what his welcome kiss is like oui?"

Alicia can feel her body heat up significantly at the mere thought of what that must feel like. She nods with a silly little grin before she then teleports away.

Gambit smirks before noticing the look Piotr is giving him. "Something on your mind mon ami?"

"Just a warning that if Mystique finds out she will be most displeased."

Gambit's smirk just get all the wider. "D'at is half de fun."

After all for Gambit what was the point of living without taking some risks.

Colossus just shakes his head slightly with a feeling of foreboding that this will not end well.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Considering everything that had happened the last few weeks have been amazingly peaceful at the mansion which is a good thing when you have end of year exams to take. To make sure the students fired on all cylinders Ororo and Martha were making sure they all got a nice healthy breakfast.

For Wanda she can remember the first morning she was down here for breakfast and it was madness like she had never seen with all the students running around and speaking and bickering and occasionally throwing food at each other. It was worse than at the Boarding House only here there was a warmer friendlier attitude to it all which showed that everyone here were good friends.

Wanda was still trying to get use to living here. The Professor had started her on study sessions in an attempt to catch up on her education. Then there was the Danger Room sessions. That was an experience and a half. The first one had left Wanda sorer than she had ever been in her life but at least she managed to avoid wearing one of those 'New Mutant' uniforms. One look at them followed by her patented death glare at Logan avoided her having to wear that.

She kept her Scarlet Witch uniform instead and yes she had ended up adding an X to it on her belt buckle. That was as far as she was willing to compromise. In one way it wasn't so bad. The fact she kicked the X-Men's butts made her a hero amongst the New Mutants who were a bit fed up of Logan always telling them they should be more like the X-Men so it made them happy Wanda brought the X-Men down a peg or two.

The early morning sessions were a killer though especially since Tabby, her room-mate, is not a morning person. Many mornings Logan literally has to drag Tabby out of bed, hoist her on his shoulder and carry her. In retaliation Tabby threatened to sleep with no clothes on. Wanda threatened to hex Tabby if she dared try it. The last thing Wanda wanted to see was Tabby's naked ass in the mornings.

Martha places some food in front of her and Tabby.

"Thanks Mrs K!" Tabby says in her usual loud energetic manner. Once the Professor had removed Mastermind's meddling Tabby soon found herself back to her usual spunky self although secretly it haunts her the thought of what was done to her. Tabby found herself really liking both Mrs and Mr Kent. It was odd to think of humans living here but they seemed to take it in their stride. Tabby wondered how they did it and then remembered that their son was an actual alien they had raised since he was 3.

Martha smiles and shakes her head slightly. Tabby was a handful to say the least but she was a good person under all the fizzy energy.

"Yeah. Thanks," Wanda says more stoically. Mrs Kent was a really nice person though and had this way of getting through Wanda's defences and could Mrs Kent ever cook. For the few weeks she had been here Wanda had arguably never been this well fed or had food this good in her life. Certainly not since she lost her mother whom Wanda misses dearly.

Wanda's eyes drift to Clark sitting next to Rogue at the other end of the newly bought larger table so as to cope with the extra persons now living here. Wanda did not get on terribly well with the other Goth girl. She didn't know what it was but their personalities just seem to clash so speaking to Rogue was kind of minimal. Rogue then laughs at something Clark said.

"Man I will never get use to that," Tabby says.

"Use to what?" Wanda asks.

"Rogue laughing and smiling. When I was here before she spent 92% of her time brooding and the other 8% taking her aggression out in the gym. You should have seen the abuse she use to give the punching bag."

The only abuse Wanda wants to dish out is on her father. This is despite her sessions with the Professor who keeps trying to help her see past her anger but Wanda can't let it go. She won't let it go until she makes him pay but one thing she has decided to be is to be patient. She can wait. Living here...well she has a roof over her head, nice place to sleep and good food...that isn't so bad.

On the topic of her family. "Is Pietro still giving you hassle?" she asks Tabby because in the immediate aftermath of her coming here she had heard Pietro had been making a pest of himself bothering Tabby and Clark, making vague threats of payback etc etc.

Tabby shrugs. "Nah not really," she replies. The hassle was down to glares and the odd remark made under Pietro's breath if they walked by each other in the corridor at school. The other members of the Brotherhood just kind of gave her the cold shoulder. That was no skin off Tabby's nose as she had nothing more to say to them if they were still prepared to follow Magneto's lunacy.

Wanda is glad because if Pietro kept it up she would go do unpleasant things to him for hassling her friend. Otherwise she tries to think of him as little as possible as she has decided that she wants nothing more to do with him.

* * *

After breakfast Rogue is heading to Clark's room so they can walk to school together and she can pick his brain for her history test. The simple thought of them walking together makes her smile and then her smile falters as her brain picks up the no fewer than 4 attempts she has had to try and tell him she loves him.

Every single dang time something interrupts her and she loses her nerve. She is beginning to think she is cursed or something.

Anyway she is nearing Clark's room when she sees him, rolled up newspaper in hand, head into one of the empty rooms. Now what is that about?

Rogue quickens her pace, reaches the door and gently pushes it open to be greeted with...well she is going to with disturbing sight.

Plastered across the walls are clippings from newspapers and magazines. There are pictures of people. She can recognise Lionel Luthor. He seems to be at the centre of whatever Clark has created. He is circled with arrows leading from him to other pictures and clippings and stuff which are also circled. From here Rogue can see writing in felt tip which she assumes are notes of some kind written in Clark's handwriting. There are quite a few pieces of paper scrawled all over in Clark's handwriting. She can pick some words written in large type like Sirens, Volcana and Alpha Squad which must relate to what Lionel was doing with those mutant they faced when they were the Sirens.

"Clark?" she queries.

Clark was lost in thought so he never heard Rogue come in. "...err hey Rogue," he fumbles his words as he greets her caught a little off guard by her sudden appearance.

"Clark. What in tha world is this?" Rogue asks gesturing at the walls.

"Oh that. Well if I was Chloe it would be called research."

"Ya become a reporter and decided not ta tell meh?"

"What? No. No. Well...I've been thinking about it to be honest but I haven't made up my mind."

"Ya serious?" she asks him.

Clark shrugs. "Maybe. If I want Lionel to face his justice then I have to prove the kind of things he gets up to and then expose him for what he really is for the whole world to see. That is what a reporter does." He points at the walls. "All this is me trying to figure out how all these separate things are connected to Lionel. Most of it...well all of it is unprovable but it helps me keep track."

Rogue takes a few moments to study the walls. She can see some newspaper clippings headed 'The Torch' which must mean Clark is linking things from back in Smallville. Her eyes then fall on the newspaper in Clark's hand. "So what's in today's paper that caught your eye?"

Clark unrolls the paper which is headlined about another in a series of robberies and attacks on businesses in Bayville these last couple of weeks. Rogue's gaze then turns to a whole section on the wall of the room where Clark has pinned up not only the paper clippings but blueprints of the places hit with what looks like Clark's scribbles trying to figure out how they were carried out.

"They don't make sense," Clark says.

"In what way?"

"Well for starters I can't figure how they are being carried out. Every time I get to the scene I find nothing. No clues or anything. On top of that when I hear an alarm I obviously get there really quickly but there is no sign of anyone. No-one short of a mutant could move that fast."

"Pietro?" Rogue wonders as thievery is in Quicksilver's repertoire.

"I did think it could be but it's not random enough for him."

Rogue is now completely baffled. "What do ya mean?"

"All the places hit have some sort of link to Luthorcorp while more valuable businesses nearby weren't touched."

"Which means what exactly?"

"That whoever is behind this has a grudge against Luthorcorp minimally but Luthorcorp is a multinational company. It's headquarters are in Metropolis. That would be more logical if your grudge was against the company. Since the attacks are only here in Bayville I have this feeling it is a more personal grudge against Lionel himself since he happens to be here."

"Disgruntled ex-employee?" Rogue puts forward as the possible culprit.

Clark smiles. He had a very smart girlfriend which to him just adds to her sexiness. How he wishes he could find the nerve to tell her he loved her but the couple of times he did find the nerve he got interrupted. He really has to stop trying to do it at the Institute where you are lucky to find 5 minutes peace.

"That was my first thought too," he says, "but a company like Luthorcorp goes through hundreds of employees in a year. Chloe helped me get a list but it takes some time to go through it and check every one of them off."

Clark then cuts out the story from today's paper before adding a pin to a map of Bayville he has hanged up. The pins indicate a place that was attacked. It was depressing in two ways. One it was a series of crimes that sometimes put innocent people at risk that he hasn't been able to stop and two the number of pins shows just how far Lionel has got his claws into the city in a relatively short amount of time.

"It's annoying," he admits his feelings.

"What is?"

He points at the pins on the map. "There isn't any pattern...or at least not one I can ascertain so I don't know where the next place will be that will be hit. However from my research there aren't many place left connected to Luthorcorp whoever is behind this hasn't hit. My guess would be that once he has hit them all he'll make a strike on the Headquarters building down-town. I think if I keep a close eye on those businesses that are left I have a fair chance of catching them in the act tonight."

Clark then mentally works out the shortest route that would allow him to cover all those places on his patrol.

Rogue notices the time and gently rubs his arm to get his attention. "We're going ta beh late for school," she warns him.

Clark checks his watch. Right. School. He vanishes in his usual gust of wind and reappears a few seconds later school bag slung over his shoulder. He and Rogue exit the room, Clark shutting the door behind him. He'll get back onto this problem tonight.

"So all ready for your exam?" Clark asks Rogue.

Rogue makes a small face. "No."

"You'll ace it," he says with total faith in her abilities.

"Can ya go over tha main points with meh again on tha way ta school?" she asks.

"Of course," he says without hesitation although he thinks she is worrying over nothing. He has no doubt she'll pass.

* * *

**At the Boarding House...**

It is evening time as Pietro sits in the lounge with a sour look as Toad and Fred argue over...um...something. To be truthful Pietro was not paying attention so he doesn't know what they are arguing over. To be truthful Pietro doesn't care. He has spent the last few weeks silently fuming over what transpired with Wanda.

Kent stole his sister from him and all Pietro wants to do is to get back at the annoying do-gooder and he would have by now except his father forbade any attempt at any sort of retaliation. Pietro just doesn't understand why though. Not that his father ever explains his plans to him because Magneto doesn't. Another thing Pietro doesn't understand. What does he have to do to prove to his father that he can be trusted? Doesn't he always do what his father asks of him?

At that moment Pietro spies Lance come in through the front door. Lance was still grumpy after breaking up with Kitty and was absolutely no fun. It was like Lance had forgotten what fun was like. All Lance did in his spare time was tinker around with his new Jeep after his old one...well actually Pietro doesn't know what happened to Lance's old Jeep. Mystique claimed it got stolen but Pietro had a feeling that was a lie

Toad and Fred's argument continues until Fred loses his temper and attempts to throw the couch at Toad which misses but the couch continues its path right at Pietro. He almost sighs as he zips out of the way long before there was any risk of him being hit. He is about to scream and rant at his two friends but you know what forget it. For once he isn't in the mood.

Pietro instead just zips out of the house and into the street where a sheet of newspaper blown on the wind smacks right into his face. It is just not his day.

Pietro grabs the sheet of newspaper intending to rip it to pieces when he spots the headline on it.

_'BAYVILLE BLUR RESCUES FAMILY FROM FIRE'_

'Oh great,' he mentally grouses. Like Pietro needs to be reminded about that. He could do that. He could be the Blur but he doesn't see why he should waste his time rescuing some useless humans.

It is then an idea strikes Pietro. His father had forbade retribution but if he happens to be out for a run and just so happens to bump into Kent...well Pietro surely cannot be held to blame for what would follow.

A smile creeps onto Pietro's face and in an instant he is running through the streets of Bayville. 'Better watch out Kent,' he thinks to himself. 'Cause Quicksilver is comin for ya.'

* * *

Clark had been traversing the patrol he worked out earlier but so far tonight it is fairly quiet. He stopped the odd mugging and rescued a kitten from a tree for a little girl. No sign of whoever is behind these attacks so no change there then. It was frustrating as hell. Clark knew he must be missing something. Even with all his senses he is missing something.

The ringing of an alarm grabs his attention and in a second Clark is off in that direction. He comes to a stop outside what is a toy shop and looks inside with his x-ray vision and spots...

Clark zips inside. "Come on out Pietro," he calls knowing who is inside.

Pietro steps out from behind a row of shelves with a frown. "How did you know it was me?"

Clark folds his arms across his chest. "I have x-ray vision and superhearing," Clark states plainly. "And then there's the smell," he says wrinkling his nose.

Pietro goes as far as to sniff his own arm. He doesn't know what Kent is on about.

Clark tries and fails to hide a half-smile that he actually got Pietro to react like that. Although Clark is not lying entirely about the smell. The words 'Cheap Deodorant' come to mind. "What are you up to Pietro?" Clark asks getting down to business.

At that Pietro's whole face twists in barely suppressed hate. "You stole my sister from me," he says spitefully.

"Pietro I don't know how much time you have spent around her but if you knew her at all you would know no-one does anything to or can make Wanda do anything she doesn't want to. Now if you are referring to the fact I **saved **her from your father's attempt to mess with her memories I would have to ask if you actually think that that was acceptable."

"That...that was just a few minor changes to make her happy. That was all."

"Or in other words yes you do think it was acceptable." Clark sighs sadly. "And let me guess you set off the alarm to lure me here so you can get some payback right?"

"You got in one Super-Loser!"

Clark has to resist the urge to roll his eyes in a Rogue-esque manner at how unoriginal that one is. Pietro then zips off around the store circling Clark. Toys start being thrown at him at superspeed which either just bounce off his invulnerable body or shatter on impact if Pietro has thrown them hard enough.

"You know!" Pietro shouts. "I never did get a chance to show just how much faster and better than you I am!"

"Pietro..." Clark tries to warn the arrogant Quicksilver off considering what happened last time Pietro tried this. Clark knock him cold with one blow and all this when Clark was temporarily blind. Then there is what happened when Clark was doped up on red kryptonite and Kal had his jollies at Pietro's expense.

"Ready or not Kent here I come!"

The silver streak rushes right at him and Clark waits until just as Pietro is actually drawing his fist back. Clark easily dodges the blow, grabs Pietro's arm and throws him into some shelves which topple over.

"Give this up Pietro," Clark beseeches.

Pietro snarls as he gets back to his feet. "Never!"

Pietro is then once more running right at Clark because that worked _so _well the first time he tried it. This time Clark grabs Pietro's fist as he throws it and uses Pietro's momentum this time to flip him onto his back with some considerable force. Clark then locks a painful hold by stretching Pietro's arm while placing his foot on Pietro's side so Clark can hold him still for a minute.

"Pietro," Clark addresses the silver-haired teen. "Even if you could hit me, even if you are faster what did you exactly expect to happen? I'm invulnerable and super-strong." From Pietro's expression under all the pain Clark can work out the following. "You didn't really think this through did you."

Pietro had been so eager to try and get back at Kent he really hadn't thought it through what would happen when he did.

At that moment laughter fills the store over some kind of P.A.

"Oh my oh my," the voice said in a creepy Mr Rodgers type of voice. "Boys play so roughly. Break all their toys," he says with over emphasised sadness. There is then more creepy laughter. "But you two are about to learn that in Toyman's store it is the toys that break the boys."

The shutters on the store front snap shut sealing the two teens in. Clark lets Pietro up and the two share a look wondering just what the hell they walked into. It is then that the toys and Clark means all the toys, the dolls, the teddy bears, stuffed animals of every variety, toy cars, everything on every shelf start to come to life on their own and march towards him and Pietro like some crazy army.

Pietro's first reaction is to rush to the door and try and force the shutter open. "Come on open you stupid..."

Yeah real bravery Pietro is showing there as the first wave of toys tries to jump Clark who proceeds to crush and smash them to pieces. Heat vision in here would risk starting a fire which Clark won't do unless he has no other choice.

"Come on Kent. Get us out of here!" Pietro yells at Clark.

"I don't think so!" the voice gleefully says over the P.A. Rattling noises from the vents above except it is not rattling...exactly. To Clark it sounds more like...marching? Like hundreds of tiny feet marching in sync.

The grill over the ventilation shaft above Pietro's head opens and what comes pouring is out are hundreds of toy soldiers which pile on top of him. Pietro now proceeds to run around like a headless chicken desperately flailing his arms about in an attempt to shake the soldiers off.

"Pietro spin!" Clark orders as he brushes another wave of toys off of him.. "On the spot," he explains.

Pietro does just that turning into a blurred whirlwind and the soldiers fly off in all directions and for once in his life Pietro uses his head and keeps spinning across the store sending the toys flying from the wind he generates.

When the toys land Clark picks up one of the shelving units and uses it to crush them flat. Pietro comes to a stop, leaning against the wall now completely dizzy.

"You are bad boys!" the voice chastises, angry sounding at what they have done. "Toyman spank!" he threatens in a high tone voice.

"Is this guy nuts?" Pietro asks.

Clark looks at Pietro funny. "You have to ask?"

"You know you've been hanging around Rogue too long. You're starting to sound like her Kent."

"Well it could be worse. I could end up sounding like you but that would involve hanging around you for more than the 10 seconds daily I can stand."

"Kent when we get out of here I promise..." Pietro starts to threaten but he stops when the wall at the back of the store falls back to reveal hundreds of those mostly silver retro looking robots from the 50s.

They march forward in sync before stopping. They then start to transform and link together until they form a giant version of themselves that has to be 15 foot high. High enough that its head smashes through the ceiling above.

"Ok now will you get us out of here?" Pietro asks.

Pietro's whining causes Clark to take his eye off the robot for a split second. A split second too long as, with surprising speed for something its size, it kicks Clark sending him flying back, smashing through the store front and shutters and skidding to a halt on the road outside. It also packs quite a wallop.

Pietro now zips clear just as the giant robot smashes its way out into the street. "Well I think I'll leave you to it. You love birds have fun and all that," Pietro says with a smirk before the smirk vanishes and his face grows darker. "And don't think this is over Super-Loser because it ain't," Pietro promises.

With that Pietro runs off as Clark gets back to his feet as the robot marches toward him. It reaches for him with the pincer which counts at its right hand. Clark grabs it easily and wrenches the arm to the side leaving open the shoulder joint. Now that they are outside Clark can do what he wouldn't risk inside the building as he fires his heat vision as a slicing beam, severing the arm from the shoulder.

Clark takes the arm, aims it pincers first right at the robot's chest and throws. The arm goes right through and gets stuck there. Sparks fly and the robot twitches. For good measure Clark fires his heat vision at its head until it melts into nothing but molten slag.

The robot then starts to fall apart...literally. It turns into a pile of the little robots it was at the beginning. That dealt with Clark turns his attention back to the store. The P.A system that was used is meant to be for the boss in the upstairs office to talk to his staff working below which means whoever is behind this is in there. Clark leaps up through the smashed store front to the first floor. He makes his way towards the back where indeed the manager's office is.

Clark opens the door but finds what his senses already told him. It is empty of any person but full of half built toys and pieces of electronics and gears. On the wall he spots something familiar.

It is a map of Bayville with little pins stuck in it just like the one he has back at the mansion. In fact it is identical because the pins are in the exact same place.

Clark thinks back to all the crime scenes he has visited. He has a perfect memory and can pick out every little detail of what he saw no matter how long ago it was.

Toys.

At every crime scene there were toys. Clark didn't think anything of it assuming they were just something someone had dropped but seeing this the pieces are falling into place.

This 'Toyman' is the one behind the crimes. Is the one with the grudge against Lionel. A fact proven conclusively by the fact Lionel's picture is also on the wall with a big red cross drawn on it. Plus the one pinned on the dart board in the corner with darts stuck in it is also kind of a big clue.

There is also another fact Clark has to consider. This 'Toyman' is nowhere to be seen. He escaped which can mean only one thing.

This is not over.

* * *

_Author's Note: Ah Toyman. Not one of Supes' most dangerous villains but probably the most annoying. Magneto's 3 recruits are also 3 of Supes' villains. Plastique is essentially as I described her here. In the comics Neutron has to wear this containment suit to contain his essence and one day that might be his fate for now I'll leave him able to pass as human. Puzzler is a really obscure one. I chose her because I was wanting to balance out the male/female ratio in the Brotherhood a bit better. I couldn't find much on her beyond the fact she was basically a Supes' fangirl who got super powers and after failing to get accepted to any superhero teams decided the only way she could ever meet Superman was to become a villain so Superman would be forced to stop her. That takes stalking to a whole new level. Anyway I decided not to use any of that and instead give her a link to Magneto. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark has to stop Toyman and much to his chagrin save Lionel from the insane toymaker._


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

**At the Institute...**

"Genius. Absolute genius," Forge says mostly to himself.

What Forge is referring to is some of what Clark managed to obtain from the toy shop before the police showed up. He grabbed some blueprints that had been left behind when Toyman obviously left in a hurry and he picked up a couple of those robots figuring since there were dozens of them no-on would miss a couple.

Now being modest Clark considers himself fairly intelligent but an expert on electronics/robotics/engineering he is not. Forge on the other hand is a genius with anything mechanical.

It had been a few days since the incident at the toy shop and there had been no more attacks. Clark's working theory is that Toyman will need a little time to set up a new base of operations...and seriously he has been hanging around Logan and Scott too long if he is using military speak like 'Base of Operations'.

Anyway he has bought himself some time but as he thought at the time for as long as this Toyman is free this is not over. The attacks will start up again and as much as it galls Clark he is actually going to have to help Lionel Luthor of all people.

Clark needs to find this Toyman which is why he asked Forge to help him study what he found. Maybe that will give him a lead so here Clark and Forge are in one the workshops in the lowers levels.

"So what do you think?" Clark asks Forge as the native American mutant examines one of the robots.

"I think that this guy is light years ahead of anyone. Some of this circuitry is revolutionary in its design."

Clark picks up another of the robots and looks through it. As his eyes focus in on the circuit boards within a weird thing happens. Suddenly it is like he is looking through a magnifier of some sort. He can see the microscopic circuitry on the chips inside. "Whoa," he says.

"Whoa?" Forge queries as he looks at Clark.

"I think I just discovered a new power I have. I can see the circuitry on the chips."

"Groovy," Forge remarks.

Clark looks at Forge curiously for a second before he remembers the fact that Forge was trapped in what was referred to as the Middleverse since the 70s. A fact reinforced by Forge's clothing choices.

"You know this is really sophisticated," Clark remarks as he examines the robot with his new vision. "And if it is as you say revolutionary then Toyman would have probably needed a lot of resources to create it."

"No doubt," Forge says in agreement with Clark's line of thinking.

"Say like the resources of a company like Luthorcorp," Clark puts forward which would back up his idea that Toyman is a disgruntled former employee.

"What's your twenty?" Forge asks in CB slang meaning what is your location as in where is Clark in his thinking.

"A company like Luthorcorp would take out a patent on something this revolutionary to protect itself from rivals and on the patent should be the name of the inventor." And that would give Clark a name to try and chase down.

* * *

**In the Computer Room...**

"Thanks for helping me Kitty," Clark says gratefully after asking her to help him see if indeed a patent was taken out on the chip designs Toyman uses. Clark is going to need to hack into some databases to get answers and Kitty is good at that.

"No problem," Kitty replies with a smile. A smile Clark notes that has not been seen as frequently since she broke up with Lance.

Kitty turns her attention back to the task at hand. "So I have to like ask you really can see the microscopic circuitry?" she asks him as she works since Clark had mentioned it.

"Yes although don't ask me how because I haven't worked out how it works yet."

Kitty shakes her head in amazement or bemusement. One of the two or maybe both. She soon hacks her way into the records held by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. "Clark you do realise that a company like Luthorcorp will have hundreds of patents and we don't know how far we have to go back," she feels she should point out to him.

"I know," he says. "Put them up," he requests.

Kitty does so.

"Faster," he tells her as in scan through them faster. Kitty increases the speed. "Faster," Clark says again. "Faster...faster."

Clark hits the key to stop it. He touches the screen above the patent he was looking for. "It's that one."

Kitty can't believe he can read that fast but brings the record up.

"That's the chip design I saw," Clark says and his eyes scan down to the inventor. "Winslow Schott."

"I'll do a search and see what I can find out about him," Kitty says as she sets about doing exactly that.

It takes several minutes before Kitty pieces together a basic biography. "Wow this guy is really really bright. He left college at 18 and his marks...well they make me look like a dunce," Kitty will admit. She continues. "It seems he was hand-picked by Luthorcorp when they were on a recruiting drive hiring the brightest and best. The first few years don't show any trouble except..."

"Except?"

"I don't see any kind of promotion for him during that time."

"He was overlooked unfairly?" Clark puts forward as a suggestion working on the basis that Toyman, assuming Schott is this Toyman, is a disgruntled ex-employee. Considering the chips Toyman must at least know Schott.

"Can't say for certain without hacking more deeply into Luthorcorp's systems. There are some vague references to disciplinary issues and then...oh."

"Oh?"

"Uh he's dead."

"Dead. How?"

Kitty brings up the news story and related material. "An explosion at the Luthorcorp facility where he worked."

Clark reads the obituary Kitty has brought up. "It says his body was never found. They assumed it was incinerated."

"You're thinking he's not quite as dead as they think he is," Kitty assumes.

Clark nods and then his expression turns into one of deep thought. "Which means he is unlikely to be using his real name," he speculates if Schott does not want anyone to know he is still alive so trying to trace Schott that way will not work.

"Well first lets see what name is registered for that toy store where you had your encounter of the robot kind."

"Not an experience I care to repeat," Clark points out.

"The robots...or Pietro?" Kitty wonders.

"Pietro," is Clark's automatic reply. Give him killer robots any day of the week over Pietro.

Kitty giggles although she kind of agrees with the sentiment. She finds the name the store was registered under and does a search for any other properties in the Bayville area that are under that name but comes up with nothing. However they are not at a dead end yet. "I could try a search on similar sounding names," Kitty suggests in case Schott is using an alias close to his name. "Also anagrams of his name," she pegs on as another suggestion as she starts that.

"And cross reference them with anything toy related," Clark asks Kitty to tag on since that is obviously a theme.

"This could take awhile," Kitty warns Clark in case he wants to go off and do something.

Clark nods in understanding though he hopes it won't take too long because he this strange feeling he is running out of time.

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

Another late night for Lionel. Not that late nights are a new occurrence for him. They are not. He had many a late night building Luthorcorp up from virtually nothing to the international conglomerate it is today.

He grabs some pills out of his desk draw and swallows them down with a liberal drink of brandy. Simple aspirins for a headache. His liver disease...well its progression was on track but for once he had good news on that front. The Prometheus Prototype was almost ready and while it would not cure his liver disease an interesting side-effect of the project was that it would prevent the disease killing him.

As for a cure that depended on Dr Essex finishing his new Genetic Enhancer or Manipulator or whatever name had been come up with for it. The building seemed to be going much slower than last time. Essex's excuse seemed to be that that was because he was building a far superior and more complex model than the one that got stolen and therefore it took more time.

Lionel wasn't sure whether to believe the good doctor or not but he had no reason to believe he was being lied to. It is just Lionel is a lot more suspicious about anyone involved in that project since despite the best efforts being made the leak who caused the last one to be stolen had never been found leaving the quite high possibility that the leak was still working here. Lionel had done his best to minimise the threat. He had upped security. Had the people working on the project watched more closely. It would have to be enough.

Lionel still suspected Lex as being responsible somehow but could not prove anything or find where the machine now was which was extremely frustrating.

Essex's progress was not the only thing going slowly or at least it seemed to Lionel to be going slowly. The training of the new Beta Squad by Stryker seemed to Lionel to be painfully slow. Stryker gave, Lionel supposed they were, perfectly reasonable reasons about not repeating the earlier mistake which led to the loss of Alpha Squad.

Of course saying that Lionel at the moment only had the Bayville Blur as a target for them. The other 2 teams of mutants Lionel knew were in the area had been proving extremely elusive. There were no solid leads on them and don't get Lionel started on Clark Kent and that school of Charles'. Lionel had come across so many dead ends in his attempts to investigate the two he has lost count. Charles was proving as Lionel always thought he would be a worthy opponent.

Also if Lionel was going to be fair on Stryker he had made it a more pressing priority for Stryker to find and eliminate Morgan Edge so that was no doubt a distraction. Stryker has assured Lionel he has sent a professional to deal with Edge. Lionel didn't ask for details. He didn't need to and the increase in 'gang attacks' in Metropolis this last little while shows Lionel that this professional is on the job doing it the way Lionel requested.

One thing that was going well was Trask's project; the Sentinels. Of course Lionel saw uses beyond what Trask envisioned. Trask was obsessed with mutants only. These Sentinels could revolutionise warfare as it currently existed and make Lionel even richer and more powerful than he already is.

Then there is these series of attacks on businesses linked to Luthorcorp. The police were frankly useless. They had no leads or clues or anything. His company is under attack and Lionel does not respond well to threats of any sort. So police incompetence be damned he will find out who is behind this and take care of it personally if need be.

What Lionel doesn't realise is that at this precise moment that person is about to take care of him.

Lionel decides to take a break and goes to stand and look out his office window. That is when he spots them in the distance. Planes. Toy planes in the fashion of the old bi-pedal propeller types. Between their wings are what look like mini machine guns and under their wings are what looks like bombs.

The guns open up and the shattering glass soon tell Lionel that they are firing live ammo. Proof positive of that is when one clips him on the arm. Lionel dives over his desk, lifting it up to use as cover as he goes. He takes a quick look at his arm and sees it is only a flesh wound.

Lionel peers over his desk as the planes dive at an angle towards his window and release their bombs. The force of the explosion shatters his desk and knocks Lionel across his office, injured but alive.

Lionel's ears ring as his new assistant, a red haired woman by the name of Natasha Romanova, rushes in and tries to help him.

Outside the now completely destroyed windows a big toy yellow helicopter with a smiley face painted on its nose lowers down until level with the office. The pilot is wearing a shirt on top of which is a blue sleeveless knitted jump with a red bow to top off the assemble. However it is the pilot's head that gets the most notice. It is a large porcelain doll's head with a painted on face with an insane smile.

The pilot turns the helicopter so the side is facing the building and hops out into the office leaving the helicopter hovering there on what must be some sort of automatic pilot or remote control.

"Let me ask you a question," the pilot says in a creepy Mr Rodgers voice. "Can Mr Luthor come out and play?"

Mr Luthor is not even able to gather enough of his senses to stand let alone answer back. Natasha moves forward to protect her employer.

"Oh dear it seems like the big old mean mommy wants to spoil my fun. Well don't you worry there Mr Luthor the Toyman has just the remedy for mean spirited mommies."

Toyman then pulls from behind his back what looks like a water gun only this one fires a strange green liquid which lands directly in front of Natasha's feet.

"Did I mention that this particular gun fires acid?" he says jovially.

Natasha's eyes widen in realisation but it is too late as the floor in front of her is eaten away. The floor crumbles all the way to under her feet and she plummets to the floor below.

Toyman laughs insanely before miraculous producing yet another thing from behind his back. A gun with a winch line. He fires it and the line wraps around Lionel several times. Toyman attaches it to a preprepared place on his helicopter before he hops back in and flies away across Bayville with Lionel dangling below helplessly.

Down in the floor below Natasha gets back up to her feet with a groan mentally noting when she reports this to Fury she might skip the part where the man with a puppet head got the best of the Black Widow. She does have a reputation to keep.

"Are you alright?"

Natasha looks up to see a young man dressed all in black with a silver symbol on his chest. This must be the 'Bayville Blur' Fury mentioned in her briefing before she was given this assignment. Her orders were simply to observe if she encountered him. "I am fine but he took Mr Luthor away in a helicopter," she says playing up her pretence of merely being an employee.

The Bayville Blur drops down and Natasha notes how easily he did that. She can see him look her over for injury no doubt. In return Natasha looks him over and she notes his coat is looking a bit singed around the edges. Now she wonders how that happened?

"Do you know who did this Miss?" he asks her extremely politely.

Natasha ponders whether to say anything at all but decides there is no harm. In fact it might be helpful in getting Luthor back. If something were to happen to Luthor Natasha might never be able to complete her work of investigating just what Luthor is up to. "I'm not sure if it was his name but he mentioned something about being a Toy-man," she puts forward making herself sound like a slightly dulled confused woman.

Natasha notes the young man's face darken when she said that. Interesting. He knows who she is on about.

The sounds of sirens of the police fill the air as they make their belated arrival.

"I have to go," he says. "Thank you for you assistance."

Natasha then watches him leap back up to the floor above and with a whoosh vanish from sight. Definitely an interesting young man. Natasha will have to make a mental note to ask Logan about him next time she sees Wolverine.

* * *

Clark zips a few blocks away and comes to a stop on a rooftop. Why didn't he hear the explosions one might ask?

Well he did actually but he was busy evidenced by the fact he will have to get yet another new coat. He can't tell you how many coats he wears that end up ruined. Well actually he can tell you, curse of having a perfect memory, but he tries not to think about the too high number.

As for where he was that leads back to Kitty finding an address for him to investigate. It was a warehouse that use to be used for toy storage and was registered under an anagram of Winslow Schott. Seemed to be perfect.

Unfortunately it was too perfect.

**Flashback...**

After what happened with Parasite Clark is a little more weary of warehouses. He scans it first and finds inside a lot of discarded toys. He doesn't see or hear any sign of anyone living inside but he decides to go inside anyway, take a closer look and see whether there are any clues as to where he should go next or perhaps this is him barking completely up the wrong tree. Only one way to be certain in either case.

Clark zips inside and comes to a halt pretty much dead centre of the warehouse. It is at this point 4 spotlights, one high on each wall turns on and focus their light directly on him.

"Well now what do we have here?" that same creepy voice from the toy store asks over a P.A. "If it isn't my playmate from a few days ago. I did some reading up on you...Mr Blur. I have to wonder if you did some reading up on me since you stand here."

"That depends if your name is Winslow Schott!" Clark shouts out not sure where Toyman is since there is still nothing from his senses.

"Ah it does indeed seem we have some brains to go with the brawn," Toyman says so Clark takes that as a confirmation that he is right.

"What happened to you Schott? Why are you doing this?"

"Let me tell you a story," Toyman begins. The spotlights shift to focus on one wall lighting it up. Images appear in shadow. Clark guesses he is getting a shadow puppet show. A building with the word 'college' written on it. A shadow puppet of a young man.

"Let me tell you a story," Toyman repeats. "It is about a bright hopeful idealistic young man who wanted to use his genius to bring joy and laughter to the world. He had ideas...oh ideas you cannot begin to fathom but no money to put them into action. Enter the villain of our story."

Boos rings out over the P.A. A second puppet pops up which is obviously meant to be Lionel. There are two little demonic horns on the head.

"Lionel Luthor came up to the young man and offered him all the money he would need to develop the technology needed to bring his ideas to reality. At first our idealistic young man thought all his dreams had come true but as time passed his ideas were constantly overlooked. He was passed over time and again for promotions."

The shadow puppet theatre has moved on to showing the young man looking sad standing in a stylised image of a workshop.

"Now here we come to the critical point of our tale. The young man began to wonder what his technology was being used for if not for his ideas. The answer would break the young man's heart."

Shadow explosions, soldiers marching towards each other, a shadow mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion.

"War and weapons. Lionel had taken the technology meant to make people happy and turned it into weapons to make people dead."

Clark notes anger and bitterness in the voice which Clark can understand. He would be angry too to find something he created being used to make weapons to kill people.

"The hero of our story refused to have his genius perverted like that. He threatened to take his technology away from the evil villain but our villain he doesn't like that. He gets angry. A fight ensues."

On the wall the two shadow puppets, the young man and Lionel, fight.

"Something gets knocked over. A fire breaks out."

Shadow fire fills the wall.

"An explosion. The villain escapes."

Lionel's puppet running away from the fire unharmed.

"But as for our hero. Our poor poor hero. He survives but not as whole as he was."

The hero's puppet now shows a scarred face.

"Our hero crawls down under the place that had become his shame and there he lives, too horrific for the world to see so he turns to the only thing he has left. To the only thing he ever wanted to create. Toys."

The hero shadow puppet now with a doll head stands surrounded by shadow toy puppets. The shadow theatre ends there.

"Do you understand now my dear Blur? All I ever wanted was to create toys for all the little boys and girls and Lionel took my technology and used it to kill those very same boys and girls. Now Lionel Luthor will face the ultimate irony. My toys will be the weapons that destroy him!"

"I know you are angry Schott but this isn't the way!" Clark tries to tell him.

"Somehow I knew you would say that but there is nothing you can do. As we speak I am on my way to deliver the coup de grace to Lionel Luthor and just so you don't interfere...look behind you!"

Clark spins on the spot to find towering over him is an enormous 15 foot tall plastic version of the rubber ducks you get for baths just as it smashes its beak down on top of him piling him down into the warehouse floor. Bits of concrete fly all around. The duck raises its head and smashes down into Clark again driving him even deeper and more concrete flies around.

The duck raises its head and attempts to smash Clark for a third time. This time Clark catches the beak on its way down. He then delivers an uppercut to the duck sending it staggering backwards.

When it stops it looks at him and Clark could swear that despite the eyes being painted on it is giving him a dark sinister look...well as dark and sinister a look as possible for a giant duck. The two wings then open up to a horizontal position to reveal rocket launchers under each wing.

'Oh come on! Give me a break,' Clark thinks to himself. Seriously what kind of person makes stuff like this.

Clark then hears some explosions off in the distance in the direction of the Luthorcorp building. Toyman wasn't kidding. He is after Lionel right now. Unfortunately that brief distraction means Clark misses the rockets being fired and they hit him dead on sending him spiralling across the warehouse where he impacts into a whole series of other giant toys and while he is buried under them more rockets are fired and impact around him.

It doesn't hurt Clark exactly. It use to but now as time passes and his powers grow it is more of an irritant than causing him any real pain but even he can't deny the physics of kinetic energy. If he isn't prepared to resist it then the force of the blast knocks him away.

The giant toys above him are blown to pieces as Clark throws several of the pieces away and stands amongst the fire and smoke. His giant duck playmate fires more rockets at him only this time Clark is more prepared as he superspeeds out of the way. As he blurs towards the duck it fires again and Clark weaves out of the way.

Clark runs and leaps right into the duck shoulder first. When he impacts it and it doesn't instantly shatter he realises that it cannot be made of simple plastic. If it was he would shatter it.

The force of the blow sends the duck onto its back for a moment before it rights itself. It prepares to fire its rockets again. Clark fires off his heat vision first melting the tubes. The inevitable happens as the rockets explode followed shortly by what Clark is guessing by more rockets stored inside the duck's body. The giant duck explodes from the inside. Its head sails through the air and comes to a sliding halt at his feet.

That dealt with Clark superspeeds off in the direction of the Luthorcorp building.

* * *

**The present at the Institute...**

"A giant duck? Ya serious?" Rogue asks her boyfriend a little disbelieving after he arrived back from his night out and he told her all about his evening so far.

Clark nods as he paces about Rogue's room.

"Clark y'all are makin' meh dizzy," Rogue complains with his constant pacing.

"Sorry," he apologises but doesn't actually stop pacing.

"So what now?" she asks him as in what does he do now.

Clark shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair. That warehouse had been his only lead only it kinda got trashed due to his fight with the giant duck which sounds even more ridiculous every time he says that back in his head. "I don't know," he says. "But I can guess it won't be pleasant for Lionel."

"Well if it was meh ah would want ta make him suffer in tha same way he made meh suffer."

Clark comes to a dead stop, a smile coming to his face. In an instant Rogue finds his lips covering hers kissing her long, deep and passionately until she she is on the verge of passing out. Does Clark ever know how to kiss.

"Rogue. You're a genius!" he proclaims.

"Ah am?" she inquires short of breath before her natural underlying sass kicks in. "Oh right ah am but ya know meh. Ah don't lahke ta boast."

Clark smiles that adorable one at her that makes her insides melt.

"Just ta...err...clear it up why am ah a genius?"

"You want to make him suffer the same way he made you suffer...or you want to destroy him in the same place you were destroyed. He has taken Lionel to the Luthorcorp facility where he use to work," Clark explains the spark of ingenious thinking Rogue's words triggered.

"Wasn't it destroyed?" Rogue inquires.

"At the warehouse when he was telling me his story Toyman mentioned how he ended up living **under** his shame."

Rogue gets it. "Underground levels."

Clark nods. "The facility above was a write off. Lionel abandoned it as it was too expensive to repair," he recalls what Kitty found earlier when looking into Winslow Schott. "However the underground levels must have survived. Toyman must have been living there for years planning all this."

Clark gives Rogue another kiss. "I have to go," he tells her.

Rogue grabs his sleeve stopping him. "Whoa. Wait one dang second. Y'all are going alone?"

"Yes."

"Clark if Toyman has been living there for years lahke ya think tha whole place could beh booby trapped. We should get tha others and..."

Clark cuts her off with a stern, "No."

"What?"

"No Rogue," he says, his voice not convening any room for debate. "If you come it risks exposing you to Lionel," he explains his reasons. "I won't do that."

Clark gently cups Rogue's face and he speaks softly, lovingly, "I will never risk anything happening to you. I couldn't live with that."

Rogue looks into his eyes which sparkle with light and emotion. It makes so many feelings well up inside her so strongly she starts to express her love for him but she barely opens her mouth before he cuts her off with another breathtaking, toe-curling kiss.

"I have to go," he says his voice a whisper. "The facility is over 200 miles away from here and that will take even me about 20 minutes."

"Be careful," she asks of him.

Clark gives her another quick smile. "Virtually invulnerable to harm remember," he says which in his way is his attempt to assure her he'll be alright. Clark then vanishes with a whoosh and a gust of wind. For Lionel's sake Toyman better be planning a slow painful death or Clark may not get there in time.

Rogue takes a few seconds after Clark leaves for her brain to fire up. Her brow furrows as some of his words sink in. One; 20 minutes to do over 200 miles? Now even Rogue's maths skills can figure out for Clark to traverse that distance in that time he has to run at over 600mph. It seems his powers are still growing.

Two; For some reason this is only occurring to her now but a good question she should have asked is why is Clark going so out of his way for Lionel Luthor of all people?

* * *

Lionel has been through a lot tonight. The helicopter ride while dangling upside down below it had not been his favourite experience. Nor was the tranquilliser or whatever it was he was given when they landed. However Lionel can definitely say the least favourite part of his evening so far is happening to him right now.

He is strung up literally like a puppet with strings attached to his arms and legs as he dangles helplessly above a stage. The audience in front of him lined up in seats are dozens and dozens of toys.

"Well now. It seems like our star is finally awake."

Lionel's brow drops down. He knows that voice. It is so weird and creepy he is unlikely to ever forget it. "Schott?"

Out of the shadows into Lionel's field of vision comes the man with the puppet head.

"I guess I should feel honoured that you remember me. After all I am only one of hundreds you have crushed on the way to your position of power as it is today but I can assure you Mr Luthor I will be the last," Toyman says with more than a hint of menace.

"I don't know what you think happened but I never did anything to you. You were trying to steal Luthorcorp property."

"MY PROPERTY!" Toyman screams in fury. "It was mine. My genius created it and you twisted it...perverted it...used it to make weapons," he spits in disgust. "All I ever wanted was to make toys for children. Obviously you never thought there was enough money in that. Greed and avarice and no justice but today we will have justice," he swears.

Sets start to slide into place around Lionel as he finds himself behind a witness box in a mock-up court room. He looks to his left and up to find Toyman as judge wearing a wig and everything.

Judge Toyman address the jury, a collection of stuffed animals. "Ladies and gentleman of the jury pray give us your verdict on this man. This man who destroys innocent lives just to make a quick buck. This man who due to his misuse of stolen technologies is personally responsible for the deaths of thousands including men, women, children, tiny utterly innocent little babies and I doubt it even bothers him in the slightest."

"Innocent people die in war Schott," Lionel says in his defence. "It is a regrettable truth."

"Those remarks will be stricken from the record!" Toyman decrees shouting Lionel down. "And if the accused interrupts again we will proceed to summary judgement."

Since Lionel has a fair idea what that is so he remains quiet while desperately trying to figure a way out of this.

"Now fair, wise and learned jury," Toyman heaps praise on the collection of toys. "Retire and consider your judgement upon this man."

A black screen drops down in front of the jury for a total of 10 seconds before rising back up.

"It seems out jury have reached a swift verdict," Toyman says.

Lionel just glares at Toyman for this mockery.

A piece of paper on a stick pops up in front of Toyman who takes it and unfolds the paper. "The unanimous verdict of the jury is that you Lionel Luthor are guilty of crimes so numerous we don't have time to mention them all. Now we will move on to the sentence."

The lights dim apart from a spotlight on Toyman. "Lionel Luthor it is the verdict of this court that you be sentenced to..." Toyman places a black cloth upon his head. It is the old sign of the death penalty. "Death by firing squad."

The court room set slides away and in its place behind Lionel comes a mock brick wall. Then marching out comes half a dozen human-sized toy soldiers until they line up opposite Lionel. Toyman steps next to Lionel with a white cloth in hand which is the blindfold. "Any last words?" he asks.

Lionel Luthor is someone who scrapped his way up from the slums of Metropolis and he is not a man who will ever beg for his life.

"No? Nothing? Not even a comment about the irony how all your power and wealth mean nothing here in the last moments of your wretched and too long existence."

"If you expect me to beg Schott you are wasting your time."

"Well I admit it would be nice just to hear it once but seeing you die will be sufficient I can assure you."

Toyman ties the blindfold over Lionel's eyes and steps to the side. "Soldiers. Make ready!" he orders. The toys soldiers raise their rifles which fire very real bullets. "Take aim!" Toyman orders. "...Fire!"

The bullets leave the rifles flying through the air aimed perfectly at Lionel but at the last moment a figure in black stops in front of Lionel upon whom the bullets bounce off harmlessly.

"No!" Toyman wails. "Why are you saving him? Do you know what he has done?"

"I know the kind of things he has done Winslow but I am not saving him," Clark says.

"What!" Lionel exclaims.

"I'm saving you," Clark tells Toyman. "It's not too late Winslow. You haven't crossed the line yet. You can help me bring Luthor to justice."

"Oh I'll bring him to justice just as soon as you step out of the way."

"I was where you are. I thought about taking the law into my own hands but that path leads to a dark place Winslow. People like Luthor need to be seen for what they are in the public eye and you can help me do that. He stole what belongs to you. Testify against him and he will get the justice he deserves and you can get your life back," Clark says hoping to reach the man beyond his thirst for vengeance.

Toyman laughs in a self-mocking fashion. "Do you have any idea what I look like under this?" he asks gesturing at his doll head. "No-one could even bare to look at me. Do you honestly think any jury will believe a twisted freak like me over the respectable benevolent businessman Lionel Luthor."

"Justice is blind," is Clark's reply. "In front of the law everyone is equal."

"The law doesn't apply to people like him. He'll just find another patsy like I was to cover for him. No deal."

Clark can see he is failing to reach Toyman. "Winslow I won't let you destroy yourself," he states indicating he'll stop Toyman to save Schott from himself.

"I am already destroyed. He..." Toyman points at Lionel. "...destroyed me. Winslow Schott is gone. There is only Toyman now," he says sounding sad.

A sinking feeling hits Clark. He has heard something similar before when Leslie declared herself to be only Live Wire. Despite that he isn't willing to give up. "I don't believe that," Clark argues.

"You're a good person. A hero. That is why I have to do this. To save people like you from him. The world needs people like you."

"It needs people like you as well," Clark argues.

"Do you know the kind of things he could create to make the world better but that isn't what he does. He could help so many people but he only cares about helping himself. About making money. Do you know what Lionel is creating as we speak? Weapons. Weapons to try and take you down. Lionel tell Mr Blur here all about how you are using my technology in Project Prometheus."

Under his blindfold Lionel's eyes widen wondering how Schott knows so much. Just how many leaks does he have in his company?

"It doesn't matter if he is in jail," Clark points out. "Which you can help me do. Don't fall to his level. Be better than him," he pleads.

There is a pause, a silence and for one brief moment Clark hopes he has managed to get through to Toyman. His hopes are quickly dashed.

"Sorry. Still no deal I'm afraid because you see I know how this ends. I was born in fire and I will die in fire. Now tell me Mr Blur do have a clapper control at home?" Toyman asks referring to the device that can turn lights on and off by the sound of a clap.

Clark's eyes narrow slightly as he tenses in preparation. He has a bad feeling about this.

"I do," Toyman announces. "Only this one does a little more than control the lights."

Toyman then claps loudly. All the lights go out. The sounds of bolts sliding back can be heard from above. Clark looks up as several triangular boxes on the ceiling open up and falling out of them are dozens of giant wind-up toy bombs. They fall and pile up around him and Lionel.

For a moment nothing seems to happen until suddenly the keys start to wind down. Clark x-rays them and inside he can see that these are no toys. He quickly looks for Toyman but there is no sign. Schott has vanished.

Having only seconds left Clark grabs Lionel and superspeeds along the long underground corridors he had found upon his arrival. As he goes more bombs drop down from above filling the corridors. Clark makes a mental note to check for hidden masses of bombs next time he storms someone's base.

The bombs starts to explode as Clark tries to keep ahead of the explosion wave. The fire and heat wrap around the corridors as Clark zips his way through what is as good as a maze of partially collapsed tunnels. The collapses no doubt caused by the original blast all those years ago.

Clark makes his way back to the entrance and leaps out just as the column of fire erupts into the sky and what remains of the facility explodes before collapsing back into the void created. No-one could have survived that. A feeling of sadness comes over him at having failed.

Clark drops Lionel on the ground in an unceremonious fashion. Lionel pulls away the blindfold to find the Bayville Blur standing over him. "Thank you," he says.

The glare Lionel gets in return makes even him flinch before the Blur vanishes before his eyes.

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

It is the next evening and Lionel was thankful he supposes to have escaped with nothing more than a few minor cuts and bruises. His office in which he currently stands on the other hand was completely ruined.

There is a _whoosh_ and a gust of wind.

"How many Luthor?"

Lionel turns to find the Bayville Blur standing in his office.

"How many?" Clark repeats. "How many other lives like Schott's have you destroyed?" he asks not expecting an answer but feeling he had to ask the question.

"Business is a harsh world. It can be like a open flame that if you're not careful can burn you. In that case the only choice is to be the flame and let others burn themselves upon you."

Clark mentally snorts at that metaphor. "All your money. All your power. It could be used to help so many people but all you care about is helping yourself. Schott was right in that regard. He was also right in one other way. You need to see justice."

Clark then strides forward, grabs Lionel by the lapels on his suit jacket and lifts Lionel up as easily as anyone would lift a feather. "Listen and listen well Luthor. Your Day of Reckoning will come and as I promised I will be there to see you face your justice."

Lionel remains calm. "Unless you are going to finish what Schott started would you mind putting me down. This suit is an Armani," he says sounding incredibly smug knowing the Blur is just blowing hot air.

Clark puts him down. He knows that perhaps coming here wasn't a great idea but he was just so angry still at the fact he couldn't save Toyman. Angry at what Luthor had done to that poor man to drive him over the edge. Clark starts to leave and then stops. "Oh one more thing. Did you hear about the police's investigation into the explosion?"

"Can't say that I have," Lionel says as he straightens out his suit.

"It seems they haven't been able to find anything. Absolutely no trace of a body...just like the last time," Clark says implying like last time Schott isn't as dead as everyone might assume.

At that a spark of fear appears in Lionel's expression.

"If you want some advice I would avoid any kind of toy for awhile because you just never know..." Clark leaves it hanging. He strides over to the still shattered window and leaps out and lands on the rooftop far across the street before he vanishes in a blur.

Lionel stands there in his office, in his building, a symbol of his wealth and power yet for the first time in a long time he no longer feels safe.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

A bit later that night Clark is pinning another piece of his ever increasing in size puzzle to the wall. This one has written on it '_Project Prometheus'_.

Toyman had mentioned it and Clark will find out what it is and how it is linked to Lionel. He swears one of these days he will find some proof to one of the things on these walls and put Lionel in jail.

There is a knock on the door. Clark focuses his hearing and picks up the heartbeat. He lets out a sigh before going and opening the door. He should have guessed this was coming. "Hello Professor," Clark greets the man in the wheelchair.

"Clark," Charles says back.

Clark stands to the side and the Professor rolls in and takes in first hand Clark's handiwork upon the walls.

"I'm not obsessing Professor," Clark says first off in case that is what the Professor might assume. "This is just me laying it out to keep it all straight."

Clark has been busy Charles will admit. When he picked up the stray thought from Rogue he knew he had to see this for himself. He had no idea Lionel had been this prolific in his projects. It was perhaps worse than he imagined.

"How are you doing Clark?" Charles asks after the teen's well-being.

"Fine."

"How are you feeling about what happened with Mr Schott?" Charles expands his question.

"I wish I could have done more. Reached him somehow," Clark says still feeling sad about it. Sad and angry about everything that had been done to Toyman at Lionel's hands. "I feel sorry for him, about everything he had to suffer." After all there he was betrayed, disfigured, living in the dark with only his toys and his imagination for company. Clark can't be angry or blame Schott for losing his mind. Who wouldn't under those circumstances.

"I know exactly how you feel Clark and I am certain you did your best but you can't save someone who doesn't wish to be saved."

It takes Clark a moment to understand what or more accurately who the Professor means. "Magneto?" he inquires.

Charles smiles sadly. He has wished for years he could reach his old friend but he seems to be further away than ever from that goal. "Don't give up hope Clark."

"I'll try but...I can't believe I had to save Lionel," he says making a comical face of disgust to lighten the mood.

Charles chuckles at Clark's expression. "You did exactly the right thing Clark. It was what I would have done if I was in your shoes. You won't defeat Lionel by stooping to his level. Doing so would betray who you are and make you no better than him."

"I tried telling Toyman that but he didn't listen."

"They'll be others Clark who will listen. At least for Mr Schott he has found peace."

"No. He hasn't," Clark contradicts the Professor's assumption. While Clark had been following the police investigation he can assume no-one else has.

"What do you mean?"

Clark walks over to a trunk where he keeps bits and pieces he picks up. Kind of like souvenirs or mementos of his adventures fighting crime. He pulls out a clear plastic bag in which is the clearly still identifiable but shattered remains of a porcelain doll head.

"I searched every inch of that place where the police couldn't get to and this is all I found. He didn't die Professor. He's out there somewhere and I have this feeling that one day we shall witness the return of the Toyman."

* * *

_Author's Note: I tried to create a story where you could feel sympathy for Toyman that used elements from differing versions of him that have been used in other media and like all good villains I left the door open for him to return one day. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The exams are over, the planning for summer can begin but a shadow is looming on the horizon._


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

**At the Institute...**

The exams were over and done with and the students were just arriving back from school after their grades had been released. Paul and Taryn were with them. They still found it odd seeing others use their powers so openly when they came to visit but were slowly getting more accustomed to it. Amanda would be around later but first she had to go home and tell her parents what she got.

"Finally!" Evan declares with some relief as he hops out of the van. "Now that that's over we can start planning our summer vacation!" he says with a lot of excitement.

"Only if you did well Evan," a stern voice ruins Evan's moment.

Evan looks to find his aunt standing there, arms folded across her chest tapping her foot impatiently. "Oh come on auntie O," Evan groans. "Can't a guy get one moment to dream," he pleads.

"He can have as many moments as he likes once he tells his aunt and then phones and tells his mother what grade he got," Ororo says in such a tone that says Evan isn't getting off not saying.

"C," he mumbles.

Ororo hears him and is disappointed. She expected him to at least get a B. However that is not what she says. What she says is "I'm proud of you Evan and I am certain you can do even better next year."

"Thanks auntie O," Evan says a little put off by the praise. He was expecting a roasting.

"And what about the rest of you?" Ororo inquires.

"Well Ms Brainiac here got her usual straight As," Taryn says in relation to Jean while she jerks her thumb in the red-head's direction.

"Well I did alright," Jean says modestly although secretly on the inside she was really proud of herself.

"Better than the C club Jean," Taryn points out. She is so not looking forward to explaining that to her mother.

"Kitty? Kurt?" Ororo asks those two next.

"A average," Kitty announces beaming with pride in herself.

"B," Kurt reports with no less pride. "I have to tell mein mozher. I promised I vould phone her and let her know." Kurt than vanishes in his usual puff of blue smoke.

Kitty cough and waves the smoke away. "I like wish he would stop doing that," she says in a small complaint.

Martha and Jonathan come out of the mansion and join Ororo both keen to see how the students did. As they all list off their grades all 3 adults nod in satisfaction. Nothing lower than a C. Clark and Rogue are the last 2 to report.

"B+," Rogue says with a sigh.

Clark does not get the sigh. "You say that like it is bad thing. That's really good Rogue," Clark says in praise of her. "After all I only got an A- average." Which is just one grade above Rogue.

"Ya only got that because ya deliberately answer questions wrong," Rogue reminds him.

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Well ok yes. I do do that but Rogue B+ that's really great." He then leans in and whispers into her ear, "And to show you how great it is I'll..._reward_ you later when we're alone."

Rogue's lips curve up into a sultry smile in eager anticipation of Clark's _reward. _She turns her head and the two share a kiss.

"God will you two get a room!" Ray complains.

"Leave them alone Ray," Kitty says in her friends' defence. "Just because you can't get a girlfriend..."

"I so can get a girlfriend," Ray says in passionate defence of himself.

"Right," Kitty says with a great deal of scepticism. "When was the last time you actually went out on a date?" Kitty asks him.

Ray's face screws up in thought and Jubilee has to laugh. "She has you there Ray."

"Laugh it up mall rat," Ray mutters angrily as he glares at the girl in her yellow jacket and pink sunglasses resting on the top of her head while she chews on her bubble gum, Jubilee's worst habit.

Jubilee hears him. "I think I will," she says just to annoy him and laughs in a completely exaggerated over-the-top fashion even going as far as to putting her arms around herself to make it look like she is clutching them.

Kitty, knowing what comes next, steps next to her friend.

"Die Jubilee!" Ray shouts as his short temper bursts out and fires an electrical charge at the Asian girl.

Kitty places her hand on Jubilee's back and phases the two of them and the bolt passes through them harmlessly.

"Berzerker!" Ororo shouts sternly at Ray's blatant misuse of his powers. Storm knows Ray has not had an easy life but they have got to do something about that temper of his. Of course Ray's temper is not the only one that causes issues. Unfortunately short tempers are quite a common trait around here. That of course explains the sky-high maintenance bills.

As Ray gets marched back into the mansion for a dressing down the others all start to head into the mansion and start planning their summer. Clark was making a mental note to check in with Chloe and Pete and see how they did in their exams.

Taryn raises an issue with Jean. "I have to ask what did Rogue mean when she said Clark answered his questions deliberately wrong?"

Jean mentally groans. Keeping Clark's secret was hard enough as is without stuff like that getting dropped in but she guesses it is inevitable. The more comfortable everyone gets around Paul and Taryn, which is a good thing, the less on their guard they are about letting stuff slip. Jean address Taryn's point. "Well you have to understand Taryn we try to do all we can to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."

"Yeah I get that. How does that relate to this?"

"Have you heard of MENSA?"

Taryn thinks hard. "They're some sort of society for geniuses right?"

Jean nods. "That's right and if Clark honestly did as well as he could they would be signing him up tomorrow which would be the opposite of not drawing attention to ourselves."

"So wait a minute. Are you saying Clark's a genius?"

"According to his IQ test he is yes." Although some days when Jean sees him act like some goofy overgrown kid she seriously doubts that.

"And you couldn't have arranged him to tutor me and avoid my mother throwing a hissy fit when she learns I got a C average?"

"Well Clark's...busy and if you needed help Taryn I would have be more than willing to," Jean says.

"I know Jean. I'm pulling your leg," Taryn tells Jean that she was joking.

"Oh."

Taryn shakes her head with a smile. Jean could be awfully serious sometimes. Just like Scott. No wonder they ended up dating.

* * *

"No more school!" Rogue says with uncharacteristic enthusiasm and joy for her as she and Clark walk up to their rooms to drop their stuff off.

Clark chuckles at how adorable she looks. She is also smiling which always makes her look amazing. Clark has had dreams about her beautiful smile.

"Hey this will beh your first summer here," Rogue suddenly realises.

"Yep so care to fill me in on what we do," he asks.

"On not much really. Hang around here. Go ta tha beach every now and again. Pretty much what anyone does during their vacation."

"Rogue I'm from Kansas. There aren't any beaches for a thousand miles in any direction although we did have this lake we would go to. Crater Lake. It was the biggest crater the meteor shower carved out that then filled with water."

"Well maybe we could go there sometime," Rogue suggests. "Ya could drop in and see your friends."

"I suppose we could but knowing Smallville it wouldn't exactly be a relaxing vacation," he remarks considering what tends to happen in Smallville.

Rogue knows that all too well from personal experience.

"What about you before you came here? What did you do in the summer?"

"Clark tha summer in Mississippi is hotter than hell," she points out. "You're lucky ta beh able ta walk 10 feet without suffering heat stroke."

Clark takes that as to mean you don't do very much but try and stay out of the sun and stay cool. The two teens reach the point they have to go in separate directions to their respective rooms.

"So what are you doing for the rest of the day?" Clark asks.

Rogue makes a face. "Well first off it's time for mah quarterly physical from Mr McCoy."

"That's not so bad."

"No of course not. Running on a treadmill, lifting weights, having sensors strapped all over ya. Ah love it," she says with the necessary sarcasm. Rogue then notices Clark's gaze has drifted off into the distance with a kind of goofy grin of his face. She snaps her fingers in front of his face. "Clark?" she queries.

Clark blinks and snaps out of it. "Sorry I was just imaging you in your workout clothes."

Rogue places her hands on her hips and looks stern. "Oh y'all are just a barrel of laughs. Hardy har ha."

"Whose joking," he says with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. After all Rogue in her workout clothes is a pretty darn hot image. Tight sports vest. Lots of exposure of her toned stomach. Yep pretty much heaven for a hormonal teenager.

Rogue laughs.

"What's so funny?"

"Gawd ah just nevah evah imagined ah would have a conversation lahke this," she says in respect to the fact she pretty much assumed due to her powers remaining single for her entire life.

Clark moves forward and places his hands on her hips. "Well just so know for as long as I'm your boyfriend I'll be complimenting you on how everything you wear makes you look sexy."

Rogue snorts at that idea. "Right. Lahke when ah wear mah ratty old t-shirt."

"Oh definitely because you wear that when your pyjamas are in the wash and I get to see your long luscious legs."

Clark's hands slide over her thighs and Rogue's eyelids flutter and a soft moan escapes her.

"Would you two get a frickin room already!"

Rogue and Clark jump apart as Claire stomps by. Since finding out he was an alien Claire had stuck to her word of not being overly friendly with him. She was usually curt, blunt and to the point whenever she did have to speak to him.

Claire walks by them shaking her head wondering why she has to keep seeing that or Jean and Scott doing that and it is so not because she is jealous about not having anyone. Nope definitely not that. Nor was it she was still angry at Clark. She wasn't but she was still trying to adjust to the revelations he told. Right now Claire needs an outlet. A small smile comes to her face when she realises that if Clark and Rogue are back so is Bobby. She lets out a small maniacal laugh as she heads down the stairs.

"Bobby?" Rogue queries as in Claire is going to get him.

"Bobby," Clark confirms. That was the only reason Claire laughed like that.

With their moment ruined Clark and Rogue have to get back to their lives.

"So what about ya?" Rogue asks. "What are ya doing now?"

It is Clark's turn to make a face. "Another attempt at trying to float," he reports.

"Ah thought tha Professor was going ta give up after..."

"I failed to do it for the hundredth time," Clark fills in sourly.

Rogue shrugs one shoulder.

Clark shakes his head. "The Professor wants to try a different approach although I think we've tried them all. I can't do it. At least not consciously."

"Ya can do it," Rogue says confident in Clark's abilities. "Ah think ya could do anything ya put your mind ta."

Clark's face lights up at the compliment. "Thank you Rogue."

"Girlfriend's duty to support her man."

Clark moves forward and gives her a brief kiss. "You're the best."

"Naturally," she says with her inherent sassiness.

Clark smiles at that. Rogue's sass always makes him smile. "So after we're done I'm thinking date tonight?" he puts forward as an idea.

"Love ta sugah."

* * *

**At the Boarding House...**

Those at the institute aren't the only ones who got their grades. The Brotherhood did too although they do not care as much that they did poorly. Well one of them didn't actually do poorly and right now she is getting praised for her grade.

"I am very proud of you," Mystique tells Alicia after seeing her daughter get a B average which is very impressive when you remember Alicia's biological parents locked her up.

Alicia beams with pride at the praise she is getting. "Thank you mother. I couldn't have done it without your help."

Mystique gives her adopted daughter a hug. At least she has Alicia as the one child she can experience this with and to know what that motherly pride feels like.

"Somebody gag me," the remark is made with gagging noises added for effect.

Mystique pulls back, her face dark. "Maximoff you are on very thin ice," she warns Pietro after he went off and tried to attack Clark Kent against Magneto's orders. "Now unless you want me to tell your father the actual grade you got go and round up those friends of yours. I need them here now!"

Pietro's face flickers with panic. He lied to his father about his grade which is a lot worse than what he said it was. In a silver blur he is gone.

Mystique turns to Alicia. "You know what to do," she says.

Alicia nods.

Mystique cups Alicia's cheek. "It won't be too much for you will it?" she asks with concern.

Alicia shakes her head. "No. It'll be a strain so..."

Mystique smiles. "You can be excused training for today," she exempts her daughter.

Alicia smiles before vanishing in her green haze.

Pietro returns a few seconds later. "They are on their way," he informs Mystique. He had found his 3 friends at the Gut Bomb celebrating their glorious failure as far as their grades went by stuffing themselves silly.

"Good," Mystique says.

"Care to say what this is about."

"No. I wouldn't."

Pietro frowns. He hates being out of the loop. "Shouldn't you be at work spying on Lionel Loser?"

"Job-share. Lionel hired a new assistant and we share the time."

Pietro spends the next several minutes bored out of his freakin mind waiting for the others to return. To Pietro everyone is so slow.

Lance, Fred and Toad walk in.

"Yo yo yo. The posse is here," Toad announces their return as they enter the lounge area.

"Toad. Silence!" Mystique orders the gangly teen.

Toad instantly shuts up. Crossing Mystique was something you never did.

"What's this about?" Lance asks moodily, something he has been, moody, ever since he broke up with Kitty.

"You'll see," is all Mystique is willing to tell them. She then checks her watch. Any second now.

A green mist fills the hallway next to the stairs as Alicia returns with 3 others. Pietro's interest is instantly peaked by the fact 2 of them are girls.

Alicia takes a second to catch her breath. Transporting 3 over that distance takes it out of her.

"Alright listen up the 4 of you," Mystique addresses the older members of the Brotherhood as she signals for the new arrivals to join them in the lounge. "These are our new recruits."

"We're getting new recruits?" Fred asks puzzled at that fact as he scratches his head.

"Yes Fred," Mystique confirms. "Why do you think I had you clear out the empty rooms?" she asks him.

Fred shrugs. "I just thought you needed more closet space or something."

Mystique rolls her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. She doesn't technically wear clothes. They are manifestations of her powers.

Toad is hopping around the 3 newcomers. "So what is it you can do? Huh? Huh? Huh? Hu...ack!" he suddenly says as Neutron's hand grabs Toad around his throat.

"Listen to me you irritating little wart," Neutron says in a threatening manner. "If you wish to keep your neck intact stay away from me!"

"Hey!" Fred says angrily at having his friend picked on. He grabs Neutron by the arm and wrenches the boy's hand away from Toad's throat. Toad's hands go to his throat as he gasps for breath.

Fred lifts Neutron off the ground by the arm. "You leave my friend alone!" he demands.

Neutron sneers and conjures up an energy ball in his free hand and smashes it into Fred's face.

Fred stumbles back roaring in pain covering his face with his hands as he drops Neutron. Neutron's lips curl up into a satisfied smile which fades a little bit when Fred removes his hands and Neutron sees the mountainous teen's face is only covered in soot and not hurt in anyway but is twisted by pure rage and anger.

"No-one does that to the Blob!" Fred roars and charges at Neutron smashing into the boy with his large girth sending Neutron sailing through a wall.

Neutron strides back in a minute later dusting himself off. "It takes a lot more than that to hurt me!" he yells angrily.

Fred grins and cracks his knuckles in happy anticipation of laying a hurting on this guy. "I was hoping you would say that."

"Enough!" Mystique screams. "In case it escaped your attention you are now team-mates. Act like it!" she commands. "And remember one thing Neutron. Magneto gave you your powers. Do you doubt he could take them away," she says as a threat to hang over the young man's head whom she knows has bullying tendencies. He only responds to a serious threat.

Her words seems to make Neutron more compliant as he nods obediently.

"Better," Mystique says satisfied. "Now we will do proper introductions once you are settled in," she tells the new arrivals. "Alicia show them to their rooms."

Alicia does as asked as always. As they leave Plastique mutters "Cet endroit est crasseux. J'ai vu plus propre toilettes."

Pietro goes weak at the knees and a giddy smile adorns his face. A hot looking redhead and French on top of it. 'There is a God and he loves me,' he thinks to himself.

Of course what Pietro is missing is that what she said was "This place is filthy. I've seen cleaner toilets."

* * *

**At the Institute...**

20 whole minutes of failure. That is how long Clark has been trying to make himself float although he really thinks the Professor is badly running out of ideas if he thinks having Clark stand on the edge of the roof is suppose to help in any way.

The Professor had explained it as about feeling the wind in his hair and getting as close to simulating floating above the ground as possible without actually doing that.

Clark is not feeling it.

Therefore he is as rooted to the roof as he normally is to the ground.

From the ground below the Professor speaks knowing Clark will hear him. "Close your eyes Clark. Calm your mind and try to recall what you were feeling that day in your dream when you woke up floating."

Clark closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and tries to calm his mind. The problem is that as soon as he tries to do that all the sounds from Bayville rush in because it takes constant conscious effort to focus his hearing to keep them out.

The screams, cries, voices, crashes, engines revving, bin lids clanging, doors slamming, those and thousands of other every day noises make it impossible for Clark to focus completely on recalling that feeling of happy contentment he had experienced in that dream.

It just was not happening.

Clark opens his eyes and drops to the ground. He gives the Professor a sad shake of his head to say that no he can't find the answer or the trigger to his floating ability and he is beginning to wonder if he ever will.

With yet another failed attempt to add to the collection Clark heads back inside and sees Rogue hasn't finished her physical yet. He wanders around the corridors of the mansion looking for something to do until then. He is passing the library when he hears a frustrated growl from inside. He pokes his head in the door to find Wanda sitting at a table scoring something out on a piece of paper in a fit of temper.

Clark guesses she is doing some homework the Professor assigned her. Since Wanda was locked up for her teenage years she is a long way behind in her education and the Professor was tutoring her.

"Need some help?"

Wanda jumps for a moment before glaring at him. "Don't do that!" she snaps at him for sneaking up on her.

"Sorry," Clark apologises as he walks in. "So how are you doing?"

"I hate maths!" Wanda declares passionately.

"Maths isn't so hard."

"For you maybe," Wanda mutters.

"So apart from the evil mathematics how are things?" he asks curiously.

If it was anyone else Wanda would tell them it was none of their business but Clark is...Wanda doesn't have a description. He is just...nice and even Wanda feels at ease around him. "Alright I guess," she replies. Wanda wasn't unhappy being here and for once in her life the urge to go find and hurt her father was starting to not be her all consuming passion.

"Do you want some help?" he asks in regards to her homework.

"You want to do school work?" Wanda asks unable to fathom that. The others she knew were virtually dancing for joy that school was over for them.

Clark shrugs. "School work doesn't bother me and until Rogue is finished her physical I really have nothing better to do. Besides you look like you need help," he explains.

"The hero swooping in to the rescue huh?"

Clark's eyebrows rise a tad in surprise. That was as close to a joke as he has ever heard Wanda make. "So help? Yes? No?"

"Yes," Wanda concedes because she is hopelessly stuck.

Over the course of the next while Clark helps her and Wanda has to admit that Clark's warm easy going manner somehow makes it all seem easier. She even finds it funny how he pokes fun at himself and in that way making her learning experience fun too.

* * *

"Hmm. Interesting."

Rogue rolls her eyes as Mr McCoy says that for like the hundredth time. Seriously he needs to get new material and she can't for the life of her figure out what is so damn interesting. It's a physical. She does them 4 times a year. Everyone does. They are quarterly and not annual because...well simply because they're mutants and their bodies are going through more radical changes than your average teenager but back on to her original train of thought about Mr McCoy's mutterings. Rogue has already ran the required 5 miles and is now lying on her back pushing weights. What is interesting about that?

"How are you feeling?" Hank asks.

"Fahne," Rogue replies although she is starting to feel the burn in her arms. "Why?" she asks back since Mr McCoy never asks something without a reason.

"Rogue are you aware that you are lifting 30 pounds above your old record."

"Ah...no," she says a little perplexed by how she is doing that.

"You haven't been putting in any extra work or lifting?" Hank needs to make sure.

"No."

"You can stop," Hank tells her.

Rogue replaces the weight and sits up. "What is going on?" she asks. "How can Ah suddenly lift so much more?"

"It's not just the weights. You beat your best time on the run by over 30 seconds," Hank informs her.

Rogue is near astounded. She likes to keep in good shape but there is no way she can have improved that much. She didn't even feel like she had been doing anything different from her last physical.

Hank looks over his notes and scratches his head. He is as perplexed as Rogue is. Her blood tests are normal for her. He doesn't get it.

"Do ya have any ideas?" Rogue asks.

"I have only a couple of theories and not ones I can prove right now without more tests."

"Please tell meh," she asks needing to know and beat back her worries.

Hanks removes the little round glasses off his face. "I have 2 possibilities. One this is a natural evolution of your powers that includes an enhancement of your physique. Two this is a side-effect of your powers enhancing your physique."

"Side-effect?" Rogue queries with some trepidation at what that could mean.

Hank tries to word this careful and as sensitively as he can. "Rogue the truth is the Professor and I don't fully understand how your powers work. You have absorbed a great many people and they all leave an impression on you. It is possible there is an accumulative effect."

Hank expands on what he thinks this accumulative effect is. That her increased strength and speed may be her body's reaction as it tries to deal with the lingering remnants of the powers she absorbs.

Rogue tries to put on a brave façade but on the inside she is deeply worried about what this could mean long term. Would it eventually affect her powers as well? Her mental state, would that be altered as time past?

Mr McCoy could give her no answers until he ran further tests so all that left Rogue with was her fears.

* * *

It is nearing bedtime and despite the fact it is quite late there was still something Scott needed to do. He needed a question answered about something that has been plaguing his thoughts for quite some time and now that the exams were over with Scott had decided this was the moment to get that question answered. It is to do with a feeling. One that has been growing inside him every day. Something he feels from even the simplest pleasure of being in her company.

He reaches his destination and knocks on the door. He is beckoned inside.

"Hi Mr Kent. You busy?"

Jonathan shakes his head in the negative. Even if he did have something to do he would make the time to help one of the students and he can tell from Scott's tense expression and manner that something is troubling the young man. "What can I help you with?"

Scott closes the door behind him and starts pacing a little. Being ironic here Jonathan is worried Scott is going to work himself up to a coronary here. On that aside Jonathan's condition was...well it was being managed by the drugs he was taking. He wasn't getting any worse at the moment. "Scott," he says the teenager's name. "Whatever it is you can feel free to tell me in confidence," he assures the overly wound-up leader of the X-Men.

Scott stops pacing. He is the leader of the X-Men. He shouldn't be this nervous. "It's just...I have a question I was hoping you could answer."

Jonathan nods. "Do you want to sit down?" he asks in case this is something that might take some time to answer.

Scott shakes his head. He is too nervous to sit. He takes a deep breath. Here goes. "Mr Kent. How do you know when you're in love?"

Jonathan's eyebrows rise significantly. That's a question. He persuades Scott to sit down and Jonathan spends some time imparting all the wisdom he has.

* * *

_Rogue finds herself walking through the mansion. It is deathly quiet. Where is everyone?_

_Rogue searches and searches but finds no-one so she tries the lower levels. She enters the Danger Room where she finds everyone, all her friends, the adults, everyone chained up to the walls._

_She runs over to Kitty as she is the nearest. Her friend's head is drooping down so Rogue moves to lift it up and try and wake Kitty up. As soon as Rogue touches Kitty though the familiar rush hits her as she absorbs Kitty's life-force. _

_Rogue steps back quickly releasing her hold. She hadn't realised she wasn't wearing her gloves. She looks down at her hands and her eyes widen as she looks at the purple skin that now cover them. Her head snaps to the side where a mirror stands and Rogue sees her entire body is now purple like...like..._

"_Looking good sis!"_

_Rogue's head snaps round the other way. "Parasite!" she hisses._

_Parasite smirks as he walks over and drains Jean. "Ah. The rush is wonderful isn't it," he says in perverse pleasure at the rush he gets from draining Jean._

"_What? How? Where?"_

_Parasite chuckles. "Relax sis. I know it takes awhile to get use to all those minds but come on you have to remember how you helped capture them all. Just imagine what we'll do with their power," he says practically drooling at the possibilities. "Especially his," Parasite adds pointing directly in front of Rogue._

_Rogue looks down in front of her to find her hands on Clark's face draining the life out of him. She should let go. She really wants to let go...only it feels so good. All that power coursing through her veins. She starts to laugh giddily, drunk on the power._

"_Rogue," Clark gives one last desperate moan before he collapses._

_Rogue smirks at the sight, licks her fingers and says "Yummy!"_

"Noooo!" Rogue screams as she shoots up in bed. "No. No. Gawd no!" she says desperately trying to kick her covers off. She curls up in a ball at the top of her bed rocking back and forth.

"Rogue?" Kitty queries as she moves towards her friend.

"Stay away!" Rogue screams at her.

Kitty doesn't do that. She sits on the edge of Rogue's bed instead. The screaming had inevitably woken her up. "Rogue. It's ok. It's me Kitty."

Rogue takes some shaky breaths as she looks intently at Kitty and tries to reconcile the state she thought she just saw Kitty was in to what her eyes are seeing now. "Kitty?"

Kitty smiles reassuringly. "That's right. You were having a dream."

Rogue's eyes shift back and forth scanning the room. She is on her bed. She looks down at her hands wrapped around her legs to see them fair skinned and not purple. "A dream?" she asks.

Kitty can see from the wild fearful look in Rogue's eyes that it must have been a doozy. "Take some deep breaths," Kitty advises. "Slow down. Everything's alright," she reassures her friend.

Rogue tries to do just that when there is a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Kitty says as she stands up heads to the door and phases her head through to see who it is. She should have guessed. "Hi Clark."

Deep concern is burned on Clark's face. Even in the dark Kitty can see it. "Hi Kitty...uh..."

"You heard Rogue scream," Kitty assumes.

Clark nods and runs his hand through his hair.

"It's...she's just had a bad dream. That's all."

"Is she...does she...need anything?" he asks wanting to do something to help.

"Hang on a minute," Kitty tells him as she phases back inside the room. She wanders over to the the bed where Rogue is starting to look a bit more gathered together. "Rogue?"

Rogue looks at Kitty.

"Clark's here if you want to talk to him."

Kitty can almost see the gears in Rogue's head grind round as she thinks that over before Rogue shakes her head. "Ah...no," she says in a whisper. "Ah can't. Not right now."

Kitty nods in understanding and goes and tells Clark. She can see the deep worry flash across his features. "She'll be fine. I'll make sure of it," she promises him.

Clark reluctantly accepts. He would never go against Rogue's wishes. "Ok but tell her if she needs me..."

"Just call your name," Kitty fills in.

Clark nods.

"Sure. You should go and get some sleep."

Clark half smiles. "Kitty if you were me could you get back to sleep?"

"Probably not," Kitty admits assuming Clark is referring to how worried he must be. Kinda hard to sleep when you feel like that.

Kitty watches as Clark walks at a human pace away down the corridor stretching his arms out as he goes making his back muscles ripple which Kitty can see because Clark is only wearing a pair of boxer shorts. Good Lord Rogue is so lucky because seriously a topless Clark with bed-tousled hair is so sexy it makes Kitty want to give those brotherly feelings she associates with Clark the shove. He looks like the perfect example of a woman's bedroom fantasy.

'Bad Kitty,' she mentally scolds herself. That is your best friend's boyfriend. Your best friend who needs you right now. Kitty phases back into the room and sits herself back down on Rogue's bed. "You ok?" she asks with concern.

Rogue nods slowly. She was back in control.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kitty asks in a soft voice.

Rogue thinks that over for several moments before deciding, "Not tonight."

"Ok," Kitty accepts seeing that Rogue is not ready to talk about whatever it was she dreamt about.

"Ya should go back ta bed," Rogue tells Kitty not wishing to spoil her friend's sleep due to her crazy brain.

"Nah," Kitty says. If Rogue isn't ready to talk Kitty can at least stay up with her friend and keep her company. "Do want me to go raid the kitchen and get something for you?"

Food. Rogue supposes she could try and eat her anxieties away. "Get something really really fattening," she requests since the really good comfort foods were always the most fattening.

Kitty sighs. "There like goes my trim waistline," she bemoans theatrically.

Rogue smiles a tiny smile as Kitty takes the shortest way down to the kitchen and phases through the floor. Her smile then fades away as the images of her dream continue to haunt her. Rogue has never told anyone this but she as in that dream, what Parasite is, that is what she fears becoming one day. Just this insane power leech that craves to drain people but worse than that she becomes a monster who actually enjoys the feelings of power.

When Mr McCoy earlier had said her powers could be slowly changing it brought all those fears back to the surface. The thought she could do what she did in that dream to her friends...to Clark...

Rogue buries her head in her hands. No. She will never become that. Not ever. She could never hurt Clark. She loves him and that is what caused her to wake up screaming. The fact she drained the boy she loves and enjoyed doing so. That idea is just so horrific her mind must have just snapped her awake.

Shortly Kitty returns many unhealthy snacks in hand. The two of them sit crossed legged on Rogue's bed sharing the snacks and talking and Rogue can tell Kitty is trying to cheer her up. It is why despite the many ways Kitty does genuinely annoy Rogue she is glad Kitty is her friend.

* * *

**Several days later at one of Magneto's Bases...**

Mystique had been summoned and she finds Magneto sitting on a metal throne essentially in shadow.

"It's time," he announces.

Mystique did not need to be told time for what. "What do you need of me?"

"I will have a couple of tasks for you to do but your main job will be to keep the Brotherhood uninvolved. They must not be seen. I have plans for them in the aftermath that will only work if no-one knows who they are. They will be the start of a, to coin a phrase, Fifth Column."

Mystique nods in understanding. Wise military strategy as matter of fact to have a hidden covert force within the general populus.

Magneto gets to his feet. "It's time," he repeats. He strides out of the shadow into the light and stands there at his full intimidating height in his armour, cape and helmet. "Time for our people to stop hiding in the shadows because of the tyranny of mankind. Time for us to claim our destiny and take our place as the dominant species of the planet. The time of Homo Sapiens has past. Homo Superior is the future and our children will be the ones who inherit the earth. Time for the war to begin for the Day of Humanity's Reckoning has come at last."

* * *

_Author's Note: Bit of a filler chapter I know but I like the dream Rogue had that shows what she fears becoming. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; And so it begins as Magneto starts moving the pieces into place...and Clark has his own foreboding dream._


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

_Clark is soaring through the sky, the wind blowing through his hair. Flying...it is amazing. To feel so free...so liberated. It is like all the world's troubles just melt away._

_Clark closes his eyes and just feels the world around him. It is so quiet and peaceful and so unlike what he has to put up with closer to the ground thanks to his super sense of hearing._

_Suddenly someone pushes him sending him tumbling through the air. He opens his eyes to find a certain girl with brown hair with a white stripe smiling mischievously. "Tag! You're it!" she announces playfully before she flies off._

_A smile comes to Clark's face. Oh she wants to play does she. Well Clark can play this game as well as he zips off after her. He can catch her easily. He knows it. She knows it so Clark deliberately takes it easy and she has become very adept at weaving through the clouds to hide from him._

_Again Clark could find her easily but this game is so much more fun if he refrains from using his super senses._

_Clark chases her through and around the clouds and just hearing her laugh merrily and so care free makes his own heart swell with happiness. He dives into one particularly dense cloud and watches her come to a stop and wonder where he has gone. Clark watches her float slowly around coming nearer and nearer and...now!_

_He zips out of the clouds and gently collides into her, wrapping his arms around her as the two of them tumble through the air. "Ha! Got you!" he crows triumphantly._

_She pouts. "Ya cheated!" she declares._

"_No I didn't," he denies her accusation. "I'm just better."_

"_Ha! In your dreams Space Boy!"_

"_Wouldn't you like to know what I dream about." His lips curve up in a sultry smile and his voice drops to a husky baritone. "Or more accurately who I dream about," he whispers in her ear and he can feel her shiver in his arms._

_He looks deeply into her eyes. "I love you Anna," he declares his feelings._

"_Ah love ya too sugah," she says in return._

_He lowers his lips to hers and kisses her. The kisses quickly become more passionate. Hands start to reach under each other's clothing and Clark knows where this is headed but he doesn't stop. He can't. He wants to feel her in every way possible. In that ultimate intimate way._

_Unseen to the couple dark thunder clouds roll in. Lightning cracks across them illuminating them from within._

"_Kal-El!" Jor-El's voice booms across the sky._

_Clark breaks apart from Rogue._

"_It is time Kal-El!" Kal-El voice commands._

_Clark shakes his head. "No!" he shouts in denial._

"_I have tolerated your disobedience long enough!"_

"_I don't want to go! You can't make me!"_

"_The choice is no longer yours to make!" Jor-El's echoing voice says with dark foreboding. The thunder clouds then bulge out towards Clark taking on the shape of a giant grasping hand._

_Clark tries to fly away but he can't seem to move and the hand wraps around his entire body in an unbreakable grip before dragging him away from Rogue whose name he calls out until she vanishes from sight as he is pulled into the utter blackness of the clouds._

Clark's eyes shoot open, he gasps for breath covered in a cold sweat and he finds himself floating above his bed. The inevitable happens as gravity resumes its grip and he plunges down.

CRACK!

The bed frame breaks under his weight and momentum.

Clark rolls onto his back ignoring the fact he just broke another bed for the moment as he brings his hands up to cover his face and he tries to reign his emotions in.

'What was that about?' he wonders.

Clark lies there for several minutes trying to figure it out. Then a voice from a memory echoes around his head.

_"When the day approaches I will send for you."_

Dawning horror manifests itself in Clark's head as it all clicks together along with this sudden strong urge that he needs to leave.

Clark understands now though he wishes he didn't.

It is Jor-El.

Jor-El is summoning him.

* * *

"Are you sure sweetie?" Martha asks after Clark tells his parents about his dream. In fact he had woken them up needing to desperately share this and now they all stood in their varying night garments in his parents' room.

"It's..." Clark starts to say and then stops as he tries to find the words to explain. "It's hard to explain. It just hit me suddenly...this feeling...this urge. There is a part of me screaming that I have to leave and I can feel the pull westward."

"Towards Smallville," Jonathan guesses.

Clark nods to confirm his father's guess.

Jonathan and Martha share a look. Here it was. The moment they had been dreading.

"So what will you do Clark?" Jonathan asks his son.

"The only thing I can do," Clark says with sad resignation at his fate. "I have to leave."

"Honey no," Martha says desperately, not wishing to lose him.

"Mom I have to," Clark reiterates. "I don't want to," he qualifies that. God no he doesn't want to. It is just about the last thing he wants to do. "But if I don't we don't know what Jor-El will do to you or the others to force me to obey," he expresses his biggest fear. "Besides I haven't given up hoping I can persuade him that there is another way," he adds although Clark is stumped to know what way that is since any argument he comes up with he thinks Jor-El will just shoot down as Clark's logic being compromised by emotion.

Jonathan and Martha have to very reluctantly accept that Clark is not going to be dissuaded.

"Very well son," Jonathan says. "If you're going we won't stop you. However we will be coming with you."

"Dad no," Clark objects strongly. "You can't. I can't..."

"Can't what?" Jonathan prompts Clark to finish.

Clark bow his head. "I can't protect you," he says in a low whisper almost laced with shame at the fact that he for all his power can't protect his parents. Not from his biological father.

Martha moves forward and pulls Clark into a hug. "Honey. It's our job to protect you," she tells him. "And we are not letting you face Jor-El alone," she says in a tone that offers no room for argument. After all look what happened last summer when Clark chose to handle it alone. The memories are still painful for Martha although she forgave Clark for any of it. He is her son. Nothing will ever change that.

Clark takes several moment to enjoy his mother's embrace. He always loves how safe it can make him feel.

When Martha steps back Clark makes a nodding motion. "Ok. We'll go together," he accepts.

"We'll have to tell Charles," Martha remembers as well as everyone else.

"It can wait until the morning," Clark decides not wanting to wake anyone up. "Jor-El can wait a few hours."

Jonathan and Martha agree with that sentiment. Martha looks at her son intently. "What about Rogue?" she asks knowing how deeply Clark cares for the Goth.

Pain flickers in Clark's eyes. "I'll tell her," he promises, with his voice cracking with emotion because if this confrontation with Jor-El does not go well it is possible he may never see her again which would just break his heart.

* * *

**At Trask's secret base...**

Bolivar Trask was looking over the results of the last performance tests on his prototype Sentinel. The thing about prototypes is that it can take awhile to get all the bugs out. It was still too slow and some of its weapons targeting systems were still off by several degrees. However he was confident of fixing those in short order.

As much as Trask does not like to rely on anyone he must admit that if it wasn't for Lionel Luthor's money he could not be this far along. Luthor's aims were inevitably money driven but Trask could deal with that. Once his Sentinels were ready he would no longer need people like Lionel Luthor. Governments would be breaking down Trask's door to get Sentinels to deal with their mutants.

Finally a method of controlling mutants would be ready. Trask had his own vision of how that would work. His Sentinels would hunt out and capture every mutant on the planet so they could be placed in camps where their powers could be utilised for the good of mankind and it is also handy to have mutants in a few locations grouped together in case it became necessary to exterminate them. Much easier that way.

Back onto his issue with the Sentinels Trask thought a test run against a real living mutant would be a good next step and as fate would have it his men had picked up signs of a mutant nearby. One Trask knew from his Weapon X days. Victor Creed aka Sabretooth. He was a very dangerous mutant and Trask at first wondered what Sabretooth was doing in the area. He worried for a brief moment that perhaps he had been discovered but when his men did some investigating they found a fire and makeshift bed in one of the abandoned warehouses above.

By pure coincidence it seemed Sabretooth had made home above Trask's secret underground base. It was perfect. They will capture Sabretooth and use him as a test subject but capturing him had proved difficult. Sabretooth's movements were erratic and he never slept in the same place twice but they would get him. Trask could be patient. He has waited over 15 years since the end of Weapon X. A few more days would hardly trouble him.

The time was drawing near Trask had no doubt that all of this, mutants, the cover up that has hidden them for decades, it would all come out. When the public learned the truth they would demand something is done and Trask would be ready to meet that demand but first he had to capture Sabretooth and get his Sentinel ready. With that in mind Trask decides to oversee the capture of Sabretooth personally.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

It was after breakfast and Clark was hanging around outside the Professor's office waiting for his parents so they could all inform the Professor of what was going on together.

It is really without meaning to Clark picks up the conversation the Professor is currently having with Logan.

"Sabretooth?" Logan snarls.

"Yes. Cerebro has been picking him up for a few days now. At first I didn't think much of it but the detections have all been in a fairly localised area on the outskirts of New York. He seems to be hanging around for lack of a better phrase," the Professor says.

"He's up to something," Logan states plainly knowing Sabretooth as well as he does.

"Yes I am beginning to agree. We all know Magneto will make a move eventually. Perhaps this is him sending Sabretooth to scout ahead. It perhaps indicates there is something more to this area than appears on a map."

"You want me to go and...ask Creed _nicely_ what he is up to?"

"Yes but it could be a faint so I won't risk sending the X-Men until we are certain what is going on so you would be on your own," Charles says sounding a little reluctant to do that but is tempered by the fact he knows Logan can more than adequately look after himself.

"Fine by me Chuck. I work better on my own anyways."

Clark then hears Logan's footsteps a few moments before he opens the door. Logan comes to a halt when he spots Clark. "Needing to see the Prof?"

Clark doesn't want to give away he was eavesdropping. "Yes," he says simply. "I mean if he's not busy," Clark qualifies.

"Nah. Just go in," Logan tells Clark as he walks off to collect his gear and go hunt Sabretooth down.

Clark takes a breath and walks in to the office.

"Clark," Charles greets the tall teen. "How can I help you?"

"I...err...it's nothing major. I just broke my bed again."

"Another floating dream?" Charles inquires with a little frown of irritation at how he hasn't been able to help Clark control that ability yet.

"Well actually it was a flying dream this time," Clark admits.

Charles arches an eyebrow. It wasn't a huge leap from floating to flying so perhaps Clark can actually do that. Well that is for another time when he is not trying to deal with Magneto. He needs to get down to Cerebro and set it to track Logan so Charles can keep an eye on his friend. "Very well you may take a bed from a spare room," Charles permits while mentally noting to order another replacement bed and not just for Clark. The others break theirs on occasion. He wonders if he can get beds in bulk on a discount.

Clark thanks the Professor, leaves the office and closes the door. Yes that wasn't what he was suppose to talk to the Professor about but if Magneto is up to something Clark can't leave now. His friends might need him and if it turns out to be nothing than surely Jor-El can wait a day or two for Clark to be certain.

At that moment Rahne wanders up to Clark, phone in hand. "Clark. Phone. Yer friend Chloe," she tells him in that Scottish brogue of hers that is kind of endearing.

"Thanks Rahne," he says as he takes the phone. "Hi Chloe. What's up?"

Clark's brow furrows as he listen to her. He spots his parents coming to have that meeting with the Professor which he just put off. He raises his hand telling them to wait a minute as he finishes his phone call with Chloe.

* * *

A short time later back up in his parent's room Clark explains why he has put off leaving. He now has two reasons. Chloe's phone call was informing him that Morgan Edge was found murdered last night.

Clark feels really guilty for this as a man is dead but in a way he is glad that Morgan Edge can no longer threaten his parents with Edge knowing about Clark's powers. It leads on to Clark's second reason he can't leave.

"You really think Lionel is responsible?" Jonathan asks his son at what Clark had speculated his belief as to what had happened and who is responsible.

"After all hasn't there been a 'gang war' going on in Metropolis lately," Martha recalls from Clark mentioning it after one of his conversations with Chloe as in a man like Edge had a lot of enemies any one of which could have killed him.

Clark purses his lips. "We all know Lionel is up to something," he reiterates the known fact. "What if this is Lionel burning his bridges, removing anyone who is a threat to him before he...does whatever he plans to do with the MRD. I can't leave until I'm certain about this and whether Magneto is up to something. They could need my power."

"What about Jor-El?" Jonathan asks.

"I know he'll probably think it is me being emotional but I won't leave my friends when they need me. He can do his worst to me. It doesn't matter as long as I know everyone is alright."

After a brief addendum to the conversation the 3 Kents agree to put off leaving until they are sure nothing sinister is going on.

* * *

**New York...**

It had taken Logan hours to get a definite scent trail on Sabretooth. In fact the sun had set and it was dark and Logan found himself doing his least favourite thing in the whole world. Walking through the sewers.

Honestly for Logan's heightened senses it is just awful beyond description. The scents almost literally burn his nostril hairs. It also made it very hard to pinpoint Creed's smell which is why Logan had no doubt Creed came down here in an attempt to hide his scent.

Him and Creed had been enemies as literally far back as Logan could remember. There was even a few fleeting World War 2 memories of them fighting each other over something that Logan couldn't remember. Creed looked more human back then as Logan recalls. Somewhere in the intervening decades Creed's mutation had altered his appearance to more animal like.

Logan can't remember what started it between him and Creed only that he knows it will never end until one of them kills the other. The hatred was that strong.

Logan continues to walk through the sewers trying to find a fresh scent. He is dressed in his light brown and black uniform which he intends to burn after this mission is over. He'll say it again. He hates sewers. He hates thinking about what he is walking through.

Oh look there goes a dead rat floating by.

It's a good thing Logan has a strong stomach. When this is over he is taking a long long bike ride to get away from it all for at least a week and maybe try and forget this experience. He hates sewers!

Finally under all the other smells he catches a whiff of a fresh trace of Sabretooth. Logan runs off down one of the dark tunnels until he comes to a four-way junction. The scent is strong. Sabretooth is near. Logan stalks the area slowly watching the shadows. Creed liked to hide in the shadows and watch his prey and smell their fear before he ambushed them.

Logan, however, is one person Creed can't intimidate. He isn't afraid.

Just then his sensitive hearing detects something. The sound of a heavy boot adjusting on a pipe...from above him!

Logan rolls out of the way just as Sabretooth, with a roar, tries to pounce on him.

With all the agility of a cat Sabretooth lands on his feet. "Hello runt," Creed greets his old enemy with a feral grin. "Always a pleasure to try and end your life Wolverine."

Logan snarls and pops his claws. "What are you up to Creed?" he demands to know, remembering why he is here. To find out what Sabretooth is doing here.

Sabretooth grins knowingly. "You'll see soon enough. But first things first I get to have some fun." He then leaps at Logan trying to slash his smaller foe with his claws. Logan dodges the blow and swipes his claws at Sabretooth's chest leaving 3 cuts in the hairy flesh which start to heal over.

Problem with healing factors is that you have to inflict massive damage in a short time scale and keep inflicting damage faster than it can heal. Ideally the quickest way to end it is to cut your opponent's head off.

Sabretooth roars in pain and almost loses himself to his temper and blood-lust as the two old foes battle in the narrow confined space of the sewer tunnel. He manages to land a blow to Wolverine's side that would have broken a normal man's ribs but Logan's bones were unbreakable. He grabs Logan and slams him into the wall.

"Had enough yet runt?" Sabretooth taunts Logan.

Logan snarls. "Never!" he declares.

"Then catch me if you can," Sabretooth challenges Logan before running off. He has not forgotten his mission and he needs Logan to be in a specific location.

Logan chases Sabretooth through the tunnels until they are in the ones just under the pavement as above their heads Logan can see large metal grills that allow storm water in. Then there is an odd pull Logan can feel on his bones. One of the grills above his head moves and blocks his way to Sabretooth. Magneto. Had to be.

The grill then starts to warp and bend around Logan's form forcing him into a crouched position. The pull on his bones means he can't get himself to fight it but Magneto can't hold him forever. Of course this confirms the Professor's suspicions. Magneto was up to something.

Sabretooth smirks at the sight and of the two men dressed like soldiers watching in the distance. He had to say Magneto had planned this perfectly and as much as Sabretooth would love to stick around and finish Logan off, orders were orders.

As Sabretooth starts to head up the ladder to the surface Logan cuts himself free just moments before a large floating sphere comes down in between Sabretooth and Wolverine. Time to go Creed knows and the last Sabretooth sees of Logan is as the sphere fires a weapon and encases him in a kind of green jelly looking substance.

Logan tries to fight it off but the substance hardens around his body until he can't move. The sphere lowers to a foot off the bottom of the sewer tunnel. It opens up and out steps Trask. He had been hunting Sabretooth but instead what does he find?

Trask almost smiles. "Wolverine," he speaks the name even despite knowing his captive foe can't hear him. Trask isn't so surprised as matter of fact to see Logan. He remembers how much Creed and Logan hated each other. No surprise to find them trying once again to kill each other.

One of his men runs up to Trask and salutes. "Dr Trask we lost track of the other target," he regretfully informs his superior.

"It does not matter because we have something better. Have him transferred to the testing facility and we will see how Weapon X stacks up against my Sentinel."

The man salutes once more. "Yes sir!"

Trask watches on as his men start to move Wolverine. This will be both informative and gratifying. He can finally make Logan pay for everything he did to his Weapon X colleagues. Trask has a feeling this is going to be a very good day.

* * *

Up on a rooftop some distance away Sabretooth meets up with Magneto. "They have him," he informs the Master of Magnetism.

"Excellent. Now it begins Sabretooth. Time to make humanity dance to our tune."

This was only the start of what Magneto has planned. It would soon be time to get Charles and the X-Men into place. Magneto had no wish to harm his old friend only to open Charles' eyes and have him see first hand how hopeless his idealism is. To show him what humans are capable of doing. That is the one thing Charles has never understood.

Magneto rubs his arm where his tattooed number is. That is how he understands humanity and when Charles sees and understands this they will stand side-by-side once more leading their people into the future.

Out of the corner of his eye Magneto glimpses Haze's green mist as she brings Mystique to him.

"You understand what I wish you to do," he asks of Mystique having already informed her of the 1st task he has for her.

"Yes," she replies. "When do you wish it to be done."

"It can wait until the morning. That will give Charles plenty of time to work up such a worry he won't hesitate to charge in to the rescue."

Mystique nods, transforms into a raven and flies off across the rooftops.

"Haze," Magneto addresses the teen dressed in her green uniform.

Alicia steps forward. "Yes Magneto."

"Take Sabretooth and I back to Base 3. We have a few hours to wait and Acolytes to prepare for the morning's activities."

Alicia places a hand each on Magneto and Sabretooth's arms and the 3 teleport away.

* * *

The last thing Logan remembers is having the life quite literally squeezed out of him as the strange substance enveloped his body. Now as he regains consciousness he has a strange sense of being in motion. As he opens his eyes he finds himself in an elevator that is heading down.

Logan tries to move but finds himself on his knees in heavy restraints. His hands are behind his back, pointed away from each other and his hands are not covered. Whoever did this knew what he was and what he could do.

Logan sniffs the air and picks up the smells associated with soldiers. The scent of metal and leather and gunpowder and sweat associated with wearing heavy combat gear. He looks around and the style of the facility he is in...it looks familiar. All military organisations have their own unique aesthetic. "This looks like SHIELD."

"Hardly," a voice to Logan's left scoffs. Logan looks in that direction to see man with dark hair, greying at the sides and a moustache.

Trask looks down at Logan. "Awake at last I see...Logan."

Logan's eyes widen at how this man knows his name.

Trask half smiles. "Yes I do know who you are and yes I am all too well aware you don't remember me. They thought you would be easier to control if they wiped your memory."

Logan growls at the meaning of Trask's words. "You were part of it," he says with barely controlled anger at meeting one of the people responsible for destroying his life.

"I was the poor relation to the department responsible for your creation. My superiors at the time believed that mutants had to be used to control other mutants. I was of a different opinion so I only ever got token funding. To humour me you understand."

Even though Trask doesn't say it it really caught in his throat that his ideas were overlooked. Fools and idiots. Trask continues, "After you...handed in your notice," he phrases what Logan did, "I took my services to SHIELD. At first they seemed interested in my work. I made good progress and then one day without any warning or explanation my project was cancelled. At first I couldn't understand why but eventually it dawned on me. Fury and his short-sighted organisation were gutless and unprepared to do what was necessary to control you..._freaks."_

The loathing in Trask's voice makes Logan understand exactly what type of person Trask is. "Oh great. A fanatic. Want to tell me what mutants ever did to you bub? Some of us have fought the good fight."

"I know Logan. I know more than you'll ever understand. I know that mutants are a threat to the purity of the human race. You pollute our gene pool. You need to be isolated and contained and those with useful powers put to work for the good of the rest of humanity."

"And those that are not useful?" Logan asks.

"They need to be exterminated...for the good of the rest of humanity."

Which is only one step down from preaching outright and total genocide. Great. Logan knows this guy's type. He can't be dissuaded from his actions. He believes that everything he does can be justified. In essence he is the human version of Magneto.

The elevator comes to a stop and Logan finds himself shoved out and into a large open area which is currently mostly in darkness. A few minutes pass.

"Logan!" a voice shouts from a balcony high up above. Logan looks up. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Bolivar Trask. I want you to remember that for what remains of your life."

Logan lets out a low growl. "What's your game Trask?" he shouts back. "I mean there must be a reason you haven't got rid of me yet."

"Quite right. There is. You see after SHIELD shut me down I parted company with them so I could continue my work. Remember that project I mentioned that SHIELD wouldn't let me finish. Well I've finished it without them and it needs a little test run and you are my chosen test subject."

Logan's restraints come undone and fall away.

"Mutant powers uncontrolled pose a threat to mankind so I have created the ultimate means of control...of dealing with the mutant threat," Trask tells Logan.

The remaining lights in the area go out. Logan pops his claws in readiness for...he doesn't know. He can't smell anything beyond all the metal around him.

"Behold the guardian of the human race!" Trask proclaims.

Logan backs up slowly trying to reach a wall so at least there is one direction he can't be attacked from. What he doesn't see is something huge start to move in the shadows behind him. Not until a giant metal foot almost squashes him.

Logan spins round and backs up as a giant 50 foot tall robot steps towards him. In the dark Logan can see it is humanoid with two yellow what would stand in for eyes glowing dimly looking at him.

"MUTANT LIFESIGNS DETECTED," the robot says in a slow mechanical voice.

Trask grins and announces with glee, "Wolverine meet the Sentinel!"

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter is just setting the stage. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men to the rescue...or is that walking right into Magneto's trap?_


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

**At the Institute...**

Charles is down in Cerebro trying to find some trace of Logan. The signal had just vanished suddenly last night. He had sent Storm and Beast to Logan's last known location and all they found was a twisted metal grill that had obviously been cut with Logan's claws and most likely bent by Magneto's power. Charles was deeply worried about what he has sent his friend into and if he had some idea where Logan was he would send the X-Men to find him. This confirms that Magneto was definitely up to something. The question was what. A question Logan might have the answer to if only Charles could find him.

"You should take a break."

So focussed had Charles been there he hadn't heard Storm come in. She walks up behind him and can visibly see the pressure Charles is placing on himself. He takes the headpiece off and rubs his forehead as the wear of using Cerebro catches up with him. Ororo rubs Charles shoulder's to ease his stress. She knew the toll using Cerebro for this long and on the high setting Charles is using does to him. "You know Logan can take care of himself," she tries to reassure her mentor. After all Logan is close to unkillable even in the worse case scenario. Although Ororo feels a deep pang of worry herself. Logan is her friend.

"I know but he's in trouble. Trouble I sent him into," he says expressing his guilt. This is perhaps the worst situation since Asteroid M because again something involving Magneto is going on that Charles has little idea or understanding of.

"Wearing yourself to exhaustion will not help him," Ororo calmly points out. "You should come and have some tea."

Charles opens his mouth to politely decline but Ororo cuts him off. "And I will not accept no for an answer," she says sternly.

Charles has to smile. Under that calm exterior was a woman of strong passions and conviction and immense strength. He concedes to the inevitable. "Very well. A short break," he mollifies her.

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion the students are just having another typical morning of their summer holiday. Some are lounging around. Some are in the rec room. Others are outside working on their tans or swimming in the pool. Others still aren't even up yet. See Tabby for prime example who usually isn't up before noon if there is not a DR session.

Rogue is currently sitting out under a shaded lounger daring to go as far as wearing a light top and shorts which is just about as far as she will go due to her powers. Clark is keeping her company although this last day or so she has noticed he has seemed distracted. In fact he seems lost in his thoughts right at the moment. She puts the book she is reading down for a moment. "Clark. Ya ok?"

"Hmm...what?"

"Ya seem distracted," she expresses her opinion.

"Do I?" he asks seeming to not know what she is on about.

Rogue nods.

"Sorry," he apologises.

"Is everything alright?" she wonders.

"Sure," he says with a smile.

Rogue looks at him and can't help but feel he isn't saying something but then again perhaps she isn't one to talk considering she still hasn't shared with him her freaky turning into Parasite dream. She just wasn't sure where to start. She picks her book back up and resumes reading.

Clark lets his smile fade away, his guilt gnawing at him for lying to his girlfriend but how do you say 'O_h hey Rogue. I do love you but I'm afraid the computer programme that is my biological father has summoned me and I may never see you again.'_.

As far as Clark can figure you don't manage to think of a way. He hasn't mentioned the flying dream or the one he had last night where once again Jor-El's voice called out to him, telling him it was time. Clark just doesn't know what to do.

Across the other side of the pool is Tabby who for this one rare occasion had found herself waking up early and couldn't get back to sleep so she decided to just come outside and work on her tan. Sitting next to her is Wanda who Tabby was slowly starting to get out of her shell. Wanda's exterior was tough to crack but Tabby felt she should try and get Wanda to interact more like a normal person.

"Dayum!" Tabby comments.

Wanda who is reading a text book still attempting to catch up on her education looks at her friend who has her sunglasses perched on the end of her nose. Wanda looks to try and see what Tabby is looking at and it seems to be a shirtless Clark. Wanda sighs. "You say that every day," she says in reflection to Tabby's comments about Clark whenever she spots him showing even the tiniest bit of flesh.

"And why not? I mean...dayum!" Seriously Tabby is totally jealous of Rogue. If she had a boyfriend who looked like that...oh the things she would do. The things she has already done having fun with Clark and Rogue and Scott and Jean as well although Scooter and Red are frankly too easy to wind up because they are both so tense and overly serious. Clark and Rogue were at least a bit of a challenge.

Wanda doesn't get what Tabby is on about really. Ok so yeah even for someone who was locked away for years she can tell Clark is in shape but it doesn't stir anything inside her. Although for a guy who can lift thousands of tons easily you do have to wonder how he gets abs like that.

Tabby smirks as she sees Wanda totally ogling Clark. Ah so there is a teenage girl in there after all.

* * *

In the kitchen Charles is just finishing a cup of Ororo's herbal tea. She was right. He did need a break.

"You know he's probably in some bar drinking," Ororo suggests trying to lighten the mood with a joke about where Logan is.

Charles picks up on what Ororo is doing and runs with it. "Well in that case I leave his dressing down to you upon his return."

The two share a laugh at that although Ororo has a few choice words for Logan for making her worry so when they find him.

At this point Jamie bursts in, phone in hand. "Professor...Logan...sounds urgent," the young teen says between breaths.

Charles takes the phone from Jamie, thanking the young mutant. "Logan? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I was ambushed. Only just managed to escape. Something big is going on down here."

Logan's voice sounded strained, like he was injured. Charles' concern rises but knows Logan will heal shortly. "Who ambushed you Logan?"

"Don't know. I think Magneto set me up. Damn! They're on my trail!" There is a short pause before Logan speaks again. "Look I can't stay here for much longer and I can't seem to shake them."

"Can you hold out until we get there?"

"I think so but you'll need to hurry. I'm down on the lower-east site. The old coal factory."

"Yes I know where that is."

"There should be a big enough space to..." The line goes dead.

"Logan? Logan?" Charles asks with some urgency but nothing. He looks to Storm. "Summon the X-Men. We are leaving immediately."

Storm had overheard enough to know it was bad. She gets to her feet, biting her lower lip in worry.

Charles too is deeply worried. Again it seems he has played into Magneto's game and because of it he may have put his friend's life in danger. Charles quickly rolls out of the kitchen to heads to the lower levels. There was little time for him to correct his mistake.

* * *

In New York Logan stands phone in hand and lets out a dark chuckle as his skin starts to turn blue. A few seconds later and it is Mystique standing there. She rips the receiver of the payphone she is using off.

That was actually kind of fun and any day she can pull the wool over Xavier's eyes is a good one in her book and when the X-Men got here...oh what Mystique would give to see the looks on their faces but alas she won't be here to see it because as with the Brotherhood she is to remain hidden. Her speciality of course but she is fed up of hiding her true form. It is one reason she agreed to work once more for Magneto so she help could bring about a world where she could stride around in her natural form without having to fear lynch mobs.

Well Mystique has to get back to Bayville and get to her job. When all this breaks loose she needs to be there to ensure things pan out for Lionel Luthor the way Magneto wants. Mystique transforms into a raven and flies off into the sky.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Charles watches as the X-Men, now all suited up, board the Velocity. He did not like going into a situation so uninformed but time was of the essence. Charles would go as well. He would use the remote Cerebro headpiece and co-ordinate from the helicopter.

It is then Charles notices Wanda enter the hangar, dressed in her Scarlet Witch uniform. He had hoped to avoid this but can see Wanda won't allow him to escape the confrontation. He rolls to a position blocking her path. "Wanda. What do you think you are doing?"

"My father is involved so I'm going!" she insists in a harsh tone. When she had overheard why the X-Men were being summoned for a mission and heard the word Magneto Wanda knew she had to go.

"Wanda I've tried to help you with your temper but this is not the time nor place for revenge."

Wanda stares into the Professor's eyes. "I have to go. I have to!"

"Wanda..."

"Please Professor," she pleads.

"Wanda your focus on solely nothing but revenge will put your team-mates at risk not to mention your training is still in its early stages."

Wanda feels her anger rising at being denied her chance...nay her right to revenge but if she loses her temper here it will only prove that she is not fit to go with the others. She closes her eyes and counts back from 10. "Professor," she says in a calm voice. "I appreciate everything you have done to help me," she says meaning it genuinely. "But we both know this is never going to end...it is never going to be over for me unless I confront him."

Sooner or later Wanda would need closure. Charles did feel a day would have to come when Wanda and her father would have to meet and sort it out one way or another but he wanted that to be on terms he was comfortable with. Not the middle of a vital mission.

"Professor one way or another I am going to New York," she says as a threat.

Charles can tell she means that but he is afraid of what will happen...of what she will do if she meets her father on her terms in her current state of mind but since she will obviously go right ahead and do it anyway the most Charles can do is try to at least make sure she is not alone. "I'll allow you to come Wanda on one condition. Your actions put no-one else at risk. If you can't promise me that then you are not leaving this mansion."

Wanda concedes that. "I promise Professor. I'll do nothing that harms my friends. Scan my mind if you need to."

Charles is tempted to do just that but trust is a two-way street and he has to show some in her. He just hopes it won't back-fire on him. "Alright. You can come but I'm putting a lot of trust in you Wanda. Don't make me regret it."

"Thank you," she says and heads into the helicopter, her mind already contemplating the showdown with her father. In the Velocity Wanda looks around for a place to sit. Up front she spots Clark helping Scott do the pre-flight checks.

"You sure you don't want to give it a go," Scott asks Clark while looking at the controls. Until they got there it was only a simple short flight.

"No thanks," Clark declines politely.

"You did ace the simulator," Scott reminds Clark.

"I know but that was a simulator Scott and no matter how realistic it may seem or feel to you I always know that we're safely on the ground. Flying still makes me queasy but if you want your nice clean controls puked on then I might consider it."

Scott's face pales at that thought. He loved this helicopter almost as much as he loves his car and the thought of..._that_ messing it up...not a pleasant thought to say the least.

"Could be worse. Could be you know who," Clark says jerking his thumb in Kitty's direction.

Scott shudders at the mere thought of Kitty flying. This is the girl who almost destroyed the simulator which should be impossible.

"Are you like bad-mouthing me again Clark?" Kitty asks when she spots him jerking his thumb in her direction.

"Of course not Kit. What is there about you to bad-mouth...you know apart from your cooking, your dress sense, your taste in music and posters until I swapped them all...whoops. Wasn't suppose to mention that."

Kitty goes red with rage. "You're the one who swapped my posters around for all that punk rock grunge stuff!" she screams.

Clark shrugs it off. "I was trying to make the room better for my girlfriend."

"Which she very much appreciates," Rogue adds loving Kitty's reaction. That was a great day when she and Kitty walked back into their room one evening and Kitty's side had been transformed into a mirror image of Rogue's side. Clark never threw any of Kitty's stuff away. He left it on her bed in a box. It was only a practical joke but until right now he never owned up to it.

Kitty glares at Rogue for that and then back at Clark. Oh they'll pay. When this is over they will pay. Katherine Anne Pryde has spoken.

* * *

The Velocity reaches the place Logan described and Storm points out a place for Scott to land. Luckily the Velocity is fitted with stealth technology that keeps it off radar or they would have never gotten this close to New York without being spotted.

Once the helicopter lands they get out and scout the immediate area of the run down industrial site. Along with the old factory there were abandoned and disused warehouses, packing crates, pieces of machinery and general discarded waste lying around.

They regroup after their brief reconnaissance.

"Anything?" Scott asks.

He gets negatives in the response.

"Man something about this is rotten," Evan comments.

The others agree because Logan said he was being chased yet there are no signs of anything. Not Logan. Not other men. Neither Clark or Jean had picked up anything up. The Professor hadn't as well.

Scott was not liking this at all. It had all the stink of a trap but Logan was missing. That was a fact and they needed to find him. "Alright we'll have to fan out and search the whole area. Pair up and stay in contact," he decides and passes out the orders.

They only get a few steps when Clark freezes. Rogue notices it instantly. "Cyclops," she calls out.

Scott stops, looks at Rogue who gestures for him to look at Clark. Scott knows that look. He has seen it in many a DR session. "What do you hear Clark?"

"Something cutting through the air," Clark reports and then looks up and points at where it is coming from. "There."

Coming towards them and then flying over their heads are several metal spheres.

"Aren't zhose zhose zhings Magneto used to kidnap everyvone?" Kurt asks for someone to confirm what he has a funny feeling he knows to be accurate.

Everyone who was there at the time of Asteroid M nods in confirmation.

The spheres disappear into the maze of warehouses and stacked up crates. Scott alters his plan slightly. "Alright we still go ahead in pairs only in that direction," he says indicating where the spheres landed. That would seem sensible for at least getting some answers if they can get a hold of at least one person. "And we be doubly careful," he asks of everyone since they had no idea what was going on or who Magneto might have brought with him.

Scott's gaze then catches glimpse of Wanda, her eyes shut, teeth gritted and her hands glowing that familiar blue. "Wanda. Are you going to be ok?"

When they get no answer Clark steps forward and places a hand on Wanda's shoulder. "Wanda," he says gently seeing she is struggling to hold her rage in.

At Clark's soothing voice Wanda makes an effort to row her rage and powers back. As she pushes her powers back to the place they come from inside her she opens her hands and then her eyes to see Clark looking at her with concern in his blue gaze.

"Are you going to be able to do this?" Clark asks basically the same question Scott did.

Wanda swallows and nods. "Yes," she says. She made a promise not to put anyone else in danger and she will keep it.

Clark looks at Scott. "I'll go with Wanda," he tells Cyclops and Scott nods in understanding. Clark is making sure Wanda doesn't get into trouble and with Clark's power he is the best equipped to do that and protect himself at the same time.

Rogue doesn't understand which would explain the flare of jealousy that just welled up inside her. She just does not get along with Wanda so she tends to avoid situations where they have to hang out or talk.

"Lets move out," Cyclops orders, looking and sounding very much like the leader he is.

* * *

At the far end of the site the 8 metal sphere open and out steps Magneto's Acolytes; Sabretooth, Colossus, Gambit, Pyro, Ruckus, Sandman, Live Wire and Haze.

"Remember the plan," Haze reminds the others of Magneto's orders. "Keep them busy and cause as much chaos as possible. We want to be noticed."

"Don't get your panties in a knot doll," Live Wire says with rather caustic humour as she arcs electricity between her fingers. "We're professionals."

Pyro laughs manically. "At last!" he declares. "Time to burn something!" he says with a disturbingly zealous zeal.

Haze looks at her secret boyfriend. "Professional? Riigghhhttt," she says with a roll of her eyes.

Gambit gives her an amused smile and Alicia feels her knees go weak. No. This wasn't the time for that.

The Acolytes spread out to good ambush positions and wait for the X-Men to come to them.

* * *

Kurt and Evan are walking between two warehouses when they come across a man in a flaming red and orange bodysuit.

"Oh man," Kurt groans at the sight of him.

Pyro grins. "Well hello there mate. Nice to see ya again."

"You know him?" Evan inquires from Kurt.

Kurt nods sadly at the fact he does. "Zhis is zhe Pyro guy I told you about."

Pyro gives a little wave. "Always nice to meet new people and cook them."

Spyke summons spikes to protrude all over his body. "Try it!" he dares Pyro to carry out his threat.

Pyro chuckles manically. "You know my little bludger you remind me of an Echida from back home. Always wondered what one would taste like barbecued."

Pyro slaps his hands together and pulls them apart slightly as a ball of fire forms. It then rises up as high as the warehouses around them taking the shape of a giant clawed hand.

Evan and Kurt back up. "Uh Nightcrawler?" Evan asks.

"Ja?"

The fire hand swoops in after them.

"Get us out of here!" Evan yells in a panic the second before Kurt teleports them away with Pyro laughing all the while.

* * *

"Shadowcat?" Rogue calls after her partner in a loud whisper as she wanders through the stacks of crates. Kitty had phased ahead scouting around and now they had completely lost touch with each other. Remind Rogue to practice how to work in pairs effectively when they get back home.

"Shadowcat?" she calls out again.

Then there is a scuffle sound to her right. Rogue spins round ready in a fighting position to be greeted by the sight of a tall handsome older looking boy with brown hair, wearing a long brown coat and in possession of strange red on black eyes flicking a pack of cards from one hand to the other and then back again.

Remy flashes her one his charming smiles. He had read the files on the X-Men but the picture didn't do this one justice he decides. She was better looking in the flesh. "Bonjour cherie," he greets her.

"What do ya want?" Rogue asks warily still ready to fight at any moment in case he tries something.

"Maybe all Gambit wants is to be your friend. After all d'ere is no reason we have to fight."

Rogue is a little caught off guard at that as he comes closer to her until their faces are only centimetres apart. The way he looks and smiles at her makes her body slightly flush with heat.

"My card," he says and hands her one of his playing cards before he walks away. Rogue looks at the card. It is the ace of spades and it is also warm and glowing!

Rogue throws it away just before it explodes knocking her off her feet. 'Gawd what am ah doing?' she asks herself. 'Get a grip gal," she chastises herself for letting herself get lost in that boy's eyes. She pushes herself back to her feet feeling a little bit bad and guilty for what she felt there when she is suppose to be in love with Clark.

Rogue dusts herself down. That...Gambit has long since disappeared. He was a slippery one and when they next meet Rogue determines to wipe that smile off his face. As the sounds of battle start up from all around she resumes her search for Kitty while trying to forget that smug boy. He sounded like he was from New Orleans or something. She hates Swamp Rats.

Rogue doesn't get more than a few meters before she is jumped on from above. She receives a swift couple of kicks knocking her down to the ground. Rogue shakes her head and looks up to find Haze standing over her, the blond girl's blue eyes as cold as ice. Reminds Rogue of Mystique.

Haze points her finger at Rogue. "I owe you," she says referring back to the time Rogue beat and drained her not to mention she is pretty certain she could have won Clark round if Rogue hadn't been there. So she owes Rogue twice or at least she does in her head and Alicia saw this as her opportunity to get Rogue back.

Haze charges in and tries to kick Rogue on the ground. Rogue grabs the foot by the ankle, twists it and sends Haze down face first into the ground eating dirt.

Rogue flips up to her feet. "Y'all are going ta have ta do better than that," she says evenly.

Haze punches the ground in frustration. Just in and this fight wasn't going quite as planned. She teleports away.

Rogue's eyes dart all around her. Where is she?

The creaking of a wooden crate as weight is placed on it gives the position away and when Haze tries to jump on Rogue again the Goth is ready and meets the teleporter with a clothesline across Haze's chest. With Rogue's now recently slightly enhanced strength it ends up slamming Haze into the ground hard.

Rogue tries to follow up but Haze teleports away before Rogue can get a hold of her. Great. Rogue has a feeling this is going to take awhile as she once more looks and listens in all direction for any sign from where Haze might try her next attack.

* * *

Jean and Scott are carefully searching when an immensely painful sound followed by a shock wave hits them. They shake their heads to find themselves up against two old enemies they met back during the whole Sirens episode; Ruckus and Sandman.

"And the land shall be cleansed of wickedness, so says the Lord," Sandman preaches in the same manner his father would have.

"What he said," Ruckus says jerking his thumb at Sandman. He then lets out another scream knocking Jean and Scott down.

Sandman extends his arms and using his newly learned control over his body transforms his hands into large solid mallets. He brings them down intent on hammering Scott and Jean into the ground but Jean gets a TK shield up to protect them. She then telekinetically shoves the mallets up pushing Sandman off balance. Scott as quick as a heartbeat unleashes two blasts at the two men. Ruckus goes spiralling head over heels but like last time they met all Scott's blast does is make a hole in Sandman's chest.

The hold fills back up while he chuckles darkly. "Not very bright not to remember that," Sandman says. "And so the Lord smites the wicked and the stupid from the land!"

Jean rolls her eyes at the way he is murdering the Good Book as she and Scott get back to their feet. He isn't even quoting stuff that's actually in it. "Last time I was suffering from a concussion. Try me on for size now," she dares him.

"Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil oh Lord," Sandman says before he dissolves his entire body into a sand tornado. Jean holds her hands out as if she is trying to squash something between them.

Scott watches on Sandman gets smaller and smaller and he works out Jean is containing every grain of Sandman's body inside a TK shield and compressing him down until he is a ball of sand about the size of a beach ball. He looks at her and can see the strain on her face at how much effort that must take but it is also amazing if you think about it. It is a demonstration of the power Jean possesses.

"Funny thing. As well as being a star soccer player I'm also a mean pitcher," Jean boasts before slinging Sandman as far away as she can throw him. She knows he'll be back though.

Scott briefly wonders if it is weird that he finds it a turn on when he watches his girlfriend kick butt. He mentally sighs wishing this was a good time to tell her how great she is and how much he loves her. Scott hadn't found one good moment or the nerve to tell her that yet. His thoughts are cut off when he and Jean find themselves knocked over by Ruckus' scream once again. This is going to be a long day.

* * *

Clark is walking with Wanda, keeping an eye on her as he knows she is only here because she wants revenge. He really wants to tell her how that can lead to a very bad place and he knows that from personal experience but this is obviously not a good time for some great heart sharing.

Wanda won't say this but she is glad Clark asked to be paired up with her. Beyond Tabby she really only gets on with Clark...and Kurt as well which makes sense. They were both kind and funny people. Both were always trying to cheer her up with varying amounts of success depending on Wanda's mood. She could see why and how Clark and Kurt were friends. No sign of her father yet but Wanda was looking for any hint of where he was.

Then suddenly both Wanda and Clark are struck in the back by something. Wands falls to the ground and groans in pain. It felt like she just received an electric shock.

Clark drops to one knee before he can stop himself tumbling over. That smarted. It is then he hears it. Laughter. Familiar laughter he hasn't heard since before Christmas. Clark gets up and stands around and there she is chalk skinned, sticking up short blue hair, dressed in a new dark blue suit, with down the centre covered in a translucent material is what looks like a lightning bolt and she is wearing matching thigh high boots and gloves. "Live Wire."

Live Wire cocks her head to the side. "Have we met?" she asks with confusion at how he seems to know her name.

"Leslie. Do you not remember me?"

"Well I don't know who this Leslie is. I am Live Wire hot stuff and I'm pretty certain if we had ever met I would remember you," she says blatantly giving Clark the once over. Well that part of her personality seems intact.

Clark eyes Wanda getting back up and then it strikes him what has happened. Magneto must have done to Leslie what he was planning to do to Wanda and altered her memories. Terrific and as if that wasn't bad enough she has Colossus for company.

Live Wire wraps her arms around Colossus metal covered muscles as she flirts all over him. "Brought some help in the form of steel muscles here because old Mags says you're the most powerful one of the X-Brats and it is up to us to take you down." Live Wire looks at Wanda. "He never said anything about having to fight your little girlfriend too."

Wanda is now thoroughly pissed off. "I am not his girlfriend!" she snaps.

"Ooh touchy," Live Wire mocks. "I'm thinking you want to be though right?" She looks Clark up and down so blatantly it is all Clark can do not to roll his eyes. Live Wire smiles very appreciatively at what she sees. "Well if you don't want him I will be more than willing to_...have _him._"_

"Shut your mouth!" Wanda shouts as she fires a hex bolt at Live Wire who transforms into her electrical form travels over Colossus' skin and reappears on his opposite side in the same exact pose, her arms wrapped around his other arm, as Wanda's hex bolt misses.

"Man they really don't teach you kids how to aim do they," Live Wire mocks.

Wanda practically foams at the mouth with rage.

Clark can see that Live Wire's most aggravating personality traits have survived...unfortunately. He cannot believe he has to put up her flirtations all over again...and oh yeah she can still manage to get right up people's noses with only a few words from her loud mouth.

"The chalk bitch is mine," Wanda declares, enraged at the way the older girl spoke to her. Wanda finds even the sound of the chalk bitch's voice irritating.

Clark can tell not to bother arguing with Wanda but he can offer some advice. He leans in and speaks in a low voice. "Be careful," he cautions. "She is very powerful and very dangerous. Don't lose your focus," he says in a roundabout way of telling Wanda not to lose her temper.

Wanda is touched by the concern and nods her head trying to remember the techniques the Professor has taught her for controlling her temper.

Clark lowers his voice still to a whisper. "You see the standpipe," he says referring to a water pipe sticking out of the ground nearby. "Try to get her near it," he requests laying out the start of a plan to deal with Live Wire.

Wanda's brow furrows slightly in confusion about why she is to do that but takes it on board thinking Clark must have a good reason and considering what he has done, saving her, helping her try and fit in at the mansion, the least Wanda reckons she can do is to take what he is asking on faith.

Live Wire separates herself from Colossus and looks the girl in scarlet red over, not very impressed by what she sees. "You may want to rethink your choice of dance partner hon because you are way out of your league."

"We'll see about that," Wanda mutters darkly.

"Alright then. I'll give you an easy one to start off with." Live Wire raises her right hand and electricity arcs between her fingers. "Here it comes!" she shouts giving Wanda fair warning. It was all a fun game anyway. There were only to suppose to keep the X-Brats busy but how that was done Live Wire had decided was up to her. She shoots a bolt of lightning at Wanda who in reflex hexes it. The bolt reverses direction slamming into Live Wire who stands there unmoved and unaffected. "Lesson number 1 sweetcakes. I absorb electricity. My own attacks can't hurt me but they can hurt you!"

Live Wire throws another bolt at Wanda who is forced to dive out of the way. Live Wire laughs at the sight. Yep. She can see having a lot of fun with this one.

Meanwhile Clark squares up to Colossus once again. "Colossus. We don't have to do this," Clark tries to plead with the huge metal man.

"I am afraid you are mistaken in that," Colossus replies sadly. He still didn't want to do any of this. He had a dark feeling about where today's events would lead but he must do this. Anything to keep Illyana safe.

"What does Magneto have on you?"

Colossus's metal eyes widen and Clark can see Logan's instincts were right in his assessment.

"I can help you. The X-Men can help you," Clark tries to persuade Colossus into stopping this and letting Clark and the others help him.

Colossus wishes that was true but he has no idea where Illyana is or what Magneto would do to her if he disobeys. Colossus charges at Clark who steps to the side to avoid the blow. Clark sweeps his arm round into the back of Colossus' head sending the man of metal tumbling down.

That gives Clark a moment to check on Wanda who manages to hit Live Wire with a Hex bolt causing the chalk skinned loud mouth to lose control of her body which fluctuates between solid and electricity for a few moments. From Live Wire's cry of pain Clark can guess that that is not a pleasant experience.

Colossus gets back to his feet and before Clark goes to fight him a sliver of guilt eats at him. Clark doesn't want to fight someone who is acting against their will but maybe he if beats Colossus, they can stop all this fighting and the Russian boy might be willing to talk and explain what is going on.

* * *

Storm is backing up Beast as he engages Sabretooth. She is just waiting for her moment to attack as for right now the two large mutants are too close together and moving too fast for her to risk it and end up hitting Beast by accident. Lightning is definitely out of the question as they fight upon a metal crane tower.

"Where's Wolverine?" Beast demands to know from Sabretooth.

"He's...around," Sabretooth replies being deliberately infuriatingly vague before he recklessly throws himself from his position above Beast and collides into him sending them spiralling down. Beast manages to grab hold of a metal brace as does Sabretooth. Creed grins. With his healing factor it didn't matter if he fell. It would hurt but he would recover. His foe would not and that gives Sabretooth the edge in this fight.

* * *

In the Velocity the Professor is monitoring everything while trying to reach out with his mind and find Logan but he was getting nowhere. He couldn't sense Logan anywhere.

Little did the Professor know that directly beneath him Logan was just finishing another fight with the Sentinel or more accurately getting his ass shot off and then handed to him. He falls to the ground unconscious his uniform torn and many wounds on his body slowly starting to heal over.

As Logan is dragged off back to his cell Trask watches his men get to work repairing the Sentinel. Logan was getting closer to actually figuring out a way to disable it every round which was fine because Trask learned about any potential weaknesses every round and knew what improvements to make. It was never going to be perfect at first. That took time and experience from fighting real mutants but eventually Trask would learn how to make his Sentinels impervious to any attack any mutant could try.

"Sir!" a soldier comes running up to him. "We have a problem!" he reports and hands Trask a tablet on which is are images from above ground of mutants fighting. For one brief moment Trask wonders if they have found him but as he sees them fighting each other he realises that they can't know he is here. If they did they wouldn't be fighting each other. They would be teaming up to fight him.

An idea occurs him. One that would provide much valuable data for future Sentinel designs. "Finish the repairs on Unit 01 as soon as possible and when the mutants are in position activate the gate. I think it is time we gave the Sentinel a real test."

The soldier salutes. "Yes Sir!"

Trask watches the fight a bit longer. Hmm. These mutants seem particularly powerful. He can't be certain one Sentinel would be enough to be victorious. Another idea occurs to him. He uses the tablet to open up a command window and inputs his code.

As his command is put into operation the following appears on the screen;

SENTINEL UNIT 02...ONLINE.

SENTINEL UNIT 03...ONLINE.

* * *

_Author's Note: Nope you're eyes do not deceive you. Not 1 but 3 Sentinels for our heroes to face. This party is only getting started. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Our heroes continue their fight against the Acolytes and meet mutantkind's most deadly enemy._


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Storm is still awaiting her moment to strike when an explosion below draws her attention away in another direction. She spots Spyke and Nightcrawler fighting a losing battle against the boy who can control fire. He must be Pyro. She had heard about him from Logan, Clark, Kurt and Rogue after they tangled with Magneto over that Rebirth machine.

Pyro rolls a burning barrel at Kurt and Evan and he uses his control of fire to suddenly increase the heat and temperature inside making the contents explode knocking the two boys off their feet. He laughs manically. "I love my work!" he declares merrily.

Then it suddenly starts to rain and his fire goes out. "Eh? What's the story with the weather?" Pyro wonders before he looks up and sees Storm descend down toward him, electricity crackling in the depth of her eyes looking like an angry avenging goddess. "Bugger," Pyro mutters mere moments before he runs for it but not fast enough as Storm strikes him down with a bolt of lightning in the back which is perfectly aimed to sever the fuel tank line.

A cry from Beast gets her attention and she finds him trapped by a metal girder which has been bent round him.

Magneto. Has to be nearby. Near enough to see what is going on but where is the question because when Storm finds him she will make him tell her where Logan is.

However priorities. Beast is in trouble. Sabretooth makes a leap and Storm seeing her chance summons up a powerful wind sending the feral mutant spiralling through the air until he crashes into some crates but that won't put Sabretooth down for long. Long enough though. Storm hopes the others are managing.

* * *

Cyclops and Ruckus have gotten close enough to each other to have to resort to hand-to-hand fighting. Jean is still fighting Sandman who has returned. Scott has faith she can cope although this fight is much harder than any they have had before. This wasn't like fighting the Brotherhood or even like when there were fighting these 2 before. Ruckus and Sandman were now well trained and they adapted their tactics as the battle progressed meaning to be truthful Scott and Jean were barely holding their own.

Jean crumples to one knee as Sandman slams his giant mallets into her shield once again. He then shifts his shape, dissolves into a tornado and sends a stream of sand particles at her before shifting shape again and moving position. By constantly changing his attack he was forcing Jean to constantly alter her shield to repel something different. It's wearing and takes its toll and from the grin on Sandman's face Jean thinks he knows that. In fact she is beginning to think that was his plan all along.

"Give up girl," Sandman pompously tells her. "Surrender and let me deliver you unto the Lord."

Oh that is it. If Jean has to hear one more misspoken religious garbage from this guy she'll flip out. Sandman was careful not to let her try what she did the first time so she needs to do something else. Jean grits her teeth and focuses her energy on the ground under Sandman's feet making it rise up in a wave carrying Sandman along. "Get over yourself!" she yells at Sandman and as his solid form starts to dissolve Jean makes the wave collapse on top of him burying him.

Jean takes a moment to catch a breather while she can. She spots Scott slugging it out with Ruckus. Ruckus throws a punch Jean can tell will hit Scott so she telekinetically grabs the fist. It catches Ruckus off guard for a moment which is all Scott needs to activate his visor and deliver a blast to Ruckus' chest. At that close a range that should put the pink haired goon down for the count which it does.

It gives Jean a minute to take in the fact Ruckus has gone for a long purple coat with yellow on the bottom part of the sleeves and yellow on the top part of the coat over a plain white costume. Gee is everyone ripping off Clark now. Mrs Kent should sue.

Scott comes next to Jean to check on her. "You alright?"

Jean nods. "Yeah."

Both share a smile before the ground beneath them shakes and two giant hands of sand rise out of the earth and pick them up before throwing them like 2 rag dolls. Sandman, his body completely sand, rises high above them, his hands ready in the shape of two spiked balls to deliver the final blow.

* * *

Rogue delivers a quick couple of blows to Alicia's gut making the blond girl stagger back and then teleport away. This was the shape of the fight. Rogue would manage a couple of blows, Haze would teleport away and try and ambush her. Rogue's one advantage is that it takes a few seconds for Haze to reform meaning if Rogue can spot the green mist she can jump Haze before she is ready.

Rogue feels a kick to the back of her knees, dropping her down. This is not the first time Haze has done this and Rogue is starting to figure out how Haze fights. What follows is an attempted kick to the side of her head so Rogue is ready, ducks under the blow by rolling forward and uses the momentum to spring to her feet. Her foot slides slightly as she rapidly reverses her direction and because Haze's blow missed the blond girl is off balance by the time Rogue starts to reign in blows.

Rogue locks in a throw and pins Alicia to the ground face first. She uses her teeth to pull one of her gloves off. "Now. Lets see what this is really about," she says as she reaches for Alicia's face.

Alicia struggles desperately. If Rogue touches her the Goth will know this is a set-up and everything will be ruined.

Alicia teleports taking Rogue with her. She has an idea and the two girls reappear high above the ground only with Rogue below Alicia now. Inevitably Rogue is caught off guard, loses her grip on Alicia and starts to plummet to the ground while Haze teleports to safety.

* * *

Back with Clark he delivers an open handed chop to Colossus chest followed by an uppercut which physically lifts the huge man off the ground and he skids to a halt next to a warehouse wall.

Colossus shakes his head to clear the cobwebs when above him a girl with brown hair and blue eyes appears out of the wall. She flashes him a smile and Colossus finds himself lost in the gaze of the in his opinion truly beautiful girl.

"Hi there!" Kitty greets Colossus in her usual perpetual cheerful manner before grabbing him by the shoulders and phasing him inside the warehouse. As she re-emerges Clark zips forward and claps his hands together as hard as he can which is pretty hard when you remember Clark can lift thousands of tons. The resulting shock wave demolishes the dilapidated wall of the run-down warehouse causing part of the roof to collapse and bury Colossus.

"Will he like be alright?" Kitty asks slightly concerned they went too far.

"He's fine," Clark insists with a quick check of his x-ray vision although he doubts Colossus will be getting up for several minutes at least. That gives him time to check on his partner. He turns his attention to Wanda and Live Wire. Wanda hexes the ground making Live Wire stumble towards that standing pipe. Perfect.

Clark unleashes a short blast of his heat vision slicing the pipe in half. Water erupts everywhere and hits Live Wire who screams in agony as her body short-circuits. She falls to the ground, her body smoking.

Wanda blinks in astonishment as the sight as Clark and Kitty come up next to her. "What happened?"

Clark explains the fact Live Wire's body is partially electrical and how water and electricity don't mix. "Better living through science," he puns.

Kitty makes a face. "That is like totally awful punning there Superboy."

Clark shrugs.

"You know her don't you?" Wanda assumes from the conversation that occurred in the preamble to this fight.

Clark nods. "Her name is Leslie Willis. She worked at the local radio station until she was transformed into this. She became out of control and we stopped her and then Magneto took her," he very briefly summarises the story.

Wanda's fists clench in anger. "He used that telepath of his on her," she can guess from the fact Live Wire did not know her own name. "He'll pay," Wanda swears darkly.

Clark and Kitty share a sad look of worry at Wanda's obsession.

"Maybe the Professor can do something for her," Kitty suggests in relation to Live Wire to undoing the damage Magneto has done.

Clark nods in agreement. "We'll take her to the Velocity and take her back with us and..."

Clark stops as either side of him 2 huge pieces of discarded metal machinery rise up and fly straight at him. Clark raises his hands out and the stops them moments before they slammed into him, Kitty and Wanda. He can feel the force behind them pushing meaning he can't stop pushing back against it leaving him partially useless for the moment which is probably the point.

"Magneto!" Wanda proclaims angrily at the only person who could have done this. Her eyes dart around for any sign of her father. What she spots walking towards them is a boy with brown hair in a long brown coat.

"Gambit is afraid mon amis that he must deal you a not so good hand," he says as he makes 4 cards in his hands glow.

"Kitty phase Wanda now!" Clark orders mere seconds before Gambit throws the cards, two into each piece of machinery making both explode.

When the explosion starts to clear Wanda finds herself breathing hard with Kitty hugging her, saving her life.

"Let go!" Wanda demands while she shoves Kitty off.

"A thank you wouldn't kill you you know," Kitty grumbles at how rude Wanda was there. It wasn't like she just saved Wanda's life or anything...oh wait a minute. Yes it was!

"Another day Shadowcat," Clark says, trying to avoid an argument right here, as he strides out of the fire of the burning machinery unharmed although chalk up another singed coat. "Live Wire's gone," Clark reports. He looks towards the collapsed warehouse. "And Colossus too," he adds from what he can see or the lack of what he can see.

Kitty and Wanda look around and see Live Wire and the brown haired boy are gone. Whoever this Gambit is you can say one thing; He's really good.

"You two alright?" Clark asks.

Both Kitty and Wanda confirm they are.

"Kitty. Weren't you suppose to be with Rogue," Clark reminds the phasing mutant.

Kitty looks sheepish. "Yeah about that. We kind of got separated and I got lost."

Clark is about to go find his girlfriend when her screams of his name beat him to it. Clark spins on the spot and he finds Rogue falling from the sky. Clark zips off in a blur and leaps into the air catching Rogue and holding her close. "It's alright. I've got you," he says soothingly, lovingly. He'll never let anything happen to her.

Rogue wraps her arms around him and gasps for breath. She usually isn't one for calling for help but when you find yourself plummeting to the ground it seems like a good idea. She closes her eyes as her head rests on Clark's chest and she lets her heart slow down.

Wait a second.

Rogue's eyes spring back open when she realises they haven't landed yet. She looks down and finds that they are floating gently through the sky. "Clark. We're floating."

"I was kind of hoping you wouldn't notice," he admits since he has no idea how he is doing it or how to get them down.

Rogue looks around her. Despite the situation they were in this was amazing. She was in the air in the arms of her boyfriend. Clark looks at her grinning goofily.

"Guess I just needed the right motivation," he jokes in relation to what it took to get him into the air.

Rogue laughs and kisses him briefly.

Clark from this position meanwhile spots Jean and Scott about to be pulverised by Sandman. He lowers Rogue's head slightly out of the way and unleashes his heat vision.

Sandman cries out as the heat fuses and melts his body forcing him back to a human form. Jean and Scott don't waste a second of their opportunity and they get up and deliver simultaneous punches completely in sync with each other knocking Sandman out.

Jean then spots Clark and Rogue and nudges Scott and points them out to her boyfriend. Scott simply shakes his head in disbelief at the sight of Clark floating through the sky.

The Professor then telepathically summons the X-Men back together for a regroup. Rogue informs Clark of this and his face grimaces when he admits he has no idea how to get down.

"Um maybe ya just have ta will it," Rogue suggests.

Clark closes his eyes and tries to will them descending slowly emphasis on the slowly part. It actually works.

"Keep goin'," Rogue encourages him and Clark floats down gently to land where the X-Men regroup.

"I did it!" Clark says in both amazement and pride at himself.

"Ya sure did sugah," Rogue says with pride in him as he places her down.

"Vay to go," Kurt says giving his friend a pat on the back. Kind of amazing to think Clark has another ability although the timing of it was not the best in the middle of all this.

By now Beast had freed himself and had picked up the unconscious Sabretooth who now lies dumped in the middle of the group. "Now lets get some answers," Beast decides and looks to Clark.

Clark goes and picks Sabretooth up since he is the strongest and Sabretooth has no chance of escaping from him. Clark holds Sabretooth by the coat above his head and shakes Creed awake. "Hey. Wake up! We want answers!"

Sabretooth wakes up and snarls. "I ain't tellin' ya anything kid!"

"Really? Because what we have here are two telepaths, an energy absorber and then of course there's Wanda."

Clark holds Sabretooth out in Wanda's direction. "She would like to know where her father is and I don't think you really want to make her mad."

Wanda makes her hands glow blue. "You will tell me!" she threatens Sabretooth.

Sabretooth snorts in derision. "Do your worst kid because there is nothing you can do to me that I haven't experienced and survived through."

"He's not going to talk," Scott realises. "Better take him to the Professor."

From a clock tower overlooking the site Magneto watches on. His Acolytes had been essentially defeated. He must reluctantly congratulate Charles on how well he has trained his students but his Acolytes had done what was required. It was time to move this along. The X-Men were now exactly where he wanted them.

Magneto reaches out with his power, sensing the metal of the mechanism below the X-Men's feet. He closes his eyes and concentrates as he activates it.

The ground upon which the X-Men stand shakes so violently they all lose their footings. Sabretooth takes it as his moment to break free of Clark's grip. He manages to leap away just as the ground suddenly rips open and the X-Men all fall into the darkness below.

In the Velocity Charles blinks in surprise. Before he sensed nothing but now he can sense dozens if not many more human minds and Logan's unconscious mind. Whatever this is had been completely shielded from him.

The X-Men groan as they find themselves in a dark place dirt everywhere. They start to get back up.

"Ok can someone explain how we missed the giant hole in the ground?" Evan asks and looks at Clark in particular.

Clark is at a total loss. He never saw or heard anything. His eyes focus on the walls. "It's lined with lead," he reports.

"_Can anyone hear me? Are you alright?" _Charles telepathically asks.

"_Yes we can hear you Professor," _Beast mentally replies. He looks around and sees that everyone looks alright. Then the sounds of rifles being cocked gets everyone's attention as they find themselves surrounded by heavily armed men.

"Uh oh," Kurt mutters. This doesn't look good.

Charles could see through Beast's eyes what was happening. They have walked into...he didn't know. A trap certainly but Magneto would not work with humans. He was missing something.

"Nobody move," Storm commands not wanting to provoke the men with guns.

_"__Kitty. Kurt,"_the Professor mentally speaks to them all so they know what will happen. ___"Logan is in this facility. When the opportunity arrives you two will get him. I will guide you."_

The Professor could send Clark as possibly be able to do it faster but of course he cannot telepathically communicate with Clark's mind so that leaves Kurt and Kitty as the next best choice. Kitty and Kurt send their mental acquiescence to that plan.

Everyone looks at the soldiers wondering what they are waiting for. A tall man with a moustache steps forward on a walkway above their heads whom they assume to be the leader.

"Greetings..._freaks_!" Trask says with disgust all too evident in his tone. "I didn't expect guests but nonetheless I have a surprise gift for you. Meet your future! I give to you the Sentinel!"

Large thuds are now heard from behind a giant doorway at the far end of the space the X-Men currently occupy.

"Now what?" Evan asks.

To Kurt's ears it sounds very distinct. "Sounds like...footsteps," he says not quite believing it because the feet would have to be huge.

Clark agrees with Kurt. It does sound like footsteps but the door is lined with lead too and he can't see through it so he doesn't know what is coming their way. He finds his hand taken and squeezed by Rogue.

The giant door is punched in and what steps out is not 1 but 3 50 foot red and black robots. The one in the middle leading the other two is the only complete one. The other two seem to have pieces of armour missing as if they were rushed into use before they were completely finished.

Everyone is just staring in shock. They had never imagined anything like this outside the realm of sci-fi.

"Great Scott!" Clark mutters in an exclamation of surprise that earns him a weird look from Rogue. Clark was so goofy and dorky sometimes and yet she finds it absolutely adorable. She is so totally in love as Kitty might phrase it.

"So Superboy," Scott says. "You fought a giant robot," he says in reference to the one Toyman had. "Any ideas?"

"No," Clark has to admit. "Because these are 3 times the size and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but have more weapons than an army," he reports from a quick scan from his x-ray vision although to be frank he can't recognise the type of weaponry they possess. It is like nothing he has ever seen. They also look far more sturdy and sophisticated than what Toyman built. "When this is over I will make an official suggestion to add giant robots to the Danger Room schedule," Clark tries to joke although it falls flat completely.

"Terrific," Scott mutters under his breath. This was bad beyond bad. This was a situation he never imagined facing. "Ok people spread out! Don't make yourselves easy targets and cover each others backs! We don't know exactly what these things can do but try and find weaknesses," he explains his orders.

The robots move forward as the X-Men carry out Scott's instructions. Kurt and Kitty move to a dark corner where he places his hand on her shoulder and they begin their part as they vanish in a puff of blue smoke to go and save Logan.

The lead behemoth comes into range and fires a pink energy blast out of the centre of its chest which misses the scattering X-Men. The other two quickly follow suit in the same vein.

* * *

Charles could see that this situation was now completely off the chart as for anything he had ever prepared for. It was clear that what they had to do was get Logan and escape. The X-Men just had to buy enough time for Kitty and Kurt to do that and then they were leaving. This was a battle they were unprepared for. The only sensible recourse was to retreat as soon as they could.

"_**Charles,"**_ Magneto's voice speaks over the communication system that suddenly activates.

Charles replies, needing answers desperately. _**"Magneto. What have you done?"**_

"_**I have done nothing. This is all the work of humans. I am simply opening your eyes to their true nature. Observe closely these next few days and learn what kind of monsters humans really are. For you see Charles it is time."**_

"_**Time for what?"**_

"_**For the whole world to know of us!"**_

"_**Magneto? Erik? Erik!"**_

No response but Charles had the most awful feeling about what Magneto means.

* * *

Back where the X-Men are battling the Sentinels the whole floor area suddenly jerks. The Sentinels are forced to take a moment for their gyros to adjust as they start to rise up.

Trask look on in horror. If it reaches the surface everything would be ruined as no-one has authorised any of this. Technically due to the fact he signed over everything to SHIELD when he joined them he could be accused of theft and at worst treason. "Who authorised that!" he yells at his people. "Get it shut down immediately!"

One of his troops talks to someone in the control centre. "Sir. They can't," he reports. "The whole system has been overridden by some kind of magnetic field. It is also blocking any communication with the Sentinels. We can't shut them down."

"Magnetic?" Trask questions sharply. His mind reels from the possibility that strikes him. Only one mutant he knows has that kind of power. Magneto. He has been set-up...by a mutant. His lips curl up into an angry disgusted snarl.

Trask watches as the floor reaches the surface. He watches on helplessly. Without communication there is no way to override the Sentinels who won't stop until they complete their programming and there is no way that anyone will miss 3 50 foot robots. There was only one choice now. Only one course of action left to him. "Evacuate the base!" he orders. "Take everything portable that we can before SHIELD arrives and then wipe the data from the hard drives and destroy the rest!"

"Yes sir!" one of his men replies. The orders are passed on and the men start a desperate rush to pack up and leave.

* * *

Magneto watches as the platform reaches the surface and the X-Men scatter to avoid the energy blasts the Sentinels send out. Humans. Making metal men to try and stop the Master of Magnetism. Pathetic but he'll let this play out despite the fact he could stop it. He just needs it to go on long enough for the whole world to see. He wants Charles and the X-Men to see and understand what it is humans are prepared to do. How low they can sink.

Once those two things have happened he'll end this as he has no real wish to destroy the X-Men. After all very shortly they'll have a war to fight together.

He turns his attention briefly to his Acolytes. They have served their purpose and are now back in their metal spheres. He closes the spheres up to send them back to their base.

As her sphere closes Live Wire watches the kids fight the giant robots. As she does so an image flashes in her head of them dressed in normal clothing in some kind of...mansion she thinks. Somehow she has met them before but that isn't possible. She has always worked for Magneto hasn't she?

The kid in red and blue. The one Magneto had her fight especially provokes strong emotions. Lust and...hate? Anger over something he...said to her she thinks.

Live Wire grabs her head as searing pain shoots through it. Something is wrong with her. There is something she has forgotten and as the sphere around her closes completely she makes a solemn promise she will remember what it is.

* * *

This fight does not go well Scott notes as the robots push them back towards the street. He unleashes a blast but it only makes a slight dent in the lead robot's armour. He couldn't get close enough to the less complete ones to try and hit the more obvious weak spots but Clark probably could.

Scott rolls out of the way of another energy blast and speaks knowing Clark will hear him. "Clark I want you to superspeed forward and try and hit one of the unfinished ones at the rear."

Clark nods hearing Scott and blurs forward. He comes to a stop in front of the robot on the right which looks down at him and freezes up for several moments as its sensors get a first clear reading of him. The fact it freezes throws Clark completely off and then to top it off it speaks. "UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL SIGNATURE DETECTED. SCAN FOR MUTANT DNA...NONE DETECTED. SUBJECT POSSESSES NO RECONISBALE GENETIC PATTERNS. ERROR...ERROR...NOT LOGICAL."

The Sentinel can't solve the contradiction as its programming associated any non-human life-signs automatically to be mutant but it could not detect any human or mutant DNA in the subject in front of it.

Clark snaps out of his stupor and fires his heat vision at the upper left chest of the Sentinel where the armour was missing. The beams burst through out the back making a large hole in the robot.

The attack breaks the Sentinel out of its paradox. "SUBJECT POSSESSES SUPERHUMAN ABILITIES. DESIGNATE TARGET AS HOSTILE. EXTERMINATE."

"Great. They couldn't make a stupid robot," Clark mutters as he realises what this means beyond the fact that whoever designed this has the means to detect he is not human.

The Sentinel bypasses the damage Clark caused and the cannon in the centre of its chest lights up and it fires. Clark dodges the blast and then from his new location fires his heat vision at the next weak spot on the torso, lower down and on the right side. As before he blows a hole right through it but the Sentinel bypasses the damage and keeps trying to attack him. Clark dodges and fires off his heat vision this time at the lower right leg of the Sentinel which he manages to blow completely off.

The Sentinel topples over but is still active. Before it has a chance to recover Clark concentrates his heat vision on its head where the armour is intact but Clark soon has it glowing red hot. He then charges straight at the head and thanks to his softening of the metal straight through the head as he bursts out the other side. The Sentinel goes dead.

* * *

Down below while Trask couldn't stop the Sentinels he could pick up the feed from their sensors and before he was forced to go he was watching as much of the battle as he could to see what he could learn and what he had learned didn't make sense. He just watched one Sentinel beaten by one boy with consummate ease who according to the sensors he designed is neither human nor mutant.

Well whatever the boy is one thing Trask can say for definite is that he is a big threat and one that will have to be eliminated one day but as for right now all Trask can do is run and hope Fury doesn't catch him.

* * *

Clark turns to aid his friends whom have still been retreating from the other 2 Sentinels as Clark fought this one. In fact they have now been pushed out into the streets of the city. Clark is about to zip off when he spots in the air one of those traffic helicopters. It doesn't take a second for his vision to peer inside and see that the camera is pointed at his friends battling the robots. At the realisation of what has just happened all Clark can lamely come up with is "Oh crap."

Inside the helicopter the traffic reporter looks on in disbelief. "Are we live?" he asks the studio over the radio who confirm he is indeed on live. "This is Channel 7 News reporting live! Ladies and Gentlemen as hard as it may seem to believe what we are showing you is real!"

The cameraman zooms in on the battle. It is an image that goes down in history. An image that changes the world forever.

* * *

_Author's Note: And now the whole world has seen them. Magneto is a complete douchebag but an awesome villain and foil and they fell right into his plan. Live Wire's little memory flash is a glimpse that her memory wipe is not as complete as Magneto probably thinks. That'll be fun to write when it blows up which won't be any time soon I admit but I just wanted to open the possibility up. I thought it best to give the Sentinels a hard time figuring out what Clark is. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; a glimpse at the world's reaction to the images and can the X-Men survive and defeat the Sentinels?_


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

There are moments of change in everyone's life. The day they graduate, fall in love for the first time, get married, have a baby. There are also hundreds of little moments that change lives only slightly.

Then there are the moments that shakes the world to its foundation. Moments where people for the rest of their lives will be able to tell you exactly where they were. Moments that will be debated and argued over for centuries to come.

One bright sunny summer's day is such a day. The day the existence of mutants was revealed to the whole world.

On this day Amanda is slouching in a chair in front of the tv trying to find something to watch as she flicks through channels. 'Hey there's Rogue,' she absent-mindedly thinks as she spots the unmistakable image of the white stripe in Rogue's otherwise brown hair on the tv. Her brain then suddenly catches up and she desperately flicks the channels back. She lets out a gasp as she sees the others fighting 2 giant robots but where's Kurt? What if he is hurt? Her heart rises in her throat. 'Oh god. Please be ok,' she prays. That is her only thought. Not that the secret has been exposed. Not whatever her parents are saying upon entering the room and seeing this. Just that one solitary prayer that Kurt and the others will be ok.

Taryn too was having a lazy day, sitting in a chair talking on the phone to one of her friends when she spots Jean on the tv telekinetically picking up a car and throwing it at this giant robot. She gasps, dropping the phone, the conversation forgotten.

Duncan Matthews too is seeing that same image of Jean. It was in no doubt that it was her. Summers was there too but Duncan always knew he was a freak but Jean...a shiver of disgust comes over him. He dated her, touched her...has she given him whatever it is she is? Will he become a freak too? Bile rises up in his throat. He feels...dirty and has this sudden urge to go shower and try and scrub away anything Jean might have given him.

Paul is simply in his kitchen making himself a snack while he watches some sports. He is pouring milk into a glass when the image switches over to the battle. He stands there open mouthed. Scott had told him what they did but to actually see his friend in a desperate struggle for his life was another thing and all Paul could do was watch and pray. He hadn't even noticed he was still pouring the milk which was now overflowing the glass and running onto the floor.

Elsewhere in Bayville Principal Kelly was just enjoying his summer vacation until the news cut into the programming and there he saw all those students of his from the Xavier Institute. He had suspected something was off about that place but he had no idea it was on this scale. How can dangerous people like that just be allowed to live amongst the normal population? Why didn't someone do something about it? Like...register them or something so they can be monitored? Isn't that perfectly reasonable?

* * *

**Smallville...**

Pete is hanging out with Chloe at the Talon. He had thought about going to live with his mother in Wichita until Chloe's recent break up with Jordan so he decided to stay for now at least to give Chloe support. Jordan was still a friend...sort of but Chloe didn't really want to talk to him at the moment. The tv in the corner flicks onto breaking news and Chloe actually halts midway to drinking her mug of coffee. Few things in the world can stop Chloe drinking coffee but seeing the people from the institute fight 2 giant robots counts as one. Her eyes simply try to take it all in.

"Where's Clark?" Pete whispers to her and then in answer to that question a red/blue blur zooms past the camera which does its best to follow. The blur comes to a stop next to a street lamp. Pete and Chloe watch on as Clark rips it out of the ground, blurs to behind the less complete looking robot and swings the lamp into the back of its legs with so much force he sweeps its legs from under it making it crash down on its back.

"Dammit!" Chloe curses in a harsh spoken whisper.

"What?"

"The greatest story ever and I'm not there," she laments as she puts her coffee down.

Pete looks at the war zone and is glad Chloe is not there. She would get herself killed. Just then Chloe's phone goes off which she had laid on the table. She picks it up, looks at the caller id and answers it. "Hey Lo," she greets her cousin. "Yeah. I'm watching it too."

At the mansion Lex sits in his office chair watching the news broadcasts alone apart from his thoughts. Lana had left for Paris last week so at least she is far away from whatever this is. Lex had a feeling his father was involved somehow yet he had not seen anything in the reports from his spy about this. Somewhere Lex has been failed and it has left him as in the dark and helpless as everyone else. It was a feeling Lex did not like. All he could do now is watch, wait and see what opportunities presented themselves that would benefit him.

* * *

**The Boarding House...**

As per Magneto's instructions the Brotherhood were laying low watching this fight like everyone else on television. Fred and Toad were laughing their heads off as the X-Men got their asses kicked. Fred and Toad were commentating on it like they were watching a pro-wrestling match.

Lance was not enjoying it although he thinks he should be but so far he hasn't seen Kitty once. Does that mean the robots have already...

Lance lowers his head into his hands now for the first time regretting the choice he made.

Out of the new members Neutron while enjoying the show was also a bit disappointed he wasn't there. He loves a good fight but if what Mystique had promised was true about a war he would probably be seeing plenty of action soon enough.

One person most definitely not enjoying it was Pietro. Not that he cared the x-geeks were getting their butts kicks because frankly he didn't but Wanda was there in the middle of all this. He watches her just barely manage to hex a blast that would have hit her otherwise.

He has to do something. He can't sit here and do nothing. He has to...

A sharp pain strikes the back of his head and Pietro slumps forward unconscious. The cause of it; a silver shaped puzzle piece which slots back into Puzzler's hand. She finds everyone looking at her and shrugs. "Magneto ordered me to make sure he didn't leave," she explains and to her Magneto was as close to any family she has left so she wished to prove herself.

Neutron smirks. He was starting to like her.

Meanwhile Plastique is uninterested in the whole thing. When this war started all she cared about was getting back at the Canadian government who branded her father a terrorist and locked him away. They took him from her and for that they will pay a heavy price.

* * *

**At the Institute..**.

"Mrs K! You've got to see this!" Tabby yells as she literally drags Martha into the sitting room.

"See what Tabitha?" Martha inquires with a frown a little annoyed at being dragged by the blond teenager.

"They're on tv!" Jamie shouts as he sits cross-legged far too close to it.

"Who is?"

"Everybody," Sam says in a rather stunned tone.

Martha turns her attention to the tv and her bottom jaw drops as she watches the students fighting for their lives. The shot changes to one robot on its back and one figure in red and blue pick it up by its foot, swing it high above his head before slamming it down into the street, tearing the street to shreds.

Jonathan soon joins his wife as he is dragged in by Bobby. Soon all the New Mutants are there watching the tv. Jonathan puts his arms around Martha. "He'll be alright. They'll be alright," he says trying to sooth her fears away. He knew how attached Martha had gotten to them all and how despite knowing Clark is nearly invulnerable to harm it never lessens how much she worries about him. Jonathan feels the same fear and worry but he needs to be strong for her which is why he ignoring the pain in his chest and the unusually hard pumping of his heart.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

A tall well built man with brown hair sits on the edge on his chair watching it all on the television with cold hatred in his eyes. 'At last,' he thinks to himself. At last the filthy muties have been exposed and at last they now have nowhere to hide.

Now that people have seen mutants for the genetic pollution they are it is obvious to the man that an uprising of humanity will see the mutant garbage purged from the planet. Still people can be amazingly unfocussed without a leader.

It occurs to the man that he perhaps is uniquely placed to be that leader. He understands better than almost anyone else what filthy repulsive creatures mutants are. Yes. Yes...but he has much work to do.

However hard work is not something he is afraid of. No price is too high to pay to cleanse humanity of this filth.

The man envisages the future he seeks to create of a mutant free world and as he does so a cold smile comes to the face of Graydon Creed.

* * *

**New York...**

The Parker household. Gwen and MJ were there because they had noticed that something was wrong with Peter lately and had decided to confront him about it. He was rude, confrontational, aggressive and acting like a bully. He had even been disrespectful to his aunt which as far as Peter was concerned was normally unthinkable.

Of course what the two girls hadn't expected was the breaking news coverage with these people with superhuman abilities fighting giant robots.

"Are you seeing this?" Gwen asks MJ not sure if she is just imagining this.

MJ nods slowly in an as equally stunned state as Gwen is in. "Uh huh."

Peter snorts rudely. "Big whoop," he says dismissively twirling his finger in the air from his position slouched down in a chair. "Let the robots smoosh them. I don't see how this is an excuse to ruin my daytime enjoyment," he complains at having his programmes interrupted.

Gwen and MJ stare at him in the odd dark clothing he wears these days. He rarely use to wear any black. Now it seemed to be a constant. It seemed to be a reflection of his attitude.

"Pete just what the hell has gotten into you?" Gwen asks her boyfriend although that relationship was currently on very shaky ground.

Peter fixes Gwen a glare that could make grown men flinch. "Maybe what is wrong with me is nosy women who don't know how to stay out of my fucking life!" he snaps in an angry aggressive tone. He has had enough of them sticking their noses in and don't get him started on their endless nagging.

"Peter Benjamin Parker!" May shouts unable to believe she heard such language from the boy she raised.

"Peter Benjamin Parker!" he repeats mockingly. "Give it a rest May. That doesn't work on me anymore."

May gasps in shock at his disrespect. "You are not the boy I raised."

"The hell I am but here's a newsflash auntie you ain't my mother. She's dead and I know you know more about that than you tell me. Real respect you show me when you have spent my whole life lying to me!" he spits out angrily.

May visibly pales as she sinks into a chair, her legs unable to support her anymore.

"Peter!" Gwen yells. "That's enough!"

Peter laughs like he doesn't give a damn because he doesn't. He stands up from the chair he is and moves with a dangerous predatory grace right up to Gwen. "What's the matter Gwendy. Don't like me anymore? Here I thought women always went for the bad boy."

Gwen breaks out 'The Look' with her glaring over the top of her glasses.

"Ooh," he says with a mock shudder. "'The Look'. Do you know that only kind of turns me on," he says with this smug, hungry look that makes Gwen really nervous about what Peter might do. He has never made her feel that way before. He is usually so kind and funny. It is like the person in front of her is a complete stranger and not the boy she has known since Kindergarten.

Peter runs his fingers gently up and down Gwen's arm.

"Pete what is happening to you?" Gwen asks afraid of what Peter is becoming. Afraid for him more than herself.

"It's called growing up Gwen. This is just me becoming who I really am."

Tears sting Gwen's eyes. "Then I can't be with you anymore," she admits. She just can't put up with this any longer.

If Gwen was expecting a reaction she doesn't really get one. Peter just shrugs. "Ok. Fine. Plenty of more fish in the sea." His gaze turns to MJ. "So MJ you free tonight?" he asks her out.

MJ cannot believe Peter has the gall. She looks at him like she is looking at a stranger "Gwen is right. What is happening to you?"

Peter sighs bored. "I thought you would be thrilled MJ. After all if Gwen dumps me then all those months of you pining after me would finally pay off. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it."

MJ slaps him hard across his cheek, her face almost red with anger.

"Ooh feisty," he says with an amused grin as he rubs his cheek. "You sure we can't work something out?" From MJ's death glare expression he can guess "No."

"Well you know what? Fine!" he yells in a sudden outburst of temper. He then storms out of the house leaving a visibly shaken May wondering what has happened to the boy she loves like her own son and a crying Gwen who MJ is trying her best to comfort while trying to fight off her own tears.

Peter storms out the house and walks down the street. As he does so his clothes start to shift and change. A black tar like material spreads over his whole body until it becomes a black costume with a white spider motif on the front with the legs that go all the way round. On the back of the hands are white squares which out of one he fires a webline as he swings into the air all this while not really caring if anyone saw him change like that.

"Women," Peter mutters disparagingly. "Who needs them?"

"_That's right,"_ an 'other' voice in his head says. _"We don't need anyone."_

"Yeah. We don't need anyone," Peter says in agreement.

"_All we need is each other."_

"Yeah. All we need is each other."

* * *

The street, the buildings, they were all getting damaged as the X-Men continued their battle with the Sentinel. Police had shown up but so far they had stayed out of it but how long that would continue was anyone's guess.

The lead Sentinel, unit 01, had assessed these mutants to be a high threat level after Storm had slammed a lightning bolt into its chest. It had activated its secondary weapons which meant its chest armour had slid back to reveal 6 more cannons. Its right arm had transformed into 3 more cannons. The left one had transformed into a hook like implement with yet another cannon attached on top.

Scott had managed to see that Clark had taken one Sentinel down and was currently tossing another one around like a tinker toy. Made Scott immensely thankful that Clark is on their side but with him busy it left Scott to command the fight against this Sentinel.

A cry grabs his attention as a blast lands too close to Wanda knocking her off her feet. The Sentinel fires another at her prone form but Jean manages to rush in front of Wanda in time and put up a shield. Scott fires several blasts at the Sentinel to draw its attention away.

"Jean!" Scott yells. "How is she?"

Jean takes a moment to check on Wanda. She doesn't think its serious but Wanda may not be much help for the next few minutes.

Rogue who had been providing distraction as pretty much the only thing she could do runs over next to Wanda. "Ah could take her powers," she suggests to Jean.

They could do with all the help they get Jean knows. To be blunt they were getting their asses kicked. A fact reinforced when Storm is hit and falls from the sky but Wanda could be up in a few minutes so a compromise. "Light tap. She'll be up soon," Jean instructs Rogue.

Rogue nods, takes one of her gloves off and gently touches Wanda's cheek for a brief moment.

"Auntie O!" Evan shouts enraged at seeing his aunt down. He growls with rage and turns to face the Sentinel and unleashes spikes from his torso and his arms at the giant mechanical monstrosity. Two manage to jam up two cannons which backfire causing the Sentinel to stagger backwards.

Rogue fires a hex bolt at it causing circuits to overload and it staggers back more before it bypasses the damage and reroutes circuits. Beast takes this momentary pause to run and leap off a parked car and onto the Sentinel in an attempt to prise open a piece of the armour and try to expose the circuitry below but the Sentinel flicks him off like a bug and then resumes its attacks forcing the X-Men to once more scatter and dodge.

* * *

Clark slams the Sentinel down into the ground for the 5th time as it lays there on its back. That has got to break something.

The Sentinel responds by firing one of the cannons from its reconfigured right arm. The beam slams into Clark's chest pushing him across the street and into a parked car which crumples around his body due to the force of impact. The Sentinel sits up, hatches on its shoulder pop open to reveal missile launchers. It fires two missiles which impact dead on Clark causing the car to explode.

The Sentinel gets back to its feet and scans the explosion area to ensure its target is destroyed. The wrecked car is suddenly lifted and Clark throws the remains at the Sentinel as hard as he can which is pretty damn hard when you remember how strong he is. The Sentinel is forced to take several paces backward before it can compensate.

Clark fires his heat vision at one of the weak spots but the Sentinel raises its left arm in front of itself and the blow simply dents the armour on the forearm.

Dents?

'Just what the hell is this thing made of ?' Clark asks himself. Not any normal metal alloy that's for sure.

Clark zips forward and leaps into air, drawing his fist back. The Sentinel, with unbelievable quickness for something its size, sweeps him away with its arm and Clark goes flying into the 3rd storey of nearby building.

He crash lands in an office.

Mental note; Move faster, hit harder and he hates giant robots!

* * *

While the X-Men fight down in Trask's base Kurt and Kitty have been making their way around following the Professor's guidance. Kurt would port them from place to place staying in the shadows. Luckily with all the men busy packing up they weren't really paying any attention making Kurt and Kitty's job easier.

They reach a hallway full of doors that looks like a cell block. "I think this is it," Kitty says to Kurt.

Kurt nods in agreement and as they walk down the hall Kitty phases her head through each door to have a look. She then grabs Kurt and pulls him into one which can only means she has found Logan.

"Oh man," Kurt says as he gets his first look at Logan. He was lying on the floor, his uniform torn and wounds that were still healing. He must have been really messed up for his wounds to have not completely healed by now.

Kitty kneels down next to him and just has to check for a pulse for her own piece of mind that he is alright. She finds one. "We need to get him back to the Velocity," Kitty says urgently.

Kurt nods and places a hand each on Kitty and Logan. "Hold on," he warns Kitty so she can hold her breath. Otherwise the sulphurous smoke made you feel awful.

There is the familiar shifting through space before the 3 appear just outside the Velocity. Kurt and Kitty pick Logan up groaning as they do so at the weight.

"Man he has got to go on a diet," Kurt complains although he is joking. The weight was caused by Logan's metal bones.

Kitty and Kurt manage to get Logan into the Velocity where they lay him down on the deck. The Professor rolls over and looks him over. "He'll be alright," the Professor reports. "Now you two the others need your help."

"Ve're already gone," Kurt says as she places his hand on Kitty and the two vanish in a puff of blue smoke and reappear in the midst of the battle.

* * *

Looking on at all of this is Magneto with some satisfaction. News-copters were circling overhead. Police were here. Army helicopters were closing in although he was slowing their arrival. It was all the perfect show he had wanted and this was only the beginning.

He had seen Wanda hit and go down and yes he was concerned. He is not heartless but in fact it was better that she was down and out of the way. The Sentinel had lost interest in her for the moving more immediately dangerous targets.

He had been debating whether to end this now but had decided to let the X-Men see what it was they were about to fight. If they couldn't win this single battle when he orchestrated it then they could not hope to fight the war to come so he'll let this play out to its finale.

* * *

Clark picks himself up and dusts himself down as he finds himself being stared at by the staff there who must have seen him on tv. He rubs the back of his neck. "Um...sorry about the mess," he apologises. The thud of the Sentinel moving catches his attention. "Excuse me," he says as he blurs forward as fast as he can accelerate and dives out through the hole he made, aiming perfectly at the missing piece of armour he smashes right through the Sentinel and comes out the other side. He manages to land in a roll and is back to his feet before the Sentinel has recovered.

The Sentinel turns to face him and shoots at him from all its cannons. The blasts tear up the ground around him but miss him. The Sentinel aims its right arm cannons at him only for those to be enveloped in a blue energy field. The cannons backfire blowing the right arm to pieces.

Clark and the Sentinel both look at who did that where they find a slightly limping Wanda who had woken up and saw what she thought was Clark in trouble. The Sentinel fires two missiles at her and Clark zips to her and wraps his body around her as they impact off his back.

Wanda can feel the heat of the explosion and knows if Clark hadn't done that she would be dead. "You ok?" he asks her.

Wanda nods.

"Alright then. The armour around the left knee joint is missing. We hit it with everything we've got. I'll distract it first."

Clark zips away in an instant and Wanda watches red beams pour from his eyes smashing into the Sentinels chest melting a huge hole in the armour. Clark had upped the power he was using.

The Sentinel rocks on its heels and before it can compensate Wanda hits its left knee with the most powerful hex bolt she can summon up. Metal rusts instantly, bolts loosen and come undone, power circuits explode. The Sentinel becomes more unsteady when Clark unleashes another blast of his heat vision sheering the leg off at the knee. Like the 1st Sentinel he fought this one topples over impacting a building as it does so causing debris to plummet into the street.

Clark feels guilty for causing that but now the Sentinel is resting up against the building. He needs it away or he risks hurting innocent people. He zips forward and grabs the Sentinel by its one good leg and drags it.

"Look out!" Wanda suddenly shouts but it is too late and from its remaining left arm the Sentinel fires the same green substance that imprisoned Wolverine. The substance becomes harder and harder around Clark's body until he finds he can't move.

Wanda unleashes a hex bolt at the offending arm which begins to rust. A couple more follow ups soon has the arm blowing to dust in the wind but what about Clark. Wanda runs over to him and looks carefully. She may have to go get help she thinks when she spots through the translucent green material his eyes glowing red.

Two red beams shoot out of the material, making a hole and cracking it . The cracks start to expand until Clark bursts free shattering his prison entirely. He takes a moment to gasp for breath. "That was unpleasant," he says.

The sound of the Sentinel's chest cannons rotating into place snaps Clark back into action. He grabs the foot and throws it through the air making sure it lands face first in the middle of the street. Wasn't perfect in this built up area but it was the best he could do. He leaps high into the air and Wanda wonders just what he is doing.

Clark fires his heat vision at the head. The Sentinel is not getting up so he can just focus all his energy on melting the armour on his way up. He reaches the pinnacle of his leap and starts to fall, unconsciously adjusting his trajectory as he does so so he smashes into the head perfect. The armour is so soft he passes through it like a hot knife through butter. Once inside the head he smashes everything within. Since destroying the head of the 1st Sentinel shut it down it is safe to assume its central processing unit is stored here.

Just before the Sentinel shuts down a misfire causes two more missiles to be fired from the very top of its shoulders. They skim along the road surface before wildly changing direction and just to prove to Wanda her life sucks they end up coming straight at her.

Magneto sees Wanda in trouble and using his power saves her. She is his daughter. Nothing would change that and he would not see her harmed but this can be a lesson for her as well. Magneto hopes she learns from it and sees how pointless her thirst for revenge is in the face of the threat humans pose.

From Wanda's perspective suddenly the two missiles plow into the ground in front of her as if someone pushed them down. Wanda gets blown off her feet and lands on her back. As she lays there and groans she spots something high above her up on a building. A figure in red. Her father!

A gust of wind and Clark appears above her offering his hand. Wanda takes it and gets to her feet. "Magneto's here!" she says pointing up at the building.

Clark looks where Wanda is pointing and there indeed is Magneto. He looks back at her and can see the stark anger, pain and rage. He has to stop this before she crosses the line. He has to succeed where he failed with Toyman. He can't fail again. "Wanda. Our friends need us."

Wanda finds herself conflicted. She did make a promise but there is her father finally within her reach.

Clark bends down slightly so he and Wanda are the same height. "Wanda," he says softly. Something about his voice makes her look at him. "I'm going to say something and then if still you want to go after him I won't stop you." Clark takes a breath. "Last summer I discovered my spaceship had contained within it an artificial intelligence based on my biological father's memories. It spoke to me. Told me my time in Smallville had come to an end and that it was time for me to leave. I refused not wishing to leave my friends and family. I told this to my 'father' but he is not the kind of person who takes no as an answer. He marked me."

Wanda cocks her head to the side not sure what he means. Clark catches this and elaborates. "He burned a symbol into my chest. One that wouldn't heal and would not do so until I did what I was told. He even threatened those I cared about. Still I had no intention of leaving. I became desperate for another way out and I determined to destroy my ship and hoped that would destroy Jor-El as well."

Wanda does not know where he is going with this. It sounds a little bit like what she feels and faces with her father.

Clark smiles a pained thin smile. "My mom was pregnant at the time," he tells her. "But let me ask you this have you seen a little brother or sister running around the mansion?"

Wanda shakes her head having a bad feeling she knows what must have happened to the baby.

Clark takes a shaky breath as recalling this pulls all his raw emotions back to the surface. "I killed that baby," he states very bluntly.

Wanda swallows hard.

"I succeeded in destroying the ship but I never gave any thought as to what would happen, what the result of my actions would be. The ship exploded and my parents' truck was caught in the explosion and my mom miscarried."

"It was an accident," Wanda says her voice croaky.

"Yes but the result was the same. A completely innocent life was taken because of my actions. I'm not telling you not to hate your father Wanda. I hate whatever that thing is that calls itself my father. I'm asking you to think of the consequences of your actions. If you follow this pursuit for vengeance without any regard for who may get caught in the crossfire you will end up like me with your hands covered in the blood of the innocent and let me tell you Wanda that does not wash off no matter how hard you try. It stains your forever. Don't let it be the blood of our friends that stains you."

Clark sands up straight. "I have to go help our friends now but I know you'll make the right choice."

"How? How do you know?" she asks because inside all Wanda feels is hurt and anger and this never ending urge for revenge.

Clark smiles slightly. "Because you are better than him," he says pointing at Magneto. Clark starts to walk off. He'll give it 10 paces before he slips into superspeed.

Wanda's fists clench. She hates her father more than anything but these last few weeks have been the best of her life. Sure she doesn't go out of her way to make friends but they are her friends. Some more than others. Tabby...Kurt who always makes her laugh even when she doesn't show it and Clark. The 1st person who has ever been truthful to her even when like right there she could see the raw pain and anguish over his actions. Clark who has so much faith in her that he trusts her to look beyond her need for vengeance and do what is right. She finds that she can't bring herself to disappoint him. She looks up at her father. 'Another day,' she mentally swears but not today. More important people need her.

8 paces...9...

"Clark! Wait!"

Clark stops and Wanda runs up to him and then past him. "Lets go," she tells him. "Come on! What are you waiting for?" she snaps impatiently. "Our friends need us!"

Clark smiles and thanks whoever is up there looking down that this time he has succeeded. He zips into superspeed, picks Wanda up and together they head off to finish the fight.

* * *

"Gott in Himmel," had been Kurt's first reaction upon seeing the Sentinel's the first time and it was still his reaction as he ports out of the way of missiles it fired at him.

Kitty runs through a leg which shorts out circuits slowing the Sentinel down and giving it a pronounced limp.

The Sentinel diagnoses the cause due to Kitty's power causing molecular displacement and proceeds to adapt to long range attacks on her only.

Scott hits it with a optic blast. They were definitely starting to take a toll. The armour was dented and completely blasted away in some places. They can do this he realises.

The Sentinel starts firing the green substance at the targets. Beast gets hit as does Evan. Another one heads straight for Rogue only for her to find herself swept out of harms way in the never to be missed safe and protective hold of her boyfriend's arms. Clark puts her down and she looks up into those sparkling blue eyes.

"Hi," he greets her.

"Hi."

"Miss me?"

"Pft. In your dreams!" she jokes which makes Clark pout.

Clark had dropped Wanda off and she spots the Sentinel trying to imprison Kurt when his back is turned. "No!" she yells and hexes the arm making it jump position and the shot misses Kurt who flashes her a smile in thanks.

Storm shakes her head to clear the cobwebs. As she gets up she sees Evan imprisoned in the green substance. Her eyes crackle with electricity as her anger rises. No-one and especially not some soulless machine hurts her family.

Nearby police back off in fear as a whirlwind starts forming around her, electricity crackling on its edges. The whirlwind grows in size and power. There is a very good reason Storm is normally such a calm person because there is what happens when she is angry. She unleashes the whirlwind at the Sentinel lightning impacts its armour denting it and causing overloads. The Sentinel responds by activating 4 small rocket engines, one on each leg and two on its back, to stabilise itself.

"Superboy. The rockets!" Scott orders and Clark knows he means the 2 only he can get to in time. He blurs behind the Sentinel and uses his heat vision to destroy the rocket engines on the back while Scott and Jean destroy the two on its legs leaving the Sentinel at the mercy of Storm.

It ends up blowing back and crashing into a building. Clark is forced to pull a few civilians out of the way of falling debris although why people are simply standing around and watching this Clark couldn't tell you.

"Shadowcat phase the others out!" Scott orders in regards to those the Sentinel managed to encase. "Everyone else focus on the joints and the cannons!"

Scott unleashes optic blasts, Wanda her hex bolts and Storm bolts of lightning. Jean flings a couple of cars at the behemoth which becomes more unstable on its feet. "Keep it up!" Scott orders.

Kurt spots some military helicopters and mentally judges the distance. He has an idea. He teleports in the midst of some very surprised soldiers. "Sorry," he apologies. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow zhis," he says as he swipes a grenade off one of the soldiers.

Kurt teleports onto the shoulder of the Sentinel, pulls the pin and drops it down one of the missile launchers before porting away.

The explosion sets off more internal ones and the Sentinel rocks once more. A self-diagnosis told it it was now operating at less then 50%. It resorted to back-up protocols which means to use any force necessary to ensure its own survival. All its remaining cannons fire at one forcing the mutants to dodge and disrupting their attack when they were starting to make real progress.

Rogue somehow finds herself directly in the Sentinel's path and it activates it main centre cannon. The large cannon glows pink as it fires.

Now Rogue wishes she could say something clichéd like her life flashed before her eyes but really she just stood there in muted shock, her mind frozen as the beam heads straight for her.

Then her angel appears in front of her his arms crossed in front of him as the beam impacts him instead. Rogue loses complete sight of him as he is engulfed in the energy beam. For a few heart stopping moments Rogue fears he might not reappear but the beam fades and there he is. His coat has all but been vaporised and his body is literally smoking but he is alive. He drops to one knee and has to rest a hand on the ground to stop himself from falling over.

"Clark!" Rogue shouts as she runs forward and places her hands on his face and lifts his head to look at her. Even through her gloves she can feel how hot his body is after going through that.

"Ok. Ow," he whines which makes Rogue smile but internally she knows if that beam managed to cause Clark pain then it would have done to her what it did to Clark's coat and there would be nothing left of her but dust on the wind.

That really did hurt but the sun is healing Clark already and he stands up as the others renew their assault on the Sentinel. "You know directed energy weapons require massive power and should be beyond current technology. When this is over I'm making an official complaint," Clark says trying to crack a joke.

Even his lame sense of humour makes Rogue smile.

Clark's eyes light up and he fires his heat vision into the Sentinel hitting a spot where the armour has been knocked off and he blasts a whole right through it.

"Everyone hit it with everything you got!" Scott orders knowing everyone must be exhausted but they have almost done it. The Sentinel is barely standing and is on fire.

All those with offensive powers hit the Sentinel. Spyke, who by now Kitty has phased free, fires off more spikes jamming up the remaining cannons. Jean focuses her remaining power on warping the knee joint of its limping leg to try and immobilise it. Scott fires off optic blasts following Clark's leads and hitting the places where the armour is ripped off or damaged. Storm summons lightning to strike it in the chest thrice. Wanda fires her hex bolts hitting at the shoulder where Kurt dropped the grenade. More explosions end up blowing the arm off.

"W-WARNING...C-CATASTHROPHIC DAMAGE...U-UNIT'S INTERRRGRRRITTTYY SEVERLY C-COMPROMISSSSSED..." the Sentinel says in its death throws.

It rocks and rolls no-one certain where but certain it will now fall. Clark doesn't wish to take the chance of an innocent being crushed under it. He zips forward, leaps into the air and collides with Sentinel just below its neck knocking it down onto its back in the middle of the street. He stands atop of it, more small internal explosions shake it, just as its yellow eyes lose their glow.

It was over.

"We did it!" Kitty whoops in celebration.

Clark zips back as the weary mutants regroup. "I'm afraid our problems are only just beginning Kitty," Clark says grimly as he points up in the sky. "News-copters."

"We've been seen," Jean says in growing horror.

"Aw terrific," Rogue mutters knowing what this could mean for them. Clark moves next to her and puts his arm around her. Whatever happens next he'll protect her and his friends and family with all he has.

"Oh man. That's it. We're toast!" Evan announces what he thinks this means.

Everyone looks up as the Velocity comes to land nearby. The Professor knew it was now time to make as swift an exit as possible.

"We have to go," Scott announces. The police were here. They had those army helicopters to try and lose. They have to get out of here and try to get a breather to figure out where they go from here.

The X-Men quickly get into the helicopter and take off.

Magneto watches them go feeling immensely satisfied at today's events. He looks down below at the already chaos and he can hear people shouting demanding to know what went on and who was to blame. Humans. Always looking for someone else to blame when the blame lies within.

Magneto knows what happens next. They will look for a focus for their anger. Mutants will be that focus. Mutants will be persecuted, attacked and they in turn will look for someone to protect them and Magneto will be the one who fills that role and his mutant brethren will come to him in their hundreds and thousands. An army for him to lead.

For now he will depart and leave the humans to wonder in ignorance and to let their hate and anger fester and when the time is right he will stoke up their rage. Soon. Oh so very soon the inevitable war would begin and Magneto would be ready. He would strike first and hard before humans are ready ensuring victory for his kind and their rightful place as rulers of this world.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well the X-Men survived but now there is a whole world that hates and fears them. The struggle is really only beginning. Had to have a think about how to keep Spider-Man from interfering since I wanted this to be solely about the X-Men. Then it struck me; evil symbiote. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men attempt to regroup and consider their next course while Stryker puts his own plans into action...and oh yeah Deadpool returns!_


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

The Helicarrier, the flying base of SHIELD, and on the base is one Colonel Nicolas Fury almost incandescent with rage as he watches the news reports as he stands on the bridge. "Can someone explain to me why the X-Men are battling Sentinels in New York?" he rages. They had been caught with their pants down and Fury hates that.

All his subordinates look on helpless. Fury reigns in his anger. "Hill!" he shouts as Maria Hill moves forward and salutes.

"We both know who this is," Fury says gravely.

Hill nods. "Dr Bolivar Trask. Has been incognito since quitting SHIELD."

"And stole all his work when he did. Take every squad in the vicinity down there. Comb the place."

"Yes Sir," Hill salutes and makes her leave.

"And Hill," Fury says stopping her momentarily. "Don't return until you have Trask," he warns her.

* * *

**At Luthorcorp's Bayville Headquarters...**

Lionel Luthor has watched the entire episode on television and had been trying not to burst a blood vessel. Just what the hell was that moron Trask thinking sending those Sentinels to fight mutants on national television. It risked ruining everything.

The doors to Lionel's office are forcibly pushed open as Stryker marches in not any happier than Lionel was. He has no idea what Trask was thinking either and this...incident threatens to ruin completely Stryker's plans. That is why he has rushed here because if he was to salvage anything he had to act immediately.

"So Colonel what do we do?" Lionel asks because to be bluntly honest Lionel for once in his life has no idea.

"Do you still want the mutants to study?"

Lionel gazes at the man whose expression gives nothing away. "It does not matter. The government are involved now," he says rather morose because that means he has to do everything he can to make sure none of this can be tied back to him.

"Yes and they will want answers. The public will want answers and you are uniquely placed to give them the answers they seek along with the means to ensure public security. Think about it. You can offer them an understanding of mutants no-one else can provide. Thanks to the MRD you set up you can offer the government a security force specialised in dealing with this threat and what better way to demonstrate this than by capturing those dangerous mutants everyone saw."

The image Stryker was describing crystallises in Lionel's mind.

"Then once captured you can show off to the government the holding facilities and the..._humane_ conditions in which mutants will be held and studied and then you can offer to sell all of this to the United States government and every other government in the world. You can be ahead of all the competition and best of all as I recall there is no way any of what has just happened can be linked to you. You made sure the funding you filtered Trask's way was through fake companies as were any equipment and parts he requested. Your hands are clean officially. You can go forward offering this without any incriminating evidence."

That's true. There...well there should be no way any of this can be linked to Lionel although no guarantee. On the other points Stryker raised yes Lionel would be ahead of the competition. Just not in holding facilities but genetic research. Mutants were biological weapons. When Essex finishes his new machine mutants will able to be created on demand for any army to buy if they can afford the price. Lionel could make billions.

Stryker can see he is winning Lionel over. He leans forward and places his hands on Lionel's desk. "There is still the other issue of your health. One of these mutants could be the key to curing your disease," Stryker argues appealing to Lionel's instinct of self-preservation.

"Can you find them?"

Stryker stands up straight and smiles. "They are closer than you think. Look very closely and you'll something familiar and here's a hint think of all those failed investigations into Charles Xavier's school."

Lionel looks at the news coverage closely, blinks several times and then curses himself for not seeing what was right in front of his face. The mutants...they are Charles' students. He had pictures of them all yet somehow until Stryker said it he never made the connection. So this was Charles' secret and that must mean Clark Kent...clever clever Clark hiding what he truly was so well.

Doesn't mean Clark still doesn't have a connection to the Traveller. Only way Lionel will know is if Stryker captures him and Lionel gets his answers out of Clark one way or another. Then there is the figure in red and blur blurring about on the tv. Could only be the Bayville Blur. Another connection Charles had hid so well. Perhaps there is a chance to capture the Blur as well. "How will you go about it?" Lionel wants to know.

"After a battle like that I would return to base to rest, regroup and reorganise. If we strike at Xavier's before they have a chance to do that then I am confident we can capture them although even then it will not be without risk. Mutants are always dangerous. On the way here I already put every MRD unit we have within range on stand-by. We can hit them with an overwhelming force if we strike now."

Lionel's eyes narrow slightly as he thinks this through. It was only a matter of time before the authorities figure out who these mutants are. This is his only opportunity. He will not in all likelihood get another "Very well," he authorises the mission. "But I have one caveat."

"Name it."

"I want priority to be given to the capture of one individual in particular."

"This Clark Kent you are so obsessed with," Stryker can guess. He found Lionel's obsession in the boy very odd and also had a feeling Lionel did not give full disclosure as to why he was so obsessed.

Lionel nods.

"Very well. I need to get going now if we are to do this."

"Then go Colonel."

Stryker turns and marches out. He will give Clark Kent a minor priority because to be frank he did not know what the boy could do and he has his eye set on two other targets which are much more vital to his plans. Plans which will allow him very soon to break away from Lionel but first things first he has to storm the mansion and capture the two mutants he requires.

Stryker heads up to the roof of the building where his helicopter is waiting. Inside the helicopter is the person he decided to keep on a retainer.

"Billy!" Deadpool greets the Colonel while he flips a bullet between his fingers. "So how did your meeting go with Treebeard?"

Stryker ignores the idiocy. "We have a go."

"Cool! I was starting to think for a minute I was going to miss all the action. I mean did you see those kids fighting the robots. I did and I was thinking 'Hey author dude. Why can't I get action scenes like that?'."

Stryker waits for it and Deadpool doesn't disappoint.

"Well I was thinking that and also when the hell did this turn into a Michael Bay movie? Although this was better than the 2nd Transformers movie. I mean boy did that movie suck. My life has a more coherent plot-line which is really saying something when the details of my past seem to change every time my comic comes out. Although changes that are not as often as what those bozos at DC are doing. I mean seriously guys another reboot? Try something original!"

"Are you done?" Stryker asks.

"Depends. What was I saying again?"

Stryker shakes his head and gets into the helicopter. "We're going to be storming Xavier's," Stryker tells Deadpool in some vain hope that Wilson can focus as the helicopter takes off.

"Oh right. Yeah I love that idea. Bullets flying, explosions, fights with hot women in tight uniforms, screaming, crying, blood, chaos, mayhem, destruction and fights with hot women in tight uniforms. All the things that make life worth living...after getting paid a shitload of money. Did I mention the hot women in the tight uniforms?"

"Yes."

"Right I guess that just leaves the blood, chaos, mayhem, destruction and murder."

"I want them alive Deadpool!" Stryker snaps.

Deadpool's face falls under his mask. "You know I remember a time when you would just go in kill a bunch of villagers and not blink twice. Then we would all share in a song around the camp-fire made of their burning corpses drinking beer. What happened to that guy? He knew how to have fun."

"I have plans for them Deadpool so listen carefully. No killing!"

Deadpool sighs. "You're killin' me here Bill."

"Wilson!" Stryker growls at the end of his rope.

"Fine. Fine. No killing but can I least beat up a few people?"

"Yes including our old friend Wolverine."

That peps Deadpool up. "Logan's going to be there? Sweet!" Under his mask Deadpool has a great big smile. It's always a good time when Logan's there.

* * *

Down in the Luthorcorp building Natasha Romanova had made an excuse about needing to go to the rest-room and that was exactly where she was. She checks no-one is around and activates her communicator. "Black Widow to Colonel Fury," she calls in.

"Fury here. Report!"

The Black Widow reports what the listening device she installed in Luthor's office picked up and she relays what she found out during that conversation between Lionel and Stryker. That Lionel was funding Trask.

"Dammit!" Fury curses not just Luthor but himself for not picking up on what Lionel was doing much earlier.

"Your orders?"

"Take Luthor into custody immediately for aiding and abetting a known fugitive from SHIELD. You have my full authority. I'll get back-up to you as soon as I can."

"Understood," Widow says coolly her Russian accent coming through at its thickest.

The door to the rest room opens and in walks Natasha's job-share partner Raven Darkholme who smiles politely before tripping up right into Natasha's arms.

"I am so sorry," Raven says apologetically as she tries to regain her balance as her arms end up around Natasha's neck.

"It is alright. It was..." Natasha trails off as she feels a sudden prick in her neck. She staggers back her vision already blurring and she can see Raven standing there smiling smugly and holding a small hypodermic needle in her hand. "What have...?"

"Oh a little something to put you to sleep. Can't have you interfering too soon," Raven states.

Natasha falls to the floor and as her eyes begin to close she sees Raven morph in front of her into a woman with blue skin. "Mystique..."

Mystique looks down at her fallen foe. "You're getting sloppy in your old age Tasha," she mocks a woman she has faced before as a foe at how easily the Widow was caught off guard. Mystique pulls out a phone clipped to the waistband of the black skirt she now wears when in this form and makes the call. "I have taken care of the Black Widow," she informs him.

"Excellent," Magneto praises her work. He can't have SHIELD arresting Luthor just yet.

"Stryker is preparing to attack Xavier's," she informs him from what she overheard.

There is several moments of silence as Magneto digest that. "That will work to our advantage," he decides.

"What!" Mystique exclaims. "In what way will that work to our advantage?"

Magneto audibly sighs. "Mystique put your feelings for your children aside," he directs her.

"Your daughter is there too!" Mystique snaps.

"I am aware but this will provide a valuable lesson for Charles and the X-Men. It will show them how humans will ruthlessly persecute and hunt us and that our only option is to fight. Besides the X-Men are skilled. I fully expect them to be able to organise a fighting retreat."

"And if Stryker succeeds in capturing some of them?"

"I'm counting on it."

"What!"

Another audible sigh, this time one of annoyance at the fact Magneto has to explain everything. Mystique really must learn to control her emotions. "If Stryker captures any of them the X-Men will not stop until they find them which they will and in the process of rescuing their captured colleagues they will destroy Stryker's organisation saving us the trouble."

Mystique is not happy at any of this. Just because her relationship with her children is..._slightly _strained does not mean she can just standby and let harm come to them. "You expect me to do nothing?"

"No I expect you to do what I told you to so get to it!" he snaps before ending the call.

Mystique glares at the phone. To use a word the kids use Magneto is a complete and utter douchebag. If she didn't think he was the only hope for mutantkind she would so not be working for him but she does think that and she is working for him.

Mystique transforms back into dowdy Raven Darkholme, secretary, for hopefully the last time. She picks up the Black Widow and heads back for Lionel's office.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?" Lionel demands to know when Darkholme dumps Romanova on his desk.

Raven replies, "In a word SHIELD. You know what that is don't you?"

Lionel gazes at the woman carefully. Suddenly she looks like a stranger to the person he thought he knew. "Who are you?"

Raven holds up a finger. "One minute. We'll get to that. I promise. Now SHIELD."

"I know who they are," Lionel confirms.

"Then meet one of their supposedly best agents," Raven says still mocking Natasha. "This is the Black Widow and thanks to me I just stopped her from arresting you because they know what you have done."

Lionel stiffens. "You're lying."

"As matter of fact I do lie often but on this occasion I am being truthful. I have bought you an hour at most and if I were you I would start running because when SHIELD gets here they will find evidence linking you to everything. Mostly because I planted it."

"Who are you?" Lionel asks again.

"Me? I am your enemy Mr Luthor and all this time I have been keeping tabs on you for my employer. As for my name...Raven Darkholme was a little girl with brown hair and green eyes. When she hit puberty her x-gene activated and she became someone else." Raven's forms slowly starts to change from the bottom up until Mystique stands there in her true form. "She became Mystique."

Lionel's eyes widen as he looks upon the woman with blue skin and red hair. A mutant all this time spying on him.

"Yes. Yes. I know it's a terrible shock but if you want some advice, stop staring , close your mouth and run!"

"Why are you telling me this if you are my enemy?" Lionel asks unable to understand why she is telling him what she has done and allowing him to escape.

"SHIELD is also my enemy and if I make sure you escape I divert their attention, split their resources, keep them busy. Now you have a choice here...Lionel. You cannot believe me if you wish but do so and face the rest of your life in prison or you can run. A man with your ample resources can certainly manage to evade SHIELD for a long time."

Lionel glares at her, anger boiling up inside him.

Mystique sighs at the look she is getting. "You're thinking about trying to hurt me. Don't waste your time. I am stronger than I look and you aren't in the best of health."

As if to prove her point shooting pains penetrate through Lionel's liver that seem much worse than any he has experienced before. "This is not over," he says through gritted teeth due to the pain.

Mystique smirks. "Of course not. I await eagerly your attempts at revenge. I am certain it will be quite amusing."

Lionel runs past her, his hand held to his side where his liver in. Yes he is running but not away as she may think. He isn't beaten yet. He has one last card to play. He has to get to Project Prometheus.

Mystique morphs into Lionel and looks down at Natasha on Lionel's desk. Oh how easy and satisfying it would be to end the famous Black Widow's life but alas Mystique needs to leave her alive so she can make her little report to Fury. Oh well another day.

Mystique, as Lionel so she doesn't draw attention, makes her way down to the lab in the basement where Essex is working. Once there she orders everyone out but him.

"Time to leave I assume," Essex says knowing it is Mystique he is talking to. He is telepathic after all.

Mystique drops the disguise. "SHIELD knows about Luthor's connection to Trask. They'll be here within the hour and as I recall Fury wants your head on a platter."

Essex grins amused. "Yes. I believe they refer to my experiments as inhumane and monstrous. They have the minds of children trying to relate to a God. They will never understand how my work is for the betterment of the human race."

Mystique doesn't understand how his sick experiments benefit anyone either but he is an ally for the moment so she lives with it.

Essex goes over to a computer and types in a few commands. "I am removing any data relating to my presence but leaving plenty of evidence to incriminate Luthor. I already have everything important backed-up at my base," he explains what he is doing.

Mystique looks at the new machine Essex was building. "Was that ever going to actually work?"

Essex smiles, amused at what amounts to his own little joke. "In theory yes but as for that actual device no as a matter of fact. I was just fobbing Luthor off until Magneto was ready. I'm having the real working device built in one of Magneto's bases." He finishes his work on the computer. "Now then. I believe my dear it is time we make ourselves scarce. We have the future to create."

Essex transforms into his true form. Sinister as he is now goes and opens a safe and pulls out blood and tissue samples he wants to keep and a small hand held device. A functioning teleporter he created by studying the teleportation powers of several mutants. It takes the form of a bulky looking bracelet which he snaps on his wrist. Mystique places her hand on his shoulder, Sinister activates the teleporter and the two mutants vanish in a flash of light.

* * *

**On board the Velocity...**

It had taken an hour just to shake the many pursuers and that was with Storm summoning up a thick fog bank. Once they got enough distance the helicopter's stealth abilities did the rest. For most of that time they had all just sat there in stunned silence. Even Logan sat in silence at the back festering in his own anger. When he had been told what had happened after he woke up he had wanted to tear something apart. When he was needed most, when his kids needed him he hadn't been there.

They were exposed for the whole world to see and on top of that they were exhausted. They were taking what time they could to rest because when they got back to the mansion many important decisions would have to be taken quickly.

Rogue were leaning into Clark, her eyes shut, resting although trying to stop herself dropping off completely. Clark, who wasn't exhausted thanks to his alien physiology, was holding her and they were just trying to be there for each other at this the most crucial moment of their lives up to this point.

Jean was doing something similar with Scott. It was all she could do because he wasn't letting her in. She could sense his sense of guilt and failure. They had walked right into a trap and faced something they hadn't prepared for and Scott as leader was heaping the whole blame on himself.

They were rapidly approaching the mansion. "What do we do Charles?" Ororo asks him, a question that had been plaguing her for the last hour as she sat in the co-pilot's chair next to him.

"I am uncertain," Charles honestly admits as he had never gave any thought to being revealed in this fashion. "We knew we would be revealed eventually but I never wanted it to be like this."

"Magneto did," Logan pipes up as he walks forward. "This is exactly what he wanted. The first glimpse of mutants people see is us fighting a giant robot and wrecking several city blocks. People will be scared and demand action. Who knows how they will react when they find the institute."

Charles places a hand to his head and sighs. Logan is right. Magneto has gotten exactly what he wanted. To have people fear mutants. Even without understanding exactly what went on one thing is clear. They have been royally played.

"What about that Trask guy?" Evan asks. "What was his part?"

"He was a patsy," Logan states. "No way he was allied to Magneto. He was a mutant hater. My guess is he was just another pawn in Magneto's plan."

Wanda while quiet was seething with rage on the inside at hearing this. Damn her father!

"There will be time to discuss all this in detail later," Charles says cutting through it. "Our immediate concern is what should we do now."

"Can't we like just explain to people all this and that we aren't dangerous," Kitty suggests.

"It's too late for that half-pint," Logan shoots down her suggestion. "They saw that we are dangerous. Perhaps given a few days when everything has calmed down we could try and make our case. Until then we better lay low."

"You mean leave our home?" Kurt inquires unable to believe what Logan is suggesting.

"The authorities will come," Logan asserts. "Now we have two choices; we been there and who knows what will happen or we don't be there."

If they are there Charles can see there is a risk of someone being trigger happy and they all ending up in a war with the government which of course would suit Magneto just fine. Then there is the issue of trying to explain the lower levels. Charles can see the wrong way all that could be interpreted as. "I am afraid Logan is correct," Charles has to very reluctantly agree.

"But where will we go?" Ororo asks. The mansion was the refuge, the only refuge that she knew of.

Charles thinks hard as the mansion comes into view. He needs to make a decision since they have a lot to do to organise if they are to leave.

Beast comes up with the answer. "Moira."

"Muir Island. Of course," Charles says. It was perfect. An isolated island off the coast of Scotland where his friend, and once upon a time more than friend, Moira McTaggert ran a secret mutant research facility. She tried to help those afflicted with the more extreme effects of mutantcy and as a bonus she happened to be Rahne's mother.

Storm lands the helicopter at the back of the mansion so it is out of immediate sight. There seemed little point in hiding it down in its hanger when they had to leave soon and well the hiding in secret part of their lives was over so why go through the effort.

They all disembark the Velocity many of them noticeably weary, one or two slightly gingerly as they start to feel the effects of their adrenaline wearing off meaning they can feel the full force of their aches, cuts and bruises.

They are barely off when all the others come running out to greet them. A barrage of questions soon follow.

"What happened Professor?"

"Who made that thing?"

"Will they be coming for us now?"

"Will we end up in jail?"

"Are we going to have to move?"

"Enough!" Jonathan barks and they all snaps their mouth shut. "There will be time for questions later," he says in a calmer but still stern tone. "Let them speak."

Charles is grateful for that. "Children I need you to listen to me carefully. The authorities will come for us and we decided on the way back here that it would be wise for us not to be here when they arrive. Now we did prepare for this eventuality," he reminds everyone. All the students had an emergency kit packed away with clothing and a few days food and water like people do who live in Earthquake prone areas. It had been Logan's idea but Charles never thought they would have to go through with it.

Charles continues. "Now I want you to get your emergency kits and anything else important you might need. Anything you don't want the authorities to find. Remain calm," he requests of them. "But go swiftly."

The students didn't need to be told twice. The tone of the Professor's voice was not one they had ever heard before. He was...afraid.

As the students swiftly but calmly walk back into the mansion Martha asks Charles, "Are you sure this is the way?"

"I wish it wasn't Martha but I fear if we stay we will end up having to fight the authorities. The last thing this situation needs is to be escalated. We need to let things calm down before we try and make our case. I am sorry you are caught up in this," he apologises for he was the one who brought them here.

"You don't have to apologise Charles. Jonathan and I don't regret coming here for a moment. It's been...an experience," Martha says with a strange small smile.

"But one we have enjoyed," Jonathan adds in support. "They are good kids."

"Yes. They are," Charles says in agreement. "Both of you should go pack what you need," he suggests to the Kents before Charles turns to Logan and starts to dish out necessary orders. "Logan. If you will get the Blackbird ready," he directs since they will need both aircraft to carry all the students.

Logan nods and starts to head off. Storm departs into the mansion too to pack and try and keep the students calm and focussed on their tasks

Charles turns to Beast. "Hank. The medical records if you please," he requests as in asking Hank to delete them and make sure no-one gets their hands on them. Those files contain detailed records on the students and their powers. Basically in the wrong hands it is an encyclopedia on how to disable every single one of them.

Hank hated to do it but he too swiftly heads off to make sure everything was deleted and to collect all the blood and tissues samples he had stored. They'll have to come along as he didn't have time to make sure they were properly disposed of.

Martha and Jonathan move to see their son first. His coat is gone and his suit looks a little worse for wear but he otherwise seems alright. That forever errant lock of hair of his that flops over his forehead remains in place. Martha out of a mothering instinct tries to brush it back with her hand. As usual it automatically flops right back into place.

Clark assures his parents he is fine as them and the X-Men all head inside to pack. This day was turning into a nightmare. Clark has had this very nightmare. Him being exposed, forced to flee although he doubts anyone thinks he is an alien. They will probably label him with the others which under the circumstances is something he can live with for now. Too much has happened for it all to sink in. When they get a breather he can think of how he will deal with this. Right now he makes himself focus on the minimal. Pack up. Leave.

* * *

Not too far away hidden by the thick woods near the mansion Colonel Stryker is preparing for the assault. He needs to strike swiftly and he is passing down his last orders to his men. The ones with him and the ones waiting on helicopters just beyond any kind of visual range of the mansion. The X-Men don't realise that they are not the only ones with stealth technology so their enemies are closer than they think.

Stryker speaks. "When the assault begins you are to capture as many as possible but there are two priority targets. They are to be captured at all costs. Deadpool will be in charge of that."

"Aye mateys!" Deadpool says in a thick pirate craw. "We be stormin' the enemy's ship. Unfurl the Jolly Roger and show no mercy or it's down to Davy Jones' Locker with the lot of ya!"

Stryker looks twice. Deadpool is wearing a pirate's hat and waving around a cutlass. "Where did you get those?" Stryker has to know because Deadpool was with him this whole time so when did Wilson have time to go off and pick up a cutlass and pirate hat? It didn't make sense...which of course describes Deadpool to a tee.

"Arrrrrrrrrrhhhh! Captain Deadpool reveals the secrets of his booty to no livin' man!"

Stryker looks to the heavens and makes a mental note to hide the Pirates of the Caribbean collection for next time. Back on topic he hands out images of his 2 priority targets and they do not include the one Lionel waned. To heck with what Luthor wants Stryker has decided. It is time for Stryker to push forward with his agenda.

Two images of two targets. One of a bald man and the second, the one Stryker has been keeping a particular eye on, of a girl with green eyes and brown hair with a distinctive white stripe running through it.

* * *

_Author's Note: I have shown it before that there is one person in particular at the mansion Stryker was interested in. From that last line you can pretty much guess it is Rogue. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Stryker and the MRD storm the mansion X2 style. I hope Bryan Singer doesn't sue._


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Clark is swiftly packing up everything he has that relates to Krypton. The last thing he wants is for any of that to be found. He packs away all his correspondences with Dr Swann, all the info Dr Swann has given him and last he slips the metal octagonal key into the pocket of his red coat...new red coat. He had changed into his spare X-Men uniform since the other one was pretty much ruined.

Clark suddenly has to cover his ears as a painfully loud high-pitched tone reaches him. "Kal-El!" Jor-El's voice booms seemingly from everywhere. "You continue to defy me!" the disembodied voice reprimands Clark.

"My friends need me," Clark argues, as Jor-El indicated about his attitude, defiantly.

"This is the Day of Destiny. The day humanity learns the truth of the next stage of their evolution. If you had obeyed last year I would have prepared you to be the voice that leads them forward and away from their own destruction. However due to your continued emotionally driven responses," Jor-El says with some distain at Clark's tendency to think emotively, "your presence will only exasperate the situation. Come to me now and I will overlook this...misjudgement."

"And leave the world to plunge into chaos?" Clark asks disbelieving he is being asked to do that.

"Humanity will survive this. This is only the first of 2 key moments. 2 moments fate has bequeathed for you to grasp your destiny. Come to me now and I will prepare you for the second one."

"I will not leave my friends," Clark tells Jor-El. They need him. His parents need him. Rogue needs him. He has to protect them.

"That is your final decision?"

"Yes!" Clark emphatically says.

"Then face the consequences Kal-El," Jor-El warns him darkly.

Searing pain strikes Clark's chest. All too familiar pain. It is last summer all over again as Clark can feel the skin on his chest blister and burn. He collapses to the floor unable to move, clutching at his chest.

"Your wisdom is sorely lacking my son," Jor-El chastises him. "Your presence will only cause more harm than good. If you wish to aid these humans you call friends then a punishment will be extracted. The mark I have seared upon you will prevent this world's sun recharging your powers. Every time you use them to aid your friends your powers will weaken until they are no more and you shall be rendered mortal. This shall minimise your influence on the coming events. The mark will remain until you stop this petty irrational defiance of my wishes and agree to obey me. It pains me that this lesson has to be so harsh but it seems to be the only way I can make you understand."

Clark lies there unable to move, unable to think as the pain does not lessen. In fact the pain seems to be increasing until it becomes so intense he loses consciousness and the world fades to black.

* * *

Rogue is making sure she has her more personal items packed. Truth is she doesn't have that many of them. She has never had that many. Even all those years living with Irene she never picked up that many items that have any real deep meaning to her. So much of her life has been transient like she was waiting to move on to somewhere else so she avoided picking up anything much that would tie her down.

That changed when she came here. Rogue started to hold on items that meant something. Since she started dating Clark she an entire box full of little odds and ends like the ticket from the first time they went to the movies together and a picture of them together on the roller coaster at that carnival. She has this little collection of weird little animals Clark made out of discarded pieces of metal. Some are recognisable and others...Rogue wonders if they are some instinctual memory of Krypton because they look like no creature she has ever seen.

Rogue lets out a sad sigh as she looks around her room. This is the first time she has been really sad about leaving somewhere. This mansion is her home.

Well she better finish packing. She takes her box of personal items and places it in her emergency kit bag. She slips on the bracelet Clark gave her for Christmas onto her wrist. It is her most often worn piece of jewellery.

It is then Rogue hears an odd whistling sound from outside. She is just about halfway to the window when explosions rock the mansion and blow the windows in. Rogue gets knocked to the floor.

Before she has recovered the wall is blasted in and a man on a rope hangs there. Rogue shakes her ringing head to focus but before she can the man draws a gun and fires. A dart impacts Rogue's neck, she feels incredibly drowsy and passes out.

* * *

Outside the mansion wall Stryker was directing the fire upon the grounds to destroy the defences around the mansion. He has been spying on this place for months using satellite images to identify the hidden weapon systems. As the assault helicopters flew over his head he ordered smoke bombs to be fired to put up a smoke screen. He was going for sudden and swift. He would hit them before they had a chance to recover.

Stryker watched as troops abseil down from the helicopters which were now hovering above the mansion. They place the charges and blow multiple holes for entry. Right. Time for the ground assault. "Deadpool! You're up!"

"Yippee-kay-yay Motherf..." Deadpool's profanity is drowned out by more explosions as he leads the ground forces as they blast through the gate and outer wall and charge towards the mansion.

Stryker had gotten Deadpool to drop the pirate theme he was on thankfully. A little professionalism isn't so much to ask for or in Deadpool's case it could be. However, crazy Deadpool may be but as Stryker knows from personal experience Wilson is very good at his job so Stryker is fairly confident that this assault will be a success and he will get what he wants.

* * *

Wanda and Tabby were just finishing packing when the madness started. The window blew in followed shortly by a section of the wall. The two girls find themselves flat on their backs on the floor in the company of several armed men.

"Don't move!" one of them orders the two girls.

Too late for that as Wanda is now beyond pissed. Even without her moving her hands her rage accesses her powers and makes the floor warp and bend under the men's feet who all stagger off balance. Taking the opportunity she fires hex bolts at them and the men's weapons explode.

Tabby rolls a series of her time bombs at the men's feet which explode causing the already damaged floor to collapse sending them falling to the ground floor below.

Tabby and Wanda help each other up.

"What is going on?" Wanda asks.

Tabby shakes her head. "I don't know but I think it is high time we got the hell out of dodge!" she shouts.

The two girls grab their bags and run out into the corridor where they spot Kitty phasing through the body of a soldier before delivering a flying spin kick knocking him down. There are two more who Wanda hexes into the walls hard knocking them out.

"Like thanks!" Kitty shouts.

"What is going on?" Tabby asks as she and Wanda run up to Kitty.

Kitty shakes her head. "Have no clue!"

Kitty looks down at the fallen men before something catches her eye. She bends down and rips the ID patch off one of them. "MRD," she reads out what it says.

"The who?" Tabby asks.

"It's a long story," Kitty says knowing there isn't time to explain all about Lionel Luthor at the moment.

"Is there a plan for this?" Tabby asks.

"If the school was ever compromised we are suppose to make our way to the lower levels because they can be sealed off from the mansion," Kitty replies with calmness that surprises herself.

With the sounds of fighting and gunfire seemingly throughout the mansion the 3 girls can see that that is not going to be easy or it wouldn't be if it wasn't for the girl who can phase through solid matter but Kitty has something to do first. "I've got to check on Rogue! She was in our room!" she informs the two girls.

Kitty runs to her room with Wanda and Tabby following. Kitty throws the door open to find Rogue being dragged out a hole in the wall by a couple of men who when they spot Kitty try to fire what are tranquilliser darts into her. Kitty phases which is a mistake when Wanda and Tabby are directly behind her and they get hit instead.

Seeing this one of the men throws a grenade. If Kitty phases and tries to save Rogue Wanda and Tabby are toast so she spins round, kneels down, places a hand on both of the now unconscious girls and phases them all through the floor. Doing so all but condemns Rogue to her fate as she is hooked up to a line and winched up to the waiting helicopter.

* * *

Elsewhere in the girl's wing Amara and Claire have neighbouring rooms which have just been blasted into one room as the explosive charge placed on the outside of the wall has taken out a large chunk of the internal dividing wall.

Amara shakes her head to clear it as the soldiers starts coming in. She hears a loud angry growl from Claire next door. "He is not taking me back!" Amara hears Claire scream. Amara shakily gets to her feet and makes her way to the hole between the two rooms. She peers round to find Claire fighting 4 men and doing not a bad job. She then spots one point a weapon at Claire.

"No!" Amara shouts as she charges into the guy knocking him off balance. She rolls forward and transforms into her fire form and sends balls of fire at the invaders hitting them and knocking them down but their clothes don't catch fire which Amara finds odd. Must be some kind of fireproof material.

"Sonic grenade!" one of the men shouts as he rolls something along the floor at Amara.

An incredibly intense high-pitched and painful sound forces Amara to her knees. Her fire form fizzles out and one of the men fires a dart into her neck.

"Amara!" Claire yells after her friend. Claire had seen Amara try to help her which she is deeply touched by the fact Amara risked her life. Fire burns in Claire's orange eyes and the whole room begins to heat up. Claire has her own fire form although very different from Amara's. Her whole body doesn't change but her hair transforms into fire which wraps around her body in a spiral all the way down to her feet.

"You can tell Stryker to go to hell!" Claire yells at the men from the MRD. She will not go back to being that man's puppet. Then a huge wall of fire bursts from her person. A fire of such intensity even fireproof uniforms are not going to help as she incinerates the men and blows an even larger hole in the wall in the process.

Claire drops to one knee gasping for breath. That really took it out of her. She staggers her way over to Amara before kneeling down next to her friend. Claire yanks the tranq dart out of Amara. "Mara. You need to wake up. We need to go," she says trying to shake Amara to consciousness.

When that doesn't work Claire realises she will have to carry Amara out of here. She puts her arms under the princess and picks her up. Considering she just burned an enormous amount of energy Claire finds it a lot of effort but she gets to her feet with Amara in her arms. Claire turns round...just as the door is kicked in by more MRD soldiers.

Claire snarls in the one second before the man fires the tranquilliser dart into her neck.

* * *

Jubilee's room had been spared been blown into but when she steps out into the corridor she finds the soldiers pouring out of other rooms. She quickly fires off her fireworks blinding them.

Men screaming catches her attention as a couple of men get thrown through a door followed by Rahne stepping out in her werewolf form. Jubilee has to arch an eyebrow impressed. Rahne could kick butt.

"Cannonball!"

Jubilee automatically ducks as Sam plows through the men in the corridor and over her head before he tumbles to stop.

Following Sam is Bobby who freezes the men in ice to hold them. With Bobby is Roberto who immediately goes over to check on Rahne, his girlfriend.

"Y'all alright?" Sam asks in that thick Kentuckian accent of his.

Rahne reverts to her human form and indicates she is. She then looks at the small group and notices one person who is not with them. "Where's Jamie?" she asks with concern after the welfare of her best friend.

* * *

Jamie, thanks to his ability to create copies of himself, which he had come to nickname dupes(short for duplicates), was already down in the lobby with his stuff waiting to go before all this kicked off.

Waiting with him were Scott and Jean who being their usual ever ready selves(or being anally retentive if you asked the New Mutants) had only needed to pick up their emergency kit bags and head down stairs. There were all going to regroup here where they would decide who went in which aircraft.

That is all they were doing when the explosions from outside started.

"What is that?" Jamie shouts, trying to be heard above the racket.

"It can't be the army already can it?" Jean asks. Hadn't they managed to lose them. Given even the ideal circumstances of someone recognising them from the tv they should have had longer than this.

The main door is then blown open and in pour armed men led by a man in a red and black outfit all of them pointing their weapons at Scott, Jean and Jamie. In fact the guy in red and black could have more weapons on his person than a small army.

"Why hello there Sports!" Deadpool greets them. "The name's Deadpool and I'll be your kidnapper for the day. Should you have any complaints about how I perform my services please free feel to submit it in written form and we'll get back to you within 28 days." Deadpool turns to his comrades. "Will you shoot them please," he orders. "Man it seems so wrong for me to be telling someone else to do the shooting," he adds.

The men shoot their tranq darts and hit nothing but one of Jean's telekinetic shields although she really wishes she wasn't having to do this. She is tired, both physically and emotionally.

"Hey!" Deadpool complains. "Who asked Scotty to raise the shields? This isn't Star Trek you know although I so could have played Kirk."

Scott ignores the incessant chatter of Deadpool and starts firing optic blasts at the men with Jean as usual protecting him.

Deadpool skilfully avoids being hit. "Oh I see. You want to play like that huh? Ok One-Eye if its an ass whoopin' you want old Wadey is happy to deliver one." Deadpool pulls two grenades off his armoured vest. "Fire in the hole!" he shouts. "Although there is no hole," he comments. "So that saying makes no sense. Weird," he remarks although not as weird as the fact he is still holding the live grenades.

Deadpool shrugs and throws the grenades forcing Jean to lower her shield around her, Scott and Jamie and put one up around the grenades to contain the explosion. She cries out in pain at the effort. She is too tired for this.

Deadpool smirks under his mask. "Aw. Did it hurt?" he asks with false concern for the redhead. The extremely hot redhead in a really tight black and green uniform that shows off in Deadpool's opinion all the right curves. Man why doesn't he get tail like that more often?

Deadpool points at Jean and Jamie. "You get those two," he orders the men. "I have a score to settle with cyclops-boy here for trying to shoot me!" he shouts genuinely annoyed. He gestures at Scott with his hand. "Bring it on!" he dares.

Scott unleashes another blast at Deadpool who leaps over it, rolls forward and brings himself in virtually no time to within hand-on-hand combat range.

As the MRD soldiers close in on Jamie and Jean she throws a few away with her telekinesis but there are too many and soon they are closing in around her. She clocks the first one with a hard punch, kicks the second in the knee before knocking him down. She is then grabbed from behind by a 3rd until Jamie intervenes as a swarm of Jamies overwhelm the man who grabbed Jean.

The MRD guys look on in dumb shock. Yes they were trained to fight mutants but one who could turn himself into a whole army of himselves? Luckily for them reinforcements come pouring in through the door. With Jamie's help Jean is now holding her own but she is being pushed back and away from Scott who is still fighting Deadpool.

As he fights Deadpool Scott is having the vaguest feeling of deja-vu like he is fighting Logan. Deadpool fights in a similar manner in that he seems to have no regard for his well-being as if he knows he can't be hurt or doesn't care. One difference is that while Logan is a great fighter he has a style that once you learn and understand you can start to anticipate moves but this guy...his style was all over the place. It changed from one second to the other which shouldn't be possible unless the guy's crazy which Scott is starting to think he is as the guy never ever shuts up. Even in the midst of this fight he just keeps talking and talking about something or other.

Scott manages to get a good throw on Deadpool and takes one second to look for Jean who he just catches a glimpse of as she is pushed down one of the adjoining corridors. He moves to go aid her when a blow hits the back of his knees knocking him down. Scott looks to see it is some kind of short fighting stick that is the cause.

"Would have used my sword," Deadpool says,already back to his feet, "but my employer wants you alive."

"Why are you doing this?" Scott has to know.

"Gee are you deaf or just dumb. I just told you I'm doing what my employer wants. Employer...as in the guy who is paying me a whole load of money but considering how much fun this is I would almost be tempted to do it for free."

"Deadpool!" Stryker bellows over the communicator on Deadpool's wrist.

"Aye captain," Deadpool responds.

"We have the girl. Do you have Xavier yet?"

"I dinnae have the power Captain," Deadpool responds picking back up the Star Trek theme.

"Deadpool," Stryker growls. "Bring me Xavier or I'm only paying you half," he threatens the only place where it hurts for Wilson. His love of money.

"Oh. Ouch. Why not just stick a stake through my heart?...One second Bill," Deadpool stops Stryker's next threat as Scott is back to his feet. With the threat of losing money Deadpool steps up a gear fighting with a ferocity that leaves Scott outmatched. It doesn't help Scott's cause of course that he is pretty certain he pulled something fighting the Sentinel not to mention just the general fatigue of this very long day where he has had to fight already in two battles. One against Sandman and Ruckus and one against the Sentinel.

Scott throws a punch which Deadpool avoids and then manages to grab Scott's arm. He twists it and pulls Scott forward in such a manner to leave Scott's neck utterly exposed. He pulls out his gun and shoots a dart into the young man's neck. Scott drops the the floor where Deadpool leaves him to others to collect.

Deadpool moves onto finding Xavier. He had memorised the layout of this place and knew the bald telepath had an office down here so with a handful of men he tries that. They burst down the door and freeze where they are.

Charles didn't know what was going on. His head felt like a ringing bell thanks to the explosions. He had been in his office collecting a few items and deleting files from the computers when this began. When the door was broken down he used his telepathy to seize control of the men and stop them in their tracks. All but the one dressed in red and black for some reason. This man's mind is...different Charles can sense.

"Gee are we playing musical statues?" Deadpool inquires at the sight of the frozen MRD soldiers. "I hope not because I sucked at that game let me tell you. I mean any game where you ask me to stand still and be quiet is asking for trouble. Standing still I can do. Remaining silent...not while I'm conscious." Deadpool waves at Xavier. "Hello there Baldy. Name's Deadpool and as I was telling the bi-optically challenged kid I'm your kidnapper for today."

"I think not," Charles challenges Deadpool's assertion.

Deadpool chuckles. "Yeah I know. You're Professor X. The X by the way makes you sound cool and dangerous. Maybe I could add one to my name. Deadpool X. What do you think?"

"I think you will tell me who sent you."

"Ooh. You goin' read my mind," Deadpool says excitedly and he hops up to sit on the Professor's desk. "Go ahead but I should warn you my head is not the funnest place to be despite what the other voices in there claim."

Charles concentrates and tries to read Deadpool's mind. Big mistake as he soon finds out as he cries out reeling back. "Too...much," he wheezes out.

"I warned you," Deadpool says pleasantly and then pleasantly shoots a tranq dart into the Professor. "By the way do you know you look remarkably like Patrick Stewart," he remarks as the Professor loses consciousness. "No. Nothing to say to that?" he asks of the unconscious man. "Man it is so rude not to answer people. I mean its like someone shot a tranquiliser dart into you or something...oh wait. That was me that did do that."

The MRD soldiers, meanwhile, shake their heads as they regain control of their bodies. "So you can go take the prisoner out of here now," Deadpool tells them. He shakes his head at them. "Sheesh. Do I have to do everything?"

* * *

Logan had been down prepping the x-jet when the he heard the muffled explosions even way down here. He ran as fast as he could to the elevator passing Beast on the way. "Hank. You finish up with the x-jet. Get it ready to go!"

"What is going on Logan?" Hank asks.

"Just do it!" Logan yells. "We're going to be leaving in a hurry."

More explosions. Beast knows Logan is correct. Luckily he has finished his work in the infirmary. The computers were wiped and he had already moved the sensitive material he couldn't destroy onto the x-jet. He quickly grabs his medical bag from the infirmary and heads for the hanger.

When the elevator doors open in the mansion Logan finds himself face to face with a half a dozen armed men pointing their weapons at him. Oh they really have no idea who they are messing with if they think that is enough to stop him. He pops his claws but is spared the effort as a mighty wind picks up and blows the men away. Striding into view comes one angry looking Storm and for one brief moment you truly can believe she is a Goddess who has chosen to unleash her wrath on the poor mortals who dare impugn her.

"Logan," Storm says with some relief at seeing him.

"Stormy," he greets her curtly. "I need you to get to the Velocity and get it going," he directs her as he strides past. "We're leaving," he adds bluntly.

"Why me? Where are you going?" she asks with concern about him.

"To buy you as much time as I can," he says as he breaks into a run.

Storm watches him going, her heart sad because he hadn't re-sheathed his claws and she fears she knows what he'll do. She utters a quick prayer she is wrong before doing what he asks as she breaks into a run and heads out back.

* * *

Through the immense pain awareness returns to Clark and he feels himself being picked up.

"God this kid weighs a ton," one of the MRD soldiers complains. They had found him lying on the floor and assumed he had been knocked out when the bombardment outside started. Another soldier has to help pick Clark up.

It is then Clark's superhearing picks it up. His mother screaming, "Jonathan!"

Clark's eyes shoot open and the pain fades away to bearable. The MRD soldiers try to drag him off only Clark now has his feet planted on the floor. He flings them away like a two pieces of spaghetti. The two others in the room try to shoot tranq darts into him but the bounce off harmlessly. Clark zips forward and incapacities them.

As much as the need to get to his parents is pressing Clark has to grab his stuff. There is too much to incriminate him as an alien. He picks up his bag and zips off to his parents' room barrelling through all the MRD soldiers sending them literally crashing through the walls. When he gets to his parents' room he finds more MRD soldiers surrounding his parents. He quickly knocks them aside.

On the floor Clark finds his father lying there unconscious with his mother knelt down beside him. Clark kneels down next to his father. "Mom. What happened?" Clark asks, his face a mask of worry.

"It's his heart," Martha whispers tearfully. She has seen it all happen as if in slow motion. Jonathan had suddenly grabbed at his chest in agony muttering...muttering, "Jor-El."

"What?"

"Your father. That's what he said; Jor-El."

Clark's face twists up in anger. If it isn't enough Jor-El is punishing him he is dragging his father into it now. However there isn't time to be angry. Clark can hear the chaos and fighting. How long was he out and just what the hell is going on are two very good questions. He'll get answers later. First he has to get his parents to safety. He places a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Mom. We need to go. Get your bags," he says with calm authority.

Martha nods as she pushes her emotions down. She fetches her and Jonathan's bags as Clark picks his father up. "Stay behind me," he tells his mother as they step out into the corridor. They don't get very far along when they find Kurt fighting 3 MRD soldierss as only Kurt can. Porting around from one place to the next randomly striking one before vanishing again. He soon has the soldiers down.

"Kurt!" Clark calls out to his friend.

Kurt ports next to the Kents. "Vhat happened?" Kurt asks in relation to Jonathan.

"It's his heart," Clark explains.

Kurt feels instant concern. Clark's parents were the nicest people he knew short of his own parents. They were as good as family.

Clark uses his x-ray vision to look through the mansion. He knows what Jor-El said about his powers waning but this is too important for Clark to worry about that right now. Save his friends and family first even if it costs him his powers. He spots Mr McCoy down in the Blackbird.

"Kurt. Mr McCoy is the x-jet. I need you to take my parents there please," he requests knowing that is the safest way.

Kurt nods his agreement.

Clark places his father down, and hands his mother his bag. He is going to need to be hands free. He watches for one brief moment as Kurt ports them away in his puff of blue smoke. His dad will be alright. There is no-one better than Mr McCoy to look after them. Now that that is done. Next priority; Rogue.

Clark zips off along the corridor. He finds several of the others in the girl's wing fighting off more of the seemingly endless MRD soldiers. Clark barrels into them and throws them around. He isn't in the mood to do subtle or careful. He soon has them laid out.

"Thanks," Jubilee says.

"Don't thank me yet. There are more coming," Clark announces from what he can see and hear. "You guys seen Rogue?" he asks.

All of them shake their heads. Clark strides past them quickly and makes his way to Rogue's room. The door and frame have been wrecked by an explosion and there is a hole in the floor. He steps over it and into the room. Rogue's bag is there but no sign of Rogue. He picks it up and holds it to his chest as if he is in some way holding her. Clark closes his eyes and listens but with all the noise of fighting and explosions it is hard to focus in on her heartbeat.

"Clark!"

Clark opens his eyes to find Kitty phasing up through the floor. "Kitty. Where's Rogue?"

Kitty gulps. She had come back after taking Wanda and Tabby to the x-jet to see who else she could help. She hadn't expected this but she should have. "I'm sorry," she says feeling really guilt ridden about her failure to save Rogue. "They took her," she says with tears forming in her eyes.

Clark's heart pinches as painfully as that day the mind-controlled Jean tried to give him a heart attack if not more so. No. He can't have lost her. He can't have! His fists clench hard. Jor-El. Damn him! If he had been conscious when this started he could have done something. Clark's eyes flash red making Kitty stand back. She has no choice. She can feel the burning heat emanating from Clark.

It takes Clark a minute to regain control. His gaze turns to the hole in the wall and he sees all the reinforcements pouring across the mansion grounds. If they don't leave now they are not leaving. 'I'm sorry Rogue,' he says to himself. 'But I promise I'll find you,' he swears. Powers or no powers. Jor-El be damned. He will find the girl he loves and when he does he will tell her that. That he loves her more than anything in this world. "We have to go," he says in a low angry laden voice.

Kitty nods. She knows that too. The two stride back outside where the group of others is waiting. "Alright," he addresses them. "It goes like this. Anyone who is up for it comes with me, we fight our way down and rescue anyone we can find. Everyone else Kitty will phase down to the hanger now," he lays out the course of action.

At this point Sam topples over and it is the first anyone notices that one of the MRD soldiers managed to tag him with a tranq dart. That settles one person Kitty is taking. Rahne decides to go with Kitty as well. Jubilee, Bobby, and Roberto agree to go with Clark.

"Kitty tell Beast to go," Clark tells her. "We'll take the Velocity."

"You sure?" Kitty asks him.

Clark nods. "They've already secured the elevator and are infiltrating the lower levels," he has seen. "If the x-jet doesn't go in the next 5 minutes it is not leaving."

God. It is worse than Kitty thought. She takes Rogue's bag from Clark so they have clothes for her after they find her. Kitty then takes Rahne and Sam and phases them all away through the floor down to the lower levels.

Clark takes a breath and hopes his powers hold out until they can escape. He is fairly certain they will. "Lets go," he orders in a commanding tone and the 4 teens head for the staircase.

* * *

Jean is rapidly losing ground as the MRD keep pressing the attack. Her shield is weakening and Jamie's dupes keep getting tranquillised. When they do they fade away and Jean assumes Jamie reabsorbs them. Jean is having a hard time focussing enough to put her shields up to keep herself being tranquillised and to keep fighting off the men who get close enough to try and take her. She can't keep this up.

Just then a blurred figure slams into the group of men in the narrow corridor and Clark appears out of superspeed. Aiding him in taking down the men he missed is Jubilee, Bobby, Roberto, Ray and Spyke. Ray and Spyke who they had found hold up in the linen closet of all places. There would be teasing later. Taken completely by surprise they soon have the MRD soldiers subdued.

Jean lets out a moan and slumps forward. Clark catches her. Her fingers curl against his chest. "Scott," she says the name tearfully. "They...we were in the lobby...I felt them tranquillise him," she explains, her voice weary, close to exhaustion.

Clark's face softens with sympathy. "I'm sorry Jean. We just came through the lobby. He's gone."

"No!" Jean shouts with renewed strength. "We have to get him back! We have to!" she screams almost hysterical.

Clark grips her firmly by her arms. "Jean. It's too late," he says firmly.

"It can't be. I love him," she says almost sobbing. "I never told him. I've been meaning to. I thought..."

"There would be another time," Clark finishes for her. He and Jean were in the same exact position. He looks directly in her eye. "Jean I know how you feel. They took Rogue," he says, his face pinched with pain. "But we can't stay. Even if we fight the MRD off the police and army will be here and...and you can't rely on me to protect you."

Jean looks at him oddly. The way he said that...he really means it but how can they not rely on him?

Clark continues needing to get Jean back in focus. "Jean. Scott is gone. You are in charge now and all these people need you to protect them."

Jean looks at Jubilee, Bobby, Ray, Roberto, Evan and Jamie. She instantly straightens up. She was in charge now and these people are her responsibility.

Clark releases her seeing that Jean is back in control.

"What's the situation?" she demands to know so she can plan the next move.

Clark explains about how realistically they are cut off from the lower levels and that the only escape is the Velocity on the back lawn.

"Clark whose left in the mansion?" Jean asks, her being too tired to try and use her telepathy.

Clark looks and listens. There is only one left fighting a one man war. "Wolverine," he reports. "You want me to get him while you and the others get to the Velocity?" he asks.

Jean thinks on it for a moment. Clark is probably the only one who can get through all these MRD guys unharmed. "Yes. Get him and bring him whether he wants to come or not," she orders knowing what Logan could be like when he is lost in his rage.

"Yes Ma'am," Clark says before he vanishes in a gust of wind.

"And you guys thought she was bossy before," Jubilee whispers to the others. "Just wait until you see her now," she warns jokily although not really a joke. Jean was bossy.

"What was that Jubilee?" Jean demands to know, her voice stern, commanding and authoritative.

"Nothing," Jubilee says, smiling sweetly.

"Alright we have to get to the Velocity. Jubilee you will use your powers to blind anyone we come across. Sunspot, Berzerker, Spyke and Iceman you will then take them down. I will give us protection. Multiple I need you to create a few copies to watch our rear. Everyone clear?"

"Yes," they all say together.

Jean nods, gathers what strength she has left and the group set out.

* * *

Logan was tearing through everyone he came across. He had been pissed about not being to help the kids with the Sentinel fight and finally he had found someone to take his anger out on. Also every man he took down was one less to threaten the kids and increased their chances of escaping.

Logan cuts through the last man in this squad he had come across and the guy drops to the floor. Another squad runs round the corner, line up along both walls and aim their weapons at him.

Logan growls. "You want to shoot me? Go ahead and shoot me!" he tells them.

"Don't shoot him!" a voice orders from around the corner. "Not yet anyway."

A middle aged man walks round the corner and Logan blinks. 'Stryker,' Logan's mind provides a name from somewhere. Logan knows this guy...somehow.

"Wolverine," Stryker says in a cautious tone unsure how Logan will react as he walks forward towards what he considers to be living weapon. With the two priority targets obtained Stryker had decided to oversee the end of this operation in person and who does he come across but Weapon X of all people. "How long has it been? 15...16 years? You haven't aged a day. Me on the other hand..." Stryker runs a finger over his aged face. "Nature."

"Who are you?" Logan asks.

Stryker smiles. "You know who I am. The question is do you want to know who you are?" Stryker steps a little closer to Logan whose claws are slowly sliding back under his skin.

Logan stares at the man trying to make his brain remember who this man is.

"I can give you the answers Logan. The ones to the questions that haunt you every night. Who am I? Where am I from? What kind of man am I? What kind of man was I? Come with me and I'll give you your answers," Stryker throws the temptation down.

Before Logan can make up his mind he is picked up by a blurred figure and vanishes from sight. Stryker grins, amused. Maybe not quite what he was hoping for but he has pricked Logan's curiosity and that is enough for now.

Time to leave before the police, army and SHIELD show up. Stryker turns and orders his men to evacuate back to base.

* * *

Logan finds himself outside next to the Velocity by the time the world stops moving in a blur. He snarls at Clark. "What do you think you are doing?" he demands to know gruffly.

"Saving you!" Clark snaps back way past the point he can be bothered to be polite. "Saving us," he adds in a softer tone. "We need you," Clark tells Logan because Clark's powers will give up eventually and Logan will have to protect everyone.

"Logan!" Storms shouts from the helicopter.

Logan turns and can see the soft look of concern but mixed with that same relief he saw before and something else in her eye he can't quite identify.

Logan and Clark get aboard. Jean and her others are already onboard and Storm takes off as Logan takes the co-pilot seat. It is kind of crowded with not enough seats as they had been cut off from the lower levels so quickly too many had ended up here. As they leave they can see the MRD units withdrawing having gotten what they wanted.

"Logan who was that guy?" Clark asks.

"What guy?" Jubilee asks.

Clark explains how he found Logan talking to this middle aged man, possibly the leader of the operation.

"Stryker. His name is Stryker," Logan says in answer.

"Who is he?" Storm asks.

"I can't remember."

Storm can see Logan's face pinched with emotion as he desperately struggles with his lost memories. She leaves it for now as she has to concentrate on getting out of here and meeting up with the x-jet.

Clark turns his attention to Jean sitting with her head in her hands trying to stop herself falling apart in front of everyone. He steps next to her, bends down and wraps his arms around her. Jean doesn't resist and she does the same for him.

"We'll find them," Clark promises her. "No matter what happens Jean I give you my word we'll find them and get them back."

Clark will keep that promise no matter what. He swears he will keep his word and find them even if the price he has to pay is the permanent loss of his powers.

* * *

_Author's Note: Jor-El has the worst timing doesn't he. I thought it a cool idea to have Clark facing losing his powers at the time they need them most. On another issue the fact Claire killed will have consequences for where she ends up when this is all over. As I said when I brought her in a moment would come where she either ends up a villain as she was in JLU or she chooses a different path. That moment is coming. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men regroup while Rogue learns a dark secret about her past._


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Another desperate attempt to evade the authorities. Thanks to the attack on the mansion their previous plan of going to Muir Island had gone out the window forcing them to once more just manage another desperate escape and evade. That had taken another couple of hours just to be sure they weren't being followed. By now the authorities would be going through the mansion and when they found the lowers levels...well no-one was around to try and explain that.

They found a remote wooded area to set the two aircraft down. By chance there happened to be a cave nearby which was currently being turned into a place to bed down for the night. They had put the camouflage nets over the two aircraft and really they were going through the motions just trying to come to terms with everything.

A headcount had shown they were down by 5. The Professor, Amara, Claire, Scott and Rogue. All taken.

The more rational part of Logan was thinking only 5 captured when they had been taken completely by surprise by overwhelming forces wasn't bad. The protective part of him was angry as hell that once again he had come up short in protecting his kids and that as soon as possible he would be trying to drink that rational part of his brain into silence. When he gets a hold of the people responsible they were going to wish they were never born. He is thinking this as he scouts around the perimeter. He comes to a stop when he spots Storm sitting on a rock looking like a wreck.

Ororo is sitting on a rock out of sight, her head in her hands just trying to process this. She knows she needs to be strong. The children have probably just gone through the worse day of their lives and with the Professor taken it was down to her now. She just needs a minute to herself to regather her strength and poise and then she'll be ready to deal with this...or she would be if only she had some idea what they were going to do. On the way here they listened to the radio. There were riots all over the country. Protests in the streets. Angry, confused, fearful people demanding answers. Charles would know what to do but Ororo doesn't. She has no idea how to calm things down.

Ororo feels a warm arm wrap around her shoulder. She is a little surprised considering she has stepped away from the camp-site to pull herself together. She looks up to find Logan sitting next to her.

"How are ya doing darlin?" he asks her.

"I'll tell you when I wake up," she tries to joke because this did seem like a dream. She leans into Logan's warmth. "Oh Logan. What are we going to do?"

"We find them," he states simply. "Whatever it takes. We never leave people behind."

"Where do we begin?"

"Lots of places. Those guys were MRD so we go pay Luthor a visit. He is obviously behind this. Failing that...there's me."

"You?" Ororo queries with some confusion.

"I know that Stryker guy Ro. The answer could be in my head."

"Even if I was willing to allow Jean to try that she is in no shape to," she argues. Jean was about 2 steps shy of passing out from the exertion of today's trials. "None of us are in any shape to do anything tonight," she points out because she is not much better off herself.

"I know. We need to get some sleep. Figure this out in the morning."

"That's unusually patient for you Logan," Ororo remarks. "You're usually for the direct attack approach."

Logan looks at her and can see the look that tells him she's teasing him. "Well I guess you must be rubbing off on me," he teases her back. He then sighs. "Honestly though Ro we have spent all day getting our asses handed to us because we kept falling into situations we weren't prepared for. As any old soldier will tell ya that leads to massacres and I am a very old soldier. I've seen stuff...stuff you don't even want to imagine and I won't see that happy to those kids."

Ororo plants a small kiss on Logan's cheek. "You are a good man. No matter what anyone else tells you Logan you are a good man."

Logan looks at her caught completely off guard at the kiss. He is suddenly caught by her beauty. Even after the day they have had, even with her hair messed up, her uniform torn and her skin smudged she is possibly the most beautiful woman he knows. He shakes that thought from his head quickly. A woman like her...she would never look at a grouchy old man like him like that.

Elsewhere the students are getting their sleeping bags out. Some of them are close to collapsing. Jubilee is rolling out her sleeping bag near to Kitty when she spots Clark leaning against a tree. "His eyes have been doing the devilish thing for an hour," she complains to Kitty as it is really disconcerting.

Kitty looks and in the dark it is clear as day to see Clark's eyes glow red, fade away and then flare back up again.

Kurt who is bringing round everyone some water responds to Jubilee's comments. "He's angry."

"Have you tried to talk to him?" Kitty asks Kurt.

Kurt looks at Clark just as his eyes flare back up again. "Do you vant to talk to him in zhat mood?" he asks Kitty back.

Kitty's response to that is a shake of her head. There is one thing in particular she knows she should tell him about what happened to Rogue but she doesn't know how and she doesn't think she should try with Clark in the mood he is in.

Clark sighs and tries to let his anger at what has happened today fade. He had heard all that of course. He gets off the tree he is leaning against and heads for the x-jet where Beast had been tending to his father. Clark had wanted to be there but he was just too wound up and he wouldn't have been much of a help. He strides up into the jet where it has a fold-out bed and that is where his father is.

"Hey son," Jonathan greets Clark with a smile.

"Hi dad. How are you feeling?"

"Hank says I'm stable..."

"Although a hospital would be better. I know. I heard," Clark tells his father.

"How are you doing Clark?" Jonathan asks.

"Like I'm dying inside."

Martha and Jonathan share a look. They understand that feeling are it pertains to each other or more accurately how they would feel if they lost the other.

Martha moves and places a hand on her son's shoulder. "You'll get her back Clark," she tells him.

"I will," he repeats his promise. "However there will be a price."

"What do you mean?" Martha asks wondering what he means by that. What price?

Clark looks at his father. "Jor-El gave you the heart attack. It was his way of punishing me for not coming."

"That's not entirely accurate," Jonathan has to contradict Clark. "It was Jor-El but it was his way of punishing me because I did not live up to my end of the bargain."

"What bargain?" Martha asks. "And this time I want the details Jonathan," she demands of him because he has never given her those, of what exactly the terms of this deal with Jor-El are.

Jonathan hesitates for a moment before spilling the secret. "Jor-El would give me the power to stop Clark and in return I agreed when the time came to hand Clark over."

"Jonathan!" Martha shouts at him, despite his condition, unable to believe he did that.

"I had no choice Martha," Jonathan says in his defence. "I had no other way to get Clark back. He was too powerful."

"And when you failed he punished you with the heart attack," Clark fills in.

Jonathan nods. When the heart attack hit Jor-El spoke to him, telling him that he had failed to uphold his end of the bargain.

Martha cannot believe this. All these months Jonathan has been keeping that from her. Keeping the fact that not only could she lose Clark again at any time that they would have to actually hand him over. This is unbelievable. "We will be having a serious talk about this when you're better Jonathan," she warns him, her anger seething below the surface.

Jonathan knows that this is going to cause serious problems with their marriage for awhile but back onto what Clark said. "Clark what did you mean about there being a price?"

"Lets just say you are not the only one Jor-El punished," Clark says and then he lifts up the bottom of his shirt to show his parents.

Jonathan's face turns grim. Martha gasps and her hands go to her mouth at seeing the ugly scar marked into Clark's chest of the figure of 8 inside the diamond just like last year. "Oh my god," she says barely above a whisper.

Clark pulls his shirt back down, his face making a small grimace as the fabric brushes over the scar.

"Does it hurt?" Martha asks.

Clark nods. "A little but that's not the only problem," he says before going on to explain Jor-El's warning and that now it is only a matter of time until his powers give out on him and that they will not return until he returns to Jor-El.

"What will you do?"

Clark sighs and rubs his forehead. "I don't know. I can't...all that matters is getting the others back. Once that is done I'll think about what to do."

"Clark...your powers...once they're gone," Martha starts to say with worry about him. Once they are gone he will be vulnerable.

"I still have them and for as long as I do I can still be useful. I'll just have to use them sparingly," Clark decides.

* * *

**At Stryker's secret base...**

"Well now. Welcome," he greets his 5 prisoners all of whom are shackled with chains connecting their wrists to their ankles, even the Professor in his wheelchair. They also have bulky metal collars around their necks with a miniature control panel with flashing lights on it and they have at least 10 guards on them at all times.

All 5 of Stryker's guests remain silent. Ok 4 remain silent. Volcana replies with a vitriolic "Fuck you!"

Stryker smile amused. "Volcana. I should have guessed you would have been at Xavier's. Welcome back to the family."

"When I get loose I am going to fry you you bastard!" Volcana screams at him.

Stryker tut tuts. "Xavier I thought you would be teaching your students better language than this," he says to the Professor.

Charles glares at the man. "Who are you?"

"Oh of course," Stryker says realising he hasn't introduced himself. "Let me introduce myself. I am Colonel William Stryker and I have been dealing with mutants for as long as you have Xavier trying to solve the question of the mutant problem. While we have never met I have certain...acquaintances shall we call them that operate in similar circles that know all about you. I have been keeping an eye on that school of yours for some time."

"You work for Lionel," Charles states the obvious from the MRD patches on their guards' uniforms.

"I did but a funny thing happened. After what transpired today he has vanished and SHIELD has ceased control of Luthorcorp." Not what Stryker was planning as a way to break away from Lionel but when his sources in the company reported it to him Stryker decided he could use it. He had enough money and resources now to survive as an independent organisation until he is ready to put the next phase of his plan into operation that would put him back in favour with the government.

It dawns on Charles what this means. "The Sentinels...Trask...Lionel?"

Stryker nods to confirm this. "You're very smart Xavier and you didn't even have to read my mind. Not that you can. In fact by now all of you have probably gathered that your powers aren't working. Let me spare you the confusion. It's the collars. They are power inhibitors. My own design," he explains with pride in his work.

Charles knew Lionel was dangerous but he never imagined Lionel would go that far. Well Lionel is not his immediate concern at the moment. This Colonel William Stryker is. He tries to assess his captor. With the knowledge to create these power inhibiting collars he was obviously a very dangerous man on top of being a very smart one. He also doesn't seem upset about Lionel's disappearance which Charles is unsure what to make of. Perhaps Stryker wasn't happy working for Lionel.

"Now," Stryker addresses the whole group. "I'm not an unkind man and I know you've had a hard day so I'll have you shown to your accommodation where you can rest and I'll have food brought to you. Try to get some sleep," he advises them. "Because we have a great deal of work to do together," he says with much anticipation of what lies ahead in the coming days.

Stryker snaps his fingers and points at the door and the guards escort the 5 away to their cells. Another soldier walks up to him and salutes informing him _she _is calling. Stryker knew this was coming. He goes to his office and activates the video link. "Madame Hydra," he greets her and from her expression Stryker can tell she isn't happy. "I knew nothing of what Trask was playing at," he pre-empts her question. "This situation was as much a surprise to me as it was to you."

"Give me good news Colonel," she says in a cold voice, laced with the threat that unpleasant acts will occur unless he has good news.

"We have the girl in our possession."

A twitch of Madame's Hydra green coated lips is the closest she will give to a smile. "When can you begin?" she wants to know.

"I'll need to do some analysis of her genetics to understand the current state of her powers. Assuming that goes as expected we can begin the required alterations in a few days."

"Make your activities swift Colonel. I do not like situations I did not create."

"Rest assured Madame Hydra in a short time HYDRA will be in possession of the ultimate living weapon."

'Then perhaps,' Madame Hydra thinks to herself, 'perhaps they can take advantage of the chaos this situation has created and the dream of a world where HYDRA reigns supreme will be a little bit closer to becoming reality.'

The call ends with the obligatory 'Hail HYDRA'. Stryker is going to be creating the ultimate living weapon but he won't be giving to HYDRA. He will be using it to destroy HYDRA.

* * *

The next morning in her sparse cell Rogue sits on the bed in the corner, her knees brought up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Apart from the bed there is only a small sink and toilet. She knows the others are in cells next to her but she feels so alone. Rogue can't remember the last time she felt this alone...or maybe she can. It was before Clark arrived at the mansion. She liked to be alone and then...Rogue's brow furrows slightly as she tries to remember that first month after Clark came.

It was the oddest thing now she thinks on it. When she wanted to be on her own Clark would always show up. He wouldn't impose himself on her or invade her privacy. He would just be there. He would say hello. If Rogue was in the mood they would strike up a conversation. If she wasn't he would hang around quietly but he was there available...being a friend Rogue supposes.

She smiles slightly. It was odd she guesses if you looked at the two of them from the outside. The Goth girl and the farm boy sitting beside each other and talking and being friends. She can remember some odd looks from the other kids at school at the two of them not that Rogue cared what they thought because she didn't. She thinks that Clark didn't care either. Something they have in common.

Rogue can't really remember how Clark did it but when he became her friend he was probably the first person she never wanted to leave. Oh don't get her wrong she likes all her friends but sooner or later she just needs to be away from them for short periods. She has never felt that around Clark and he is just so easy to talk to.

God she misses him right now. His goofy smile, teasing manner. Even his lame jokes. What she would give to hear one of those right now. There is the way he holds her in his immensely powerful arms. It was always gentle and made Rogue feel safe. She would love it if his arms were around her now and she could tell him how much she loves him.

Rogue blinks her eyes. She will not cry. She will not show weakness around these people who were no doubt watching her. Her hand goes up to the immensely uncomfortable collar round her neck. She had already tried to see of she could get it off. She couldn't. It was too well made. She always wanted some way to control her powers. It seems somebody came up with an ironic way for her to receive that gift.

The sound of the lock to her cell door opening brings Rogue out of her inner musings. She looks up as it is opened and a young woman with black hair and blue eyes, perhaps a few years older than Rogue, walks in tray in hand. Must be breakfast Rogue thinks. She had woken up early. Even despite how tired she was after yesterday's events she found it difficult to sleep which given her current circumstances is not surprising. What does catch her attention is that the woman dressed in a MRD uniform...it's the woman's skin. It is a bluish-white apart from a dark, almost black, spot around her left eye.

The woman gives her a smile and greets her. "Morning! I've brought you breakfast. It tastes a lot better than it looks."

Rogue cocks her head to the side looking extremely sceptical.

"Alright. That's a complete lie," the woman concedes. "It tastes worse than it looks," she says in jest.

Rogue almost feels like cracking a smile. Almost.

The woman enters the cell and places the tray on the bed next to Rogue. "You should eat. Keep up your strength," she says sounding more serious.

Rogue just glares at her.

The woman sighs. "Look. I know you have no reason to trust me at all but my being here isn't anymore my idea than the fact you are here is yours."

"They took you too?" Rogue ventures the question.

The woman nods. "Can I sit?" she asks gesturing at the bed.

Rogue shrugs which the woman takes to mean yes.

The woman looks around the cell. "This was my cell," she says.

Rogue looks at the woman carefully trying to asses whether she is being genuine or whether this is some set up to put Rogue at ease and get her to talk.

The woman looks at Rogue. "I'm Domino," she introduces herself. "Dom for short."

"Rogue," is all Rogue says in reply.

"Nice to meet you Rogue," she says with a smile.

"Why are ya talkin ta meh?" Rogue gets straight to it.

"Honestly I'm here to give you the indoctrination speech. Your friends either are or will be soon getting the same. You see you'll be joining us."

"Us?"

Domino shifts her body to show one of the patches off on her uniform. She points at it. It is the Greek symbol Beta; ß. "Beta Squad," she explains what she belongs to. "We're the replacements for Alpha Squad after they vanished."

Rogue knows what Alpha Squad is. Volcana had mentioned all about the team of mutants she was part of. "Ah won't," Rogue swears.

Domino purses her lips. "Wish I could say you had a choice. You don't really. After Alpha Squad was lost Stryker was a lot more careful this time round. He fitted us all with sub-dermal implants in our necks," she explains while pressing her finger to the point in her neck where it is implanted. If you look closely you can see the small surgery scar. "They double as a GPS tracker and a means of enforcing discipline. They can deliver varying voltages of electric shock to cause pain or render us unconscious. If necessary they are capable of killing us."

"You're a mutant?" Rogue inquires just to have it confirmed despite it being obvious that Domino is a mutant.

Domino smiles a sad smile. "Fraid so. More than that...myself...the others in Beta Squad...we're Stryker's children."

Rogue frowns puzzled.

"Oh he hasn't given you the tour yet," Domino realises from Rogue's expression. "Well I say tour but there isn't much to see apart from a concrete corridor followed by a concrete corridor followed by a concrete room followed by...oh look more concrete."

Rogue is actually having to fight off a smile. Her lips still twitch slightly. Domino was funny.

Domino sighs and scratches her head wondering if she should tell Rogue the story. She decides to give a summary since Rogue will get it soon anyway. "Stryker...he's been at this game a long time. Studying mutants. Trying to alter us into weapons. You ever heard of Weapon X?"

Rogue nods.

"Stryker was part of it. He specialises in mutant genetics. Trying to figure out a way to give us more than one ability. He wants to create the ultimate living weapon. Back before Weapon X was trashed he used the DNA of all of the mutants who were part of it, spliced the genes together and created a whole bunch of mutant kids. Kinda like trying to breed the ultimate weapon."

That makes Rogue ask about what she thinks this means for Domino. "And ya are...?"

Domino nods. "Yep. I'm one," she says to confirm she is one of these children. She then laughs bitterly. "I was suppose to be THE ONE. I'm a bit of a disappointment."

"Ah don't understand."

"You see I don't have two genetic parents. I have several. Stryker made me by fusing together pieces of every mutant's DNA he possessed. I think he even threw his own in there. Guess he thought I would turn out to be some kind of super mutant or something. Boy was he in for a disappointment."

"What do ya mean?"

"Well for starters his ultimate weapon has a death fear of chickens."

"Chickens?" Rogue queries with a tiny quirk upward of her lips in amusement.

"Yes. Hate them. Creepy feathery things." Domino shudders at the mere thought. "Also apart from my appearance the only mutant thing about me is my luck."

"Luck?"

"I alter probability. I'm always lucky. I could make a killing in Vegas but a better more relevant example given our current situation might be this. If there's a 1% chance a bullet will miss me I can guarantee it will miss me. Still it is not exactly the stuff ultimate weapons are made of. Even saying that Stryker managed to find a use for me. Take that bullet analogy and turn it around. It means I always make the shot no matter how impossible it looks and I always hit the weak spot."

"Why are ya tellin meh all this?" Rogue asks because it seems kind of personal.

"Well first off you don't know me yet but as you'll soon discover I do nothing but talk about anything and everything. Honestly though I just miss female company. All the others Stryker has recovered so far are male...although between us girls I'm using that term loosely. Lets just say not a one of Slab, Hairbag, Ramrod...and really that has to the most homoerotic name ever thought up."

Rogue can't stop herself. She laughs.

"And don't get me started on Gorgeous George," Domino says with a roll of her eyes at that name. "When you see him you'll understand irony was obviously lost on him. Anyway as I was saying the others aren't exactly what I would call good dating material even if you overlook the fact that technically I'm related to every single one of them. They don't even really make good company and don't get me started on their personal hygiene but what can I do?" Domino asks with a resigned shrug. "They're family."

Rogue takes a moment to regather herself. "Don't take this tha wrong way but ya don't seem much like..."

"the obedient mindless soldier?" Domino guesses.

"Yeah."

"It wasn't like I was brought up here. When Weapon X went up in smoke Stryker didn't have the time or resources to raise a bunch of mutant infants and since our mutant powers weren't going to show up until we were teenagers he had us all dumped off at different orphanages around the country. In fact that's my earliest memory being at an orphanage. Then a few months ago he started tracking us down and picking us up. He snatched me when I was trying do some midnight shopping. Midnight because...well kind of hard to explain my appearance during the day. Night is when all the oddballs come out so no-one looks too closely or asks questions. Once he brought us here we all got this story I'm telling you explaining who and what we are."

What Domino doesn't realise is the revelation she has just dumped on Rogue. "Ah...mah earliest memory is being at an orphanage," Rogue admits, her voice barely above a whisper, her mind in shock.

"Oh," Domino says realising she just put her foot in a pile of chicken crap. All she can think of to say is "Welcome to the family sis." She says sis because since she is made up of all the Weapon X mutants at least part of her DNA comes from whoever Rogue's genetic parents were making the two girls related.

"That is quite enough Domino," a stern voice tells her off.

Domino jumps to her feet as Stryker stands at the doorway. He doesn't look happy. "If you are quite done you can join the rest of Beta Squad for your morning training session," he orders.

Domino salutes. Even she knows when to be quiet and do what she is told. She marches off leaving Rogue alone with Stryker.

Stryker turns his attention to Rogue and can see the shock still freshly written on the girl's face. Well she was going to have to find out at some point. Might as well be now. He strides forward and takes her by the chin and tilts her head up to look at him. He carefully takes in the features of her face. "You look like your mother you know. Same eyes, same hair save for the white stripe...and yes this confirms what you are probably thinking. Welcome home Rogue."

Rogue's mind just cannot process this. Part of her has always wanted to know who her parents were but to find out she is some sicko's science project...she doesn't know what to think or feel. Her attention is caught by the Professor being wheeled in.

Stryker turns to the Professor. "I know you heard that. Find it at all interesting?"

"That is not the word I would use," Charles says, his voice tight.

Stryker chuckles. "Did you ever fully realise what it was you had with her Xavier? I mean it must have crossed your mind what Rogue could do if she learnt how to fully control her powers. What she could do if she was able to access all those powers she has absorbed at will and use them simultaneously. Imagine it. What force on this planet could stop her?"

Stryker turns to look at Rogue with a cold smile of delight at what he has with her. "She is what I have tried to create all these years. She is the ultimate weapon. One half of what I need to redeem myself."

"And what is the other half?" Charles asks.

Stryker turns to him. "You are. Let me ask you a question. What is it the government needs now that mutants have been revealed. They need 2 things. One. A method of finding mutants wherever they are. That is where you come in Xavier. You and the mutant finding machine you call Cerebro."

"I will not help you," Charles states bluntly.

"Not willingly but you will help," Stryker darkly promises. Back onto his original monologue, "And second I need a method of dealing with mutants who pose a threat. Now Beta Squad along with the 3 students of yours we captured are useful but they have limits. We both know there are mutants with immense power out there and what I need to deal with them is something that cannot only match them but take their power and add it to their own."

Rogue, Charles knows, is that. He is not a stupid man. He has always seen the potential in Rogue but he doesn't see her in the same terms Mystique saw Rogue in or that Stryker sees her in. She is not a weapon. She is a real person with emotions and in her case emotional issues that need his help to be resolved for Rogue to grow into the person she can be. Unfortunately thanks to Stryker there are now a new layer of issues he will need to help her with to do with her creation at this man's hands.

Stryker claps his hands together. "Well now. We have a busy day ahead of us," he announces. "First things first I need to perform some tests to see what state you two are in. Shall we?"

Neither Rogue nor the Professor give Stryker a response. Soldiers simply come in and pull Rogue to her feet and drag her off while they wheel the Professor off in the same direction.

* * *

The frustration was growing at the X-Men's camp. Two days of hanging around in the woods with a dozen teenagers had led to increasing tension, frayed nerves and tempers snapping. People had had to be separated once or twice. Truthfully considering everything they had gone through it wasn't really a surprise that the tension was coming out in this manner.

It was made worse by the fact that in the outside world things were getting worse. People were being attacked in the streets and the government was desperately floundering around for a story to tell people that didn't reveal the fact they had been keeping the existence of mutants secret for years...or that was what Beast suggested for why there was so little from the government. It was creating a dangerous vacuum.

The only bright spot is that they had managed to make it possible for the students to phone their families. Clark had used it to speak to Chloe and Pete. Kurt had managed to talk to Amanda. Her worry for her boyfriend was audible when Kurt explained to her what the giant robots were. That they were mutant hunter/killer machines. Jean had talked to Taryn, her voice breaking when she revealed Scott had been taken. Her depression only made deeper by the fact she had tried to use her telepathy on Logan to see what he knew about Stryker and gotten nowhere. She was not the Professor and even the Professor had failed to sort out Logan's memories. What chance was there that she could do it?

Clark had been trying his best not to use his powers as he wasn't sure how long they would hold up. When they went crazy that day shortly after he arrived at the mansion he ran flat out for hours so if he is careful maybe he can milk a week out of them. Apart from his parents no-one yet knew about what Jor-El had done to him. Speaking of his parents his father was recovering...or as much as he is ever going to without a new heart. His mother kept herself busy as best she could aiding the students. Clark thinks it is so she doesn't have to think about the ones who are missing who she cares about and trying not to lose herself in worry over his father.

Clark was still as angry as hell under his stoic surface. He would have wrung the truth out of Lionel by now if Lionel hadn't vanished. It was on the news that Lionel had disappeared and that Luthorcorp had been seized by the government as part of the investigation into what happened in New York with the Sentinels. What Clark wouldn't give just to have Rogue here now. To hear that sassy southern accent of hers. To see her smile. To hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loves her...

"Clark?"

Clark blinks as the voice brings him out of his musings. He turns around off the tree he is leaning against to find Kitty standing there looking nervous about something as she fidgets on the spot. "Yes Kitty."

Ok Kitty. Here goes she tells herself. Here goes telling Clark what she has put off for 2 days. 'Coward!' her inner critic snipes at her sneeringly. "Clark...it's about what happened to Rogue...it's my fault they got her."

Clark looks at her intensely but says nothing. Kitty explains what happened about how she had to make a choice. Save Rogue or save Wanda and Tabby. The anger that has been festering beneath the surface for 2 days flares up within Clark for a moment illustrated when his eyes flare red. Kitty cringes slightly almost in fear of him and he reigns his temper in. He lets out a deep breath. "Kitty...it's alright. You did the only thing you could."

Kitty notices how Clark didn't say she did the right thing. Small difference maybe but she feels it is an important one. "I'm sorry," she says in a guilt ridden tone.

"Don't be," he tells her. If anyone should be feeling guilt it is probably him. All this power he possesses and look what happened. He didn't protect the person he loves. He didn't protect any of the others that got taken either so he has plenty ammo to beat himself up with.

"We will find them right?" Kitty asks of him.

"Yes. We will," Clark says with steely determination and absolute certainty because he isn't resting until they find and rescue them.

On how to find them across on the other side of the campsite Ororo and Logan are currently having an argument about that.

"No Logan," Ororo says putting her foot down on the matter.

"What choice do we have?" he asks back.

"You are proposing that in this frenzied atmosphere we raid Luthorcorp. I want them back as much as you do Logan but inflaming this situation won't help," she says as she feels that is what will happen if they go charging in as Logan proposes. They have to avoid escalating the situation at all costs.

"Then you have Jean read my mind again only this time..."

Ororo cuts him off. "She what? Causes you permanent brain damage by making her push too hard?"

"I'll recover," Logan points out.

"Logan physically your brain may heal but what about the psychological damage or the risk of further damaging your memory?"

"I'll risk it."

"I'm not prepared to let you risk it!" she says raising her voice.

"Get off your moral high horse here Stormy. We can't sit around here doing nothing!" he all but yells back at her.

"Don't you tell me what we can and cannot do!" she yells back at him. "You are being pigheaded!"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black darlin!"

Thunder can be heard in the distance as Ororo's temper rises. "Listen to me Wolverine," she says in her commanding tone of voice. "With the Professor gone I'm in overall charge and I make the decisions. If you don't like it...I'll remind you that metal is a wonderful conductor," she says with a dangerous gleam in her eye and amongst their depths lighting literally crackles.

Beast interrupts this with a deliberate cough. 5 more minutes and he is worried Ororo and Logan will kill each other...or end up making out. He shakes his head at that thought. He's been watching too many daytime soaps.

"Yes Hank?" Ororo asks in a much calmer voice for him as she turns to face him.

"I know this situation may seem like it can't get worse...but it's gotten worse," he tells them. He then signals at Ororo and Logan to follow him. As they do so they find all the students gathered around a laptop which is showing an image of Magneto. "It's a broadcast," Hank explains. "He's broadcasting to the whole world."

Magneto speaks. "_**Greetings citizens of the Planet Earth. My name is Magneto and I am one of...what have you been calling us again? Oh yes. I am one of the creatures...the inhuman monsters you saw on television. What we are are mutants. We are the next stage of human evolution as Homo Sapiens were the next stage of evolution compared to the Neanderthal. I know what question must be going through your primitive minds. Surely if that was true the government would know about it."**_

"Oh no," Ororo whispers knowing what Magneto is about to do.

"_**Here is the truth your so called representatives of the people have kept from you. They did know. They have known about us for decades and kept you in ignorance. No doubt you are now feeling great anger. I understand. I feel great anger too for by keeping mutants hidden from sight these governments of yours," **_he says in a mocking sneering tone that shows how they don't represent him, **_"have had carte-blanch to do anything they please. Those robots you saw are called Sentinels created by humans for the sole purpose of the extermination of the mutant race and that is only the tip of the iceberg. The list of the crimes against my people rivals what the Nazis did and I above all others can say that for this simple reason." _**

Dramatic pause.

"_**I was there. I saw babies ripped from their mother's wombs. I saw girls raped while men looked on and laughed. I watched women and children marched into the gas chambers never to be seen again. I remember the smells of burning corpses and how the ashes burned my eyes for it was I amongst many others who was forced to put the bodies into the ovens. All this I saw and more when I was nothing but a boy."**_

They all watch on enraptured by the spectacle and the horror of what Magneto is doing and describing.

Magneto continues. _**"That is where I learned the true nature of humanity but even then once upon a time I had some hope that maybe you would learn something. That you would evolve. For you see that is the true test of any species. How does it evolve and adapt. Those that do flourish and survive. Those that don't perish. Humanity has failed that test. You have fallen into the same old patterns. How many times have the crimes I witnessed been repeated? As we speak how many people are being murdered in some genocidal crusade? As we speak how much of this planet you were gifted as caretakers only are you turning into rack and ruin?"**_

Magneto allows a deliberate pause for that to sink in before he continues with his voice growing louder as he builds to the crescendo. _**"The time of Homo Sapiens is at an end for in one sense you have evolved. Into us! No longer will my people be held down or forced to hide in the darkness! I call upon you my mutant brothers and sisters to rise up and claim what is rightfully yours! Humanity is doomed! By its own actions and choices it has written its own epitaph! This world...the future belongs to Homo Superior!"**_

The broadcast ends.

"Soooo...how dead are we?" Bobby tries to joke only it falls flat because it rings true.

Hank shakes his head and closes his eyes for a moment. It was obvious what Magneto was doing. He is trying to fan the flames.

"What was that about?" Jamie asks looking at the adults for an explanation not understanding what it is Magneto has done.

Hank looks to Ororo. They might as well explain it. Considering what Magneto has done they need to know what it is they now might have to face. Beast takes a breath before explaining, "Magneto is trying to stoke up the anger and resentment against us. He's hoping for something dreadful to happen."

"Why?" Rahne asks as lost as her best friend about what is going on.

"Because when it does and when it is to a mutant Magneto can come riding in like some kind of saviour and he'll have the excuse he needs to start his war," Logan says with gruff anger.

Ororo continues and expands the explanation. "If he simply starts the war he looks like a tyrant...a warmonger but if he makes it look like he is reacting to the brutality of humans he looks like the defender and natural leader of mutantkind."

"That nutcase is not my saviour," Ray, of all people, says bluntly and everyone else mutters in agreement. It makes the adults proud how united the children are in defiance of Magneto and in defence of the Professor's dream.

"We have to calm things down," Hank says. "We have to make our case. It can't wait now."

Ororo nods in agreement. The old plan of waiting until things calmed down before they made their case was out the window. Thanks to Magneto they don't have that luxury any longer. From the news they knew Congress has been recalled in emergency session. They would have to address it and show that Magneto does not speak for all of them. No. Charles needed to address it she realises as he is the most articulate of them and above all he is the opposite of Magneto. He can show everyone that there is an alternative to Magneto. They can live in peace as equals. "We have to find Charles," she states with renewed urgency that they accomplish that.

"Well now. Maybe I can help ya with that."

Everyone turns in panic at that strange voice and as they do so they find that they are surrounded by heavily armed men in uniforms with patches that look like shields with an eagle within them upon their uniforms. The guns are all cocked, readied and aimed at them.

The one who spoke is slowly chewing on a toothpick. A man with grey hair and an eye-patch.

Logan pops his claws and growls. "Fury."

* * *

_Author's Note: When I was looking back at the evo episodes to refresh my memory it struck me that after Magneto set the X-Men up and exposed mutants he didn't do anything else to stoke up resentment and hatred which to me seemed wrong. Magneto lives to pursue his dream of a mutant dominated world. Surely he would act to try and provoke humans into war which is why I have added him making the broadcast. I brought Domino in because I liked her so much from the Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon and the friendship she had with Rogue on that show. I looked into her history and in the comics she is the result of a government experiment to create the ultimate weapon only it didn't work out as planned leaving her with only minor probability altering powers. I took the basics of that and translated it into my story where Stryker created her along with Rogue. I thought it a neat twist on Rogue's character along with the obvious question; who are her biological parents? You'll have to wait and see for that answer. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the X-Men learn where to find their missing friends and start making rescue plans...and there'll be more of Deadpool!_


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

There are several tense moments of silence before Fury breaks it. "I must congratulate you," he says. "It is not just anyone who takes SHIELD 2 whole days to find."

From Fury's tone no-one can be sure whether he is being sincere or not.

"Give me one reason not to gut you where you stand," Logan says to Fury, his tone deeply hostile and threatening.

"Apart from the couple dozen heavily armed SHIELD agents pointing guns at you?" Fury says glibly.

"Isn't enough to put me down before I reach you," Logan argues.

"Perhaps," Fury might just concede. "However I'm not your enemy Logan. I'm here to help you. Do you think this...any of this is what I wanted?"

Logan chews over Fury's words for a few moments. Knowing Fury's control freakery he can concede that all this chaos is the last thing Fury would want. He retracts his claws. "Talk quickly. Start with where Trask use to work for you."

"That man use to work for you?" Ororo asks, ire rising in her tone. That man, if she ever got her hands on him, well Ororo had been having thoughts about doing unpleasant things that would never normally enter her head.

Fury's expression remains unchanged and reveals nothing of his feelings. "He came to us. When we saw what he was proposing I will admit I was interested. First as a deterrent and then as a possible means of law enforcement. The rationale was that sooner or later the existence of mutants would become public knowledge. On that day people like Magneto knew that the conventional means of law enforcement were not going to be adequate to stop them. The only saving grace up to this point was that Magneto wished to remain off the radar and your interference in foiling his plans."

"So you are responsible for those...things?" Kitty asks, unbelieving.

Fury shakes his head. "No. When it became clear the only way the Sentinels would be effective was if they possessed lethal force I shut the project down."

"That doesn't justify how you could even conceive of creating weapons aimed at one particular group of society and capable of committing genocide," Hank says.

"That is why I shut it down," Fury tells them. "Look I may be paranoid as Logan will be more than happy to tell you but I will not ever sanction genocide. If the day comes someone tries it you can rest assured Dr McCoy you will find me standing next to you fighting against it."

Somehow that doesn't actually reassure Hank all that much.

Logan mutters something under his breath before out-loud he says, in defence of Fury, "I hate to say this but he is speaking the truth."

"I assume Trask wasn't happy with this," Jean says moving the topic on and it is a safe assumption considering what they have been through fighting the Sentinels.

"No," Fury confirms. "I had to have him physically dragged out of my office when he refused to accept my decision. A few days later he vanished along with all his work. It is safe to assume he continued working on it. I have Hill hunting for him and if we can catch him then that just might be enough to help calm things down. It would get you off the hook."

"Us?" Clark queries with a frown.

"Don't you know. You are getting blamed for everything including building the robots you were fighting."

"Zhat's nuts!" Kurt expresses his opinion. That makes no sense. How can they be blamed for the robots that were trying to kill them.

"That's the great American media for you," Fury critiques. "And Magneto's little broadcast there isn't helping your cause but I overheard what you said. If you can get Xavier to Washington that might work. It's probably your only chance to get out of this without being declared enemies of the state," Fury tells them.

"Are you always this cheery and optimistic?" Tabby asks with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm a realist kid and in 5-10 years I'll wager my paycheck you'll be thinking like I do."

"Don't count on it Long John," Tabby tells him. The Treasure Island reference inspired by the eye-patch.

"So are you here to help us or what?" Evan asks.

"Kid I'm helping you by not arresting you on sight," Fury bluntly points out. If he was strictly following orders he should be attempting to do that very thing.

"I think what Spyke is referring to is that you did imply something about helping us find Professor Xavier," Hank clarifies.

Fury holds up his right hand and snaps his fingers and the SHIELD agents vanish into the woods. This is not for their ears. "Your school was attacked."

"We know," Wanda mutters angrily, interrupting Fury. She kind of half-wishes to hex the guy. At least then she could make someone pay for the fact her home, the first one she has had since she lost her mother, was wrecked.

"It was attacked by the Mutant Response Division."

"We know that too," Roberto pipes up, expressing an impatience they are all feeling for Fury to get to the point.

"Agent Romanova!" Fury shouts and walking into the clearing comes a woman with red hair, dressed in a looks could kill tight leather black uniform with some kind of weird gold bracelets on her wrist.

Logan snorts at seeing the Black Widow, whom he knew well from his SHIELD days, again. "Should have figured you would be here."

"And as always Logan it is a pleasure to see you too," Natasha greets him sounding rather insincere with her Russian accent thick as she gives up any attempt to hide it.

Clark's eyes narrow as he recognises her. "You were working for Lionel as his assistant," he says.

Logan actually chuckles. "So Fury has demoted you to undercover duties huh?" he says with a teasing grin.

Natasha gives him a glare. "At least I'm not reduced to teaching children," she states with an arrogant haughty air.

"Why do I feel like we were just insulted?" Jamie asks Rahne.

"I think ye hit the spot there," Rahne says in agreement with her best friend.

"You wouldn't last 5 minutes with them," Logan hits Natasha back with.

"Was that a compliment or an insult?" Jubilee asks while next to her Bobby is picking his tongue up off the ground at the sight of the possibly hottest woman he has ever laid eyes on. Jubilee frowns in annoyance and elbows him in the ribs at her jealousy and yes she will admit it. It is jealousy. She likes Bobby although she has never told him that.

"I hate to interrupt but can we get back on topic," Clark demands in a commanding tone of voice. If Fury has a way to find the Professor and the others then Clark wants to know so he can find them but especially find Rogue and do so while he still has his powers which are slowly diminishing with each passing hour.

Natasha looks at Logan and arches one eyebrow impressed by the boy's commanding presence. It is an eyebrow that also says that one day she is going to have a talk with Logan about him.

Fury explains how after that last meeting with Logan and Xavier when he picked up Parasite he sent in the Black Widow to spy on Lionel and find out what he was up to. "Luthor was the one funding Trask," he informs them.

Clark's fists clench tightly at that. He only wishes he was surprised. "Get onto the MRD," he strongly requests. "Start with the name Stryker."

"Colonel William Stryker. Military scientist. Specialised in mutant genetics."

"He was part of Weapon X wasn't he?" Logan asks Fury for confirmation of what he had pretty much guessed now he had had a couple of days to think on that encounter. It also pretty much means Fury knew and as per Fury's norm decided to keep it secret from Logan and the sad part is that Logan isn't surprised by that even a little bit. Fury's secrets and Fury's manipulations...that is why Logan quit SHIELD.

"Weapon X was an unofficial official organisation that compromised scientific and military personnel from both the United States and Canada that was suppose to come up with a solution to the mutant question. Officially it was never sanctioned by anyone. Elements in both of the governments and the militaries knew about it but looked the other way when it came to the methods that were employed."

"And you did nothing?" Ororo asks unable to believe how anyone could just look the other way.

"I didn't know about it," Fury says and you can hear in his voice how much he hated that fact he didn't know. "It wasn't until after Logan trashed it I learned of it. To save any embarrassment on both our and the Canadian governments' behalves I was ordered to clean up the mess but the reality is that both governments just wanted it buried and I was ordered to make sure it was so no arrests, no trials, nothing that would bring any attention to their illegal activities, just keep an eye on the survivors Logan left and make sure they were starved of money and caused no trouble. It was then classified so high that even me telling you this much could be construed as treason but considering everything that is going on I'm willing to bend the rules slightly."

"And you went along with just burying this?" Hank asks of Fury.

"I obey orders," Fury states clearly. "I don't have to like them and I didn't but that one came from the President so I did it. If I had known about Weapon X sooner I would have put a stop to it but I didn't and we just have to make the best of the situations we find ourselves in," Fury says implying that fact about this situation.

"What about Stryker?" Clark queries wanting more details on him in particular although he isn't happy after hearing everything Fury just said. Really doesn't give you a lot of faith in the people meant to protect you. Something someday by someone will need to change that.

"Out the country the day Logan was breaking out," Fury explains how Stryker survived when Logan in his amnesic 'Berserker Rage' killed so many others. "He has a base in Canada. As I said the Canadian government like ours just looked the other way for as long as Weapon X produced results. Also technically since that is across the border it's out of my jurisdiction. We kept an eye on him as best we could but for the last 15 years he has been doing very little as far as we could tell so we may have gotten a little lack in our surveillance," Fury reluctantly admits a shortcoming as to how Stryker has ended up doing all this without SHIELD getting onto him sooner.

Clark's eyes light up in interest. "This base in Canada...that's where Stryker is isn't he?" That's where their friends are...where Rogue is.

"I can't help you," Fury tells them. He is stretching his orders to the breaking point as is even giving them this much help. He can't go any further. "Once I give you the location you are on your own and we never had this conversation."

"Then before we get to that perhaps you can tell us where Lionel is?" Clark wants to know.

"Don't know. He's vanished."

Logan looks at Natasha. "You let him get away? You're losing your touch Widow," he teases her, the urge to do so outweighing his annoyance that Luthor scarpered.

Natasha's glare turns to ice. It would make anyone but Logan back up several paces.

"The Black Widow here as it turns out wasn't the only spy at Luthorcorp," Fury says before turning to the Black Widow. "Go ahead and tell them," he orders her.

Natasha isn't happy admitting this but says it as ordered to. "I was...taken by surprise."

"By whom?" Logan asks a little puzzled how anyone can get the drop on Natasha because yes she is that damn good.

"Luthor had another assistant by the name of Raven Darkholme."

Logan's face grows dark with anger at recognition of that name. "Mystique," he says with particularly loathing. That infernal woman...again!

Natasha nods to confirm it.

Hank rubs his head just above his left eyebrow. Now it makes more sense. "That is how Magneto knew when Trask had completed his Sentinels and knew when to set us up. Mystique was keeping him informed."

"That would be my guess," Fury says. "As for Luthor we'll find him. As we're speaking I'm seizing control of Luthorcorp and freezing its and Luthor's assets. He'll run out of money and people to help him eventually."

Fury reaches into his inner pocket and pulls out a small data pad and tosses it to Logan. "Here's everything I've got on Stryker and the layout of his base. Don't rely on it to be too accurate. It's out of date," he cautions them. That was picked up when SHIELD was cleaning up the mess of Weapon X so it is a good decade and half out of date not to mention a lot of the data they did managed to retrieve was damaged and had pieces missing including by the way any personal data about Logan. Fury knows little more than Logan does about himself. Fury takes his toothpick out of his mouth and flicks it away. "Officially I can't help you," he repeats his earlier words. "Pointing you in the right direction is as far as I can go. Good luck."

Fury then turns and leaves with the Black Widow as they vanish into the undergrowth. Ororo turns to Logan. "You know him better than most can we trust him?" she asks before they begin making a plan based on this information.

"You can trust Fury to do whatever is he thinks is best," Logan says with some anger at the fact that Fury uses that to lie and keep secrets and use people because Fury's opinion on what is best is rarely in tune with what other people think is best or right. Proved positive right there in what Fury just admitted. However saying that also means the following. "And he has no interest in seeing this country tear itself apart in a war so I go with yeah on this one occasion we can trust him."

Logan activates the pad and he and Ororo briefly look it over. It contained the location of the base. "Alkali Lake across the Canadian border," Ororo announces to the others. "The base is hidden within the dam and surrounding rock."

Logan frowns. "Entry is going to be a bitch. The one way in is a secret door in the emergency spillway which means if he wants to Stryker can flush us away like a turd."

"Ew!" Kitty says making a face at that imagery.

Jean has a suggestion. "What if Kitty phases Clark who can superspeed along the spillway through the door and into the base before anyone realises. Does it say how to open the door?"

Logan scrawls down. "There should be a central control room where the door is controlled from if these schematics are still accurate."

Clark feels he has to speak up here. "Any plan can't be reliant on me," he says.

They all look at him puzzled and Jean remembers something he said when they were escaping. "You said that back at the mansion. That we couldn't rely on you. What do you mean?" she asks him.

Clark sighs. Might as well get it over with. "It'll be easier to show you," he tells them as he starts to unbutton the plaid shirt he is wearing. He takes it off followed swiftly by his blue t-shirt. There are many audible gasps along with mumbled 'Oh Gods', 'Oh Lords', 'By the Goddess', 'Oh my stars and garters' and Kurt muttering something in German as they all get a glimpse of the horrid looking scar on his chest.

"W-What is that?" Kitty asks.

Clark sighs again. "I told you all about my 'father' Jor-El right?"

There is collective nodding.

"This is his latest punishment for my disobedience."

"What disobedience?" Jean asks.

"He wanted me to return to him but I refused because I couldn't leave you guys in the middle of this. You're...more than my friends. You're my family," Clark says with completely sincerity and more than a touch of emotion present in his voice. Clark pulls his t-shirt back on. "To answer Jean's question about why you can't rely on me it is because this scar is preventing my body recharging which means that eventually I'll lose my powers. I've probably already lost a third of my strength and speed."

"How long until they're gone?" Jean asks.

"Can't say. If I used them full out probably not more than a few hours at best. If I'm careful 3 or 4 more days. Any plan you come up with will have to involve using me as sparingly as possible."

"What about what Jean suggested?" Evan asks Clark. "Could you do that?" Because even to Evan that does seem like a sound plan for getting their foot in the door.

"Can I see the schematics?" Clark asks. Logan hands them over and Clark looks over them working out the distance. "Actually it could work because once we're inside the room can be sealed and if I'm reading this correctly those are heavy doors. You couldn't blast through them in less than 30 minutes."

Clark hands the schematics over to Kitty since she is sharing the risk and her skills with computers is going to be vital to make this work so she needs to see the plans and determine whether she can do it. Kitty looks them over. "Clark's right. Once inside we can like hold up until you guys arrive. However I have to caution I have never tried to phase anyone travelling at superspeed. I'm not sure what will happen."

Even though it would use up his powers the only sensible answer Clark can see is "We can practice before we go if Kitty is willing to risk it." And it is a risk. If she doesn't phase him she could easily be seriously hurt when they hit something at superspeed.

"I'm willing," Kitty says without hesitation. She needs to do something to assuage her guilt about Rogue's abduction.

"Vhat about finding zhe others?" Kurt asks.

"Well if this control room really is like the central hub then everything will be tied into it including the camera feeds and access to the data files. We can find out everything we need to know," Kitty determines from the schematics.

Hank summarises what they have gotten so far. "Then the plan would be that once Clark and Kitty seize control and open the door for us we charge in and fight our way to them. If we're quick we can take the MRD by surprise and hopefully minimise how much fighting we have to do. By the time we reach the control room hopefully Clark and Kitty will have located our friends Then this turns into essentially a snatch and grab mission. We go in, rescue our friends and get out as quickly as possible."

Ororo nods. The general outline seemed sensible. The difficulty in gaining access to the base meant that there was no possibility for a stealthy assault. There was no way to sneak in. It would have to be shock and awe where they overwhelm the opposition before they know what hit them. Perhaps Ororo is being a little mean spirited here but it would be payback in the exact same method Stryker hit them with at the mansion.

* * *

**The next day at Alkali Lake...**

Rogue had been unceremoniously shoved back into her cell after the latest rounds of tests. God she has never felt this helpless or violated as Stryker and his lackeys take whatever samples they like from her. Then to top it off today Stryker had wanted to see her powers in action while she was hooked up to all sorts of instruments so Rogue had to endure absorbing people against her will.

The MRD soldiers she admittedly didn't feel particularly guilty about. Absorbing Domino Rogue did feel guilty because Dom, as Rogue had started to call her, was the closest thing Rogue had to a friend in this place and thanks to absorbing her Rogue can see Dom while far from a saint is not really into this. Stryker is essentially making her. Rogue thinks Stryker did it on purpose when he chose Domino to be the mutant she was suppose to absorb.

Rogue may have been hanging around Logan and Scott too long but maybe if she befriends Domino she can find out if the monochromatic mutant might be willing to help them or try and persuade her to. On the other side of the coin Clark's influence just has her befriending Dom because Rogue can just sense there is good in her and if she just gives Dom a chance maybe Domino will prove it by choosing to help them.

As for the others...Rogue wasn't sure how they were. She hadn't seen them apart from the Professor a couple of days ago. Stryker was keeping them separated but she could guess they were being subjected to tests as well and god knows what else.

If Stryker was trying to break her spirit with what he was doing to her he was failing because she had been allowed to keep the bracelet Clark gave her and every day it gave her strength and belief because she knew Clark would find her. It was only a matter of time and when he gets here...well Rogue can almost conjure up sympathy for anyone who gets in his way. It was that thought that Clark would come along with Domino's light-hearted joky manner that was helping her cope with the revelation about how she came to exist.

Rogue hears the door open as she pulls at the infernal power dampening collar around her neck. It was uncomfortable beyond words after wearing it for days. Into the cell walks Domino and Rogue has to ask "How are ya feeling?"

Domino waits until the door is closed behind her. There is an enormous unhappy frown on her face. "Is it always that unpleasant...what you do?" she asks after having experienced Rogue's power first hand. It was terrible having your life literally drained out of you..

"Ah can't control it so ah'm guessin yeah."

"You can't control it?"

Rogue shakes her head.

"Stryker won't tolerate that," Domino points out.

"Oh ah have no doubt."

Domino looks at the younger girl with deeper concern than she knows she should be feeling. She has come to really like Rogue in the few days the Goth has been here. She hates to even imagine what Stryker will do to fix what he will see as a flaw in Rogue. She then spots Rogue fiddling with this metal bracelet on her wrist upon which an odd symbol is inscribed. "What does that mean?" Domino asks pointing at it.

"Hope."

"Never seen a language like that," Domino admits as she sits down on the bed.

"It's uh...native American," Rogue goes with since that is not a complete lie.

Domino looks at the Goth girl. "No offence that doesn't seem like quite your scene," she says as it doesn't fit in with Rogue's style.

"It was a gift."

"Friend?" Rogue says nothing and Domino's lips curl up. "Boyfriend," she guesses. "Really really hot cute smart boyfriend?"

Rogue blushes slightly as the image of just how hot Clark is flashes in her head. "No offence but ah am not discussing that here."

"Pft. Stryker won't care."

"No but if ya keep askin' ah'll start callin' ya Neena," Rogue threatens.

The teasing look on Domino's face instantly vanishes. "How did...?"

"Ah not only take your powers ah also take your memories and ah hear your thoughts including your nahme." Neena Thurman is the whole name and Rogue picked up enough to know Dom really isn't very fond of it hence why she introduces herself as Domino.

Now Domino understands fully just why Stryker is so interested in Rogue. Rogue's potential as a weapon must be limitless. Domino truly wishes she could do something to prevent that and to help but she can't. 'Can't...or won't?' a voice in Domino's head asks the very pertinent question.

"Why do ya keep comin here?" Rogue asks her truthfully not knowing why Domino keeps coming to visit. She never picked that up.

Where does Domino start? Does it sound too clichéd or weak to admit she wants to be near someone who is...genetically speaking perhaps only a second cousin but Dom wants to think of her more like a sister. She has always wanted a kid sister. Being an orphan all she ever had growing up was one foster home after another and then her mutation kicked in and she ended up looking like she does. No-one wanted her after that. "Does it matter?" Domino asks back rhetorically not wanting to discuss the subject.

"It depends. If y'all are just some stooge for Stryker tryin' ta win mah trust and ta get meh ta let mah guard down and give away secrets or something about mah friends ya can go ta hell."

"You heard my thoughts. You tell me."

"Tha contact wasn't long enough for meh ta pick up everything." Ok so she did probably get enough to know Dom isn't a stooge but she wants to hear Dom say it.

"Rogue I'm not some mindless stooge. I'm never anyone's mindless stooge. What am I is someone who always tries to make the best of the situation she finds herself in and if that means doing what Stryker orders me to then that is what I will do. It isn't like I have a whole lot of choice in the matter. Stryker has powerful means of coercion beyond the implant in my neck. Take it from me just go along with what he wants. The alternative is not pleasant," Domino says, her voice at the end almost pleading with Rogue not to put herself into the situation where Stryker will use the unpleasant alternatives.

Rogue looks at Domino carefully trying to read anything from her expression. Rogue wonders if Stryker has used any of these unpleasant alternatives on Dom. Before she can figure anything out they are interrupted by a loud wolf whistle.

"Two hot women in a prison cell. Wait. I have that in my porn collection somewhere."

Both Domino and Rogue look to see the hatch on the cell door has been opened and they are being spied on by the guy in the red and black mask. "Deadpool," Domino growls. She had unfortunately had to interact with him a few times since Stryker hired him and she hadn't enjoyed it at all. In fact she had to resist the urge on more than one occasion to shoot him.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out!" Deadpool quips.

"Get lost!" Domino tells him.

"Aw but you haven't even stripped yet," Deadpool whines.

"And we won't beh ya pervert!" Rogue yells.

"Oh please," Deadpool practically begs, his mouth watering at the thought of these two naked together in a prison cell. "I'll even part with some of..._my precious," _he says in an impression of Golem from Lord of the Rings. Deadpool clears his throat. "I'll pay ya," he puts it more succinctly.

"In your dreams!" Rogue tells him in no uncertain terms.

"Now if you only knew what I dreamt about Roguey poohs. After all right now you may be going for that emo Goth look that fits in with the cliché of you being an isolated and emotionally distant teenager but I know what you will look like when you grow up from your 616 counterpart and hoo boy let me tell ya you will turn into one smoking hot looking mama. When she walks into a room all it takes is a low cut top to show off a little of her immensely stacked rack and one little wiggle from those oh so curvy curvy curvaceous hips of hers and every man there will end up crossing his legs to hide the effect she has on them. Your monochrome BFF there is almost as stacked, curvy and hot. Personally when you two walk into a room I lean back in my chair, unzip my pants and give little Wadey the time of his life."

There's an image both Rogue and Domino could do without. Also "Is he nuts?" Rogue asks Domino at the seeming nonsense Deadpool just spoke.

"Pft!" Deadpool dismisses that. "I'm just as sane as Charles Manson."

"Do you even realise how stupid that statement is?" Domino asks.

"Do you even realise how much I want to get into your pants Dorothy?" Deadpool asks back.

"Gawd!" Rogue snaps. "Is that all ya think about?"

"Pretty much," Deadpool admits. "Along with money, porn, spicy food, women, Bea Arthur, porn, violence, women, more violence...did I mention violence, porn and women?"

"Yes!" Rogue and Domino snap.

"Deadpool!" Stryker's commanding voice can be heard from outside the door snapping in great annoyance at the Merc with the Mouth. The door is opened and Stryker walks in. "I must apologise for Deadpool's idiocy. An unfortunate side-effect of the process."

"Process?" Rogue can't help herself from querying what Stryker means.

"Weapon X. Weapon Roman numeral 10," Stryker explains what the name's true meaning was. "Logan was merely a step along the road. There had been 9 projects before him. Of all the mutants in the world his healing factor was superior to all others. That didn't mean, however, he was unstoppable. To do that we needed to make him unbreakable and his healing factor made him the only one who could survive the adamantium bonding process. The next step was to see if it was possible to transfer mutant powers from one individual to another specifically Logan's so that it would be possible for anyone to survive the adamantium bonding process. The ultimate aim of this was to combine multiple powers in one individual. For that next step we needed a volunteer and since he was dying of cancer at the time he was more than eager to gain a healing factor that could save him. It didn't quite work out as planned." Stryker then yells, "Deadpool! Get in here!"

"Aye aye skip!" Deadpool glibly replies as he wanders in.

"Ladies allow me to introduce Weapon XI," Stryker says holding his arm out at Deadpool. "You see we successfully copied Logan's healing power into Deadpool here but something occurred we didn't anticipate. It didn't cue the cancer. It merged with it turning Deadpool here into a virtual living walking cancer whose body is undergoing constant cellular regeneration. That has an unfortunate side-effect on both his mental state and his physical appearance." Stryker looks at Deadpool. "Show them."

Deadpool responds by slapping Stryker hard across the cheek. "How dare you!" he says affronted in a high-tone voice trying to sound like a woman. "I don't give out until the 3rd date." Deadpool then turns his head to the side and huffs.

Stryker rubs his cheek. "Deadpool," he growls. "I will throw you into this facilities turbines," he threatens since Stryker thinks even Deadpool couldn't survive that.

"Ooh sounds like an adventure."

"Deadpool if I have to ask one more time I will not pay you."

"You drive a hard bargain Bill you ruthless old bastard you," Deadpool laughs heartedly as he slaps Stryker on the back. "That's why I like you so much." Deadpool then pulls the mask off his head and it is all Rogue and Domino can do not to vomit at the face that looks like one giant scab.

"Yeah, yeah," Deadpool says at their reaction. "I know. My whole freakin' body looks like this but hey I get a nifty healing factor in return and stamina like you would not believe if you two girls are interested."

"Interested?" Domino says disgusted, trying and failing to repress a shudder of revulsion at what Deadpool is suggesting. " You look worse than my fungus infected toenails," Domino says although she doesn't really have a fungus infection. She doesn't. It's just some discolouration. That's all. "Name one woman who would be interested?" she sort of dares Deadpool.

Deadpool chuckles. "Oh I can name more than a few. The women in Madripoor aren't too fussy if you pay them enough. In fact some of them even kind of dig me," he says with a huge grin as he thinks on it.

"That's enough Deadpool," Stryker tells him and Deadpool pulls his mask back on. Stryker turns to Rogue and explains, "You see Rogue that is why you are so special. I don't have to transfer anything into you. You naturally absorb mutant powers. I don't have to risk failures like Deadpool here."

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Deadpool jokes.

Stryker ignores Wilson. "You Rogue, once we fix your powers, once we have you able to summon up Logan's powers, your bones will be bonded with adamantium and you will become Weapon XII."

"Ah am no-one's weapon," Rogue tells him, her glare hard. Now she finally understands what it is Logan resents so much about being thought of like that. It strips you of who you are. To quote a certain tv show 'She is not a number!'.

Stryker smiles coldly. "You overlook one thing Rogue. If necessary I can do to you what was done to Logan and wipe your memories. Now I would rather not do that. It would slow things down. The choice in all this is yours. Think carefully and consider what I can give you if you cooperate willingly. I can give you the identity of your parents. I can give you control of your powers and all I ask in return is that you serve me and the nation in defending it against the threat of mutants like Magneto. Now is that asking so much?"

Domino resists the urge to shake her head. Stryker knew what strings to pull. Manipulative bastard.

"I'll leave you to think on it," Stryker tells Rogue. "Domino. Deadpool," he says the two names. Domino makes her move to leave.

Deadpool hangs around for a moment. "Now Rogue turn that frown upside down," he tells her. "I know it looks bad and hey I can understand you miss your friends. There are many things I miss like those little yellow boxes that tell me what I'm thinking. God how I miss those." Deadpool then pull out a white handkerchief and blows his nose through his mask. "Excuse me," he says sounding very choked up about those little yellow boxes.

Rogue just looks at him in complete disbelief. The guy was nuts. It wasn't an argument or a debate. The guy was genuinely certifiable.

"Deadpool!" Stryker yells again losing his patience. This time Deadpool leaves while reciting an ode to those little yellow boxes.

The cell door is slammed shut. Rogue looks down at the bracelet on her wrist and determination anew flows through her. She doesn't have to think on what Stryker said because she knows Clark will rescue her. Therefore Stryker can go to hell.

* * *

Closer then Rogue realises the X-Men overlook the Alkali Lake dam from high up on the valley sides as they get the basic handle of the terrain. They had flown up here first thing this morning on the x-jet. Due to the fact they were missing a few Wanda had been asked to come along due to how powerful she is and how well she had handled herself during the fight with the Sentinels. Also there are Clark, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, Evan, Ororo, Hank and Logan. Clark's parents had been left back in the woods in charge to look after the New Mutants.

"How are you so calm?" Wanda asks Clark unable to understand him. If it was her and it was her father that had done what had been done to Clark she would be beyond pissed. Hell she is pissed for him because he is her friend.

"I don't have time to be angry," Clark says in reply.

"Don't you hate your father?"

"Yes," Clark admits his feelings. "But getting our friends back is more important than wasting time, energy and effort being angry at Jor-El. Once they are safe and once things calm down I'll deal with him."

Considering how he got her during the fight with the Sentinels to see that helping their friends was more important than her revenge on her father Wanda supposes she shouldn't be surprised by his attitude.

"Are you up for this?" Clark asks Wanda.

"I think so."

"Just...don't lose your temper," he asks of her.

"What do you mean by that?" she asks, that very temper starting to flare up.

"Look at the dam," Clark says and Wanda does so. "Now imagine what would happen if you lost your temper and damaged it."

Wanda blinks and she understands. "I would bring it down on top of us." She bites her lower lip in sudden worry. Maybe she can't do this...but she came and so many people are putting their trust in her. Professor Xavier put his trust in her and now she has a chance to repay that by rescuing him. She won't screw it up she determines.

Clark places his hand on her shoulder. "I know you can do this," he tells her with complete faith in her.

"Ja. Listen to Clark," Kurt says in agreement having overheard the conversation. "Ve all know you vill not let us down Vanda."

Wanda can't help but smile at the rather cute way Kurt says her name. Confidence anew flows through her. She can do this and she will for her friends.

"He's really wonderful with her," Ororo whispers into Hank's ear at the sight of Clark making sure Wanda keeps her focus. Clark is just generally good in being a friend and helping Wanda remain calm. He's been a big factor along with Tabby and Kurt in helping Wanda settle into the mansion.

"Almost like a big brother looking after his little sister," Hank comments upon the relationship.

Ororo turns to Logan and asks him essentially the same question Clark asked Wanda only with a single word. "Logan?"

"I've got this," he promises her.

"Logan. This Stryker could have the answers to your questions. I know what that means to you," she says sympathetically.

It does mean a lot but not more than the ones they lost. "I know what the priorities are Ro."

Ororo places a hand on his shoulder. "I do not doubt you Logan and when this is all over I will be more than happy to share a beer with you."

Logan looks at her with surprise. He didn't take her to be a beer person.

Ororo smiles softly. "Just because I don't drink it like water doesn't mean I don't like the occasional bottle."

Huh. It seems she can still surprise him every so often.

They spot the spillway below them. That's where they make their assault. Kurt teleports them down in pairs to it and then they give him 10 minutes to rest since that takes a lot out of him.

Clark picks Kitty up. They had practised this and well it had taken a go or two but Kitty could phase him as he supersped through objects. "Ready?" he asks her.

"Ready," Kitty says with more confidence than she feels. On the inside she was a nervous wreck. The whole plan relied on her phasing Clark and then the two of them figuring out the systems in the central control hub in a very short order. If they failed the whole mission failed.

Clark takes a deep breath and prays that his powers hold up long enough for them to finish this. With the passing of another day his powers had to be down to somewhere between a half and two-thirds of where they should be at. Probably closer to a half considering the practice he and Kitty had to put in yesterday. In a not quite the blink of an eye he and Kitty are gone in a blur up the spillway. The X-Men run full tilt in pursuit. If they timed this right they should reach the door just as Clark and Kitty get it open. If they timed this wrong...well they were dead.

It was now in the Hands of the Fates. May they be merciful.

* * *

_Author's Note: And so the rescue bid begins. Earth-616 is what Marvel call the main canon comic universe amongst the infinite parallels so therefore I was referring to that Rogue and hey she is smoking hot. For those that don't know it t__he Principality of Madripoor, that Deadpool mentioned, is a __fictional __island located in __Southeast Asia__ the __Marvel Comics universe__. Based on illustrations, it is in the southern portion of the __Strait of Malacca__, southwest of __Singapore__. In essence it is modelled almost exactly after Singapore itself. Put simply in the Marvel Universe it is a corrupt almost lawless place where you can pretty much do and get away with almost anything if you're rich and powerful enough. Long running breaking the 4th wall joke is that Deadpool can read his own thought bubbles in the comics which appear as little yellow squares. Essentially they are the internal monologue with the many voices in his head. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men attempt to rescue their friends from Stryker._


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

A MRD soldier sits in the Central Control Hub watching the monitors and the sensors and varying gauges registering power usage etc etc. It was not the most glamorous of assignments. Just a tedious necessary one although he can't see who would be crazy enough to try and infiltrate this place. It was impossible as the spillway tunnel, the only way in as far as he knew, could be flooded at any moment sending anyone in the tunnel trying to break in to their certain deaths.

He is sipping on a cup of coffee when the motion sensor at the far end of the tunnel lights up, followed by the next closest one, followed by the next closest and the next one and the next and the next all within a matter of a few seconds.

His brow furrows. Has to be a malfunction surely. Nothing can move that fast. He looks up at the cameras. There...for a moment...he thought he saw something blurry but its gone now. Perhaps to be on the safe side he should alert the security personnel in the entrance hall to look for anything suspicious.

Before he can do that there is a sudden gust of wind from behind him. He spins round to find a tall boy in a red and blue costume and a girl in a light blue and black one.

"Hi there!" the girl greets him cheerfully with a wave and a smile.

The soldier opens his mouth to shout an alarm but the boy blurs forward and flicks him on the head knocking him out cold.

"Clark. The door," Kitty tells him with a little urgency now she had gotten her little joke out of the way. Clark goes to the door and slams the red button that locks it shut. The door slides down and locks. That should mean they are secure for the next half hour.

Meanwhile Kitty goes to work on opening those spillway doors as Clark comes up beside her. "Is it what we thought?" he asks.

Kitty nods having done an initial assessment. "From what I can see everything is routed through here including the override for the door. I'll get it open in a second if you want to start looking for the others."

Clark turns to the left and starts typing in commands on another computer and accessing the security system looking for some kind of holding cells as well as a more update to plan for this place if it exists. He just hopes all these years watching Chloe and then Kitty doing this pays off.

'Come on Katherine,' Kitty mentally tells herself, trying to gee herself up. She can do this. She has to do to this. She can see on the monitors the others racing along the spillway tunnel. She is running out of time. A knot of deep focus and concentration forms on her brow as she hacks her way into the system. She is getting closer. Just a few more layers of security to break through...and...and...and... "I've got it!" Kitty announces triumphantly and with not inconsiderable relief. This whole plan hinged on her getting that door open.

Clark briefly looks up at the monitor feed that shows the spillway doors as they slide open. As they do what appear to be thunder clouds start to roll along the tunnel behind which he knows are the others using the clouds Storm is generating as cover.

It seems so far so good.

* * *

"Go to hell!" Claire spits, literally at Stryker after he came to 'visit' her in her cell. Stryker had been coming to visit her a few times a day slowly using psychological warfare on her and trying to undo Xavier's brainwashing and get her back to thinking more like...him.

Stryker wipes the spittle off his face. "Come now Volcana. This would go much easier if you just admit the truth."

Claire is having to be physically restrained by two MRD soldiers either side of her which has been pretty much the norm for the 3 days she has been here. She has not been the most cooperative of prisoners.

"What truth?" Claire asks and then smiles snarkily. "That you're an asshole?"

Stryker smiles almost amused. "How I have missed that temper of yours," he says more than a little insincerely. "However what I am referring to is the truth about what you are. You are not one of Xavier's students Volcana. You are one of mine."

"Get bent!"

"Come now Claire," he says using her real name for once. "Look...take a good long hard look inside yourself and tell me where you belong. Especially after you killed several of my men."

Claire's eyes fill with sorrow. She had done it in a fit of temper. She hadn't meant to...well maybe she did but they deserved it...or at least she thought it that they did at that moment. They had hurt Amara...hurt her friend and the sight of it had just made her so angry she lashed out.

Stryker can tell he made an impact. "You killed Claire," he states in a blunt harsh tone to make sure it bites into her. "Is that what Xavier teaches?"

Claire shakes her head slowly.

"You belong here with me Claire and I know how you feel. I felt the exact same way the first time I killed. I know it's hard at first to come to terms with talking a life. I understand why you did it. It was necessary. You were defending your home. I would have done the same. I am not judging you. I am not angry at you. I am simply trying to get you to see where your gifts are most useful. I'm trying to help you see that Xavier doesn't understand what your true nature is. He had you suppress it. I can help you embrace it."

"I'm not..." Claire starts to say and then stops.

"You're not what? A weapon?" Stryker correctly guesses from his knowledge of Claire from when she was here working for him before.

Claire nods.

"No you are not a weapon Claire. You are a person with great potential to serve her country and to make it a better place. What you proved is that you are prepared to do what is necessary. I always knew that out of all of Alpha Squad you had the most potential," Stryker praises her. He then gestures at his two men to release her. They do so and Claire does not move as perhaps you thought she would to attack. 'Good,' Stryker thinks to himself. He is making progress. Stryker continues to gently turn Claire round back to his side. "Xavier never saw what you really are Claire. He never saw your true potential. I do. Come back and work for me and I will help you fulfil your potential. Join Beta Squad and you won't be an outcast; vilified and hated. You'll be a hero in service to her nation."

'Hero? Her?' Claire thinks to herself. Only if she stays with Stryker. If she goes back to Xavier, assuming an escape or rescue is possible, what will they see her as? A murderer? A monster? A...weapon? Claire has tried not to think on it too much these last few days but what she did...what that makes her. However Stryker hadn't let her forget it and the truth as horrifying as it may sound is that she had never really been able to argue with him even at the start. That can only mean one thing she realises. She has become the thing she didn't want to be in reality. She really is just a weapon and that means her place is not at the Institute. Saying that they did help her, gave her a home. She owes them something. "I won't betray any secrets," she lays down point blank as a condition.

Stryker represses a smile of victory. "I won't ask for any," he promises her.

Claire nods, lowering her head until she is looking at the floor. She doesn't feel great about this but it really is her only choice now.

Stryker can see that Claire needs some time alone and he and his men depart the cell but he'll return later in the day to check up on her. As a sign of 'good faith' he has her collar removed before he leaves. Of course what he isn't saying that even with her powers she couldn't break out of this cell. "You are not going to cause trouble are you Claire?" he asks her just to test her and see what she says.

Claire doesn't replay verbally. She simply shakes her head in a rather miserable fashion.

Stryker continues. "After all even if you got out of your cell where can you go? You can't go back to Xavier's can you?"

Again Claire's response is a rather miserable shake of her head.

Stryker smiles a smile of cold satisfaction. She'll always have that temper but it seems they have made a good breakthrough today and by the time he is done with her she'll be the good loyal soldier he needs her to be. Stryker leaves her now. Once out in the corridor he turns to another of his subordinates who is waiting there. "Has solitary confinement mollified Mr Summers' attitude?" he asks. The Summers boy had been quite reticent in his defiance and a lot of trouble. So much so Stryker had him shoved into solitary confinement which is a lot worse than the cell he was in. It was a lot smaller and basically a bare room. No comforts of any kind. Stryker hoped that would break Scott's spirit. Failing that he can always fall back on wiping the boy's mind as a last resort.

His subordinate shakes his head to indicate Scott was still being troublesome.

Stryker sighs. "The Princess?" he queries after Magma.

"She doesn't resist any order. She just gives off a regal aloofness and a rather condescending gaze."

Ah. The good old passive aggressive technique. "She might be a suitable test subject for the chemical agent extracted from Mutant 143," Stryker proposes. He then thinks on that some more. "Bring me the vials we have extracted. We'll test it immediately," he decides seeing no reason to wait. He had Volcana. This girl with similar powers was expendable and he had never tested this on a mutant before so wasn't sure of the side-effects. For all he knew it could be fatal.

The MRD soldier salutes and runs off.

Xavier was equally using that passive aggressive attitude. He never resisted the tests but he didn't cooperate either. Chemical agent 143...Stryker wasn't sure that would work on Xavier. As perhaps the world's most powerful telepath he had formidable mental control. It would perhaps require more drastic measures to get Xavier under complete control. Before Stryker can start contemplating in detail on that there is a call on the base intercom for him. He moves to wall where there is a small monitor with a mini keyboard next to it embedded. He activates the communications. "Yes? What is it?"

"Sir. There's a problem at the spillway entrance," the voice on the other end informs Stryker.

Stryker's brow furrows and he turns on the monitor and switches on the spillway entrance feed. What he sees is the soldiers there being taken apart by the X-Men. "Damn!" he swears. How the hell did they get in? How the hell did they find him? All good question he can get answers to later. First he has to regain control of this situation. He tries to contact the Control Hub.

"I'm sorry. Your regular mindless stooge can't come to the phone at the minute but when he regains consciousness I'll be happy to pass on a message," a female voice says in a nasal sounding tone caused by Kitty holding her nose. She couldn't resist the urge to make the joke.

Stryker's face flushes red with anger. His base has been compromised. No. No. This cannot be happening. He has little time. First thing he does is to pass out orders for the door to the Control Hub to be blown open. They have to get in there. He orders all available personnel to blockade the corridors to try and stop the X-Men or at least buy enough time to blast through the door.

"Finally! Some action!"

Stryker looks round to find Deadpool standing behind him. If he had the time he would try and figure out how Deadpool managed to sneak up on him like that when Deadpool never shuts up.

Deadpool watches the X-Men defeat the MRD soldiers up at the spillway entrance. "Ooh. Ouch. That's gotta hurt!" he commentates as Wolverine puts one down.

"Deadpool don't you go anywhere. I need you with me," Stryker orders because if this goes really really badly he will need to make an escape with his prized assets and he'll need Deadpool to cover that escape.

Deadpool puts an arm around Stryker. "Now don't you fret none there Bill. Old Wade has your back and hey it could be worse."

"How?"

"They could have brought Squirrel Girl with them and then we would have been utterly screwed."

"Squirrel Girl?" Stryker queries in total disbelief at what he is hearing,

"Have you seen her fight? She's scary," Deadpool says in real genuine fear of the female mutant hero. "I'm not ashamed to admit she has kicked my ass twice and what she did to old Doomsy..." Deadpool shudders at remembering Dr Doom's defeat by Squirrel Girl. "Stuff of nightmares."

While Deadpool whittles on listing Squirrel Girl's many triumphs, at least half of which Stryker is certain Deadpool is imagining, Stryker continues to watch the monitor feed which shows the X-Men battling their way through his soldiers. They're not going to be able to keep the X-Men back long enough he realises. In a few short minutes they would be at the Control Hub. Stryker needs time to be bought while he puts into action the escape plan he always had ready for an emergency. He knows they will come for their friends. He knows which path they will come by. So he'll throw everything he has left in their way to buy him that time including Beta Squad whom he summons to him.

"More cannon fodder eh?" Deadpool astutely remarks what they are.

"The only two that matter are Xavier and Rogue. Everyone else is expendable," Stryker says callously.

"Always nice to feel so loved but hey if you want me to recklessly sacrifice myself who I am to argue as long as my payment is trebled."

"Trebled! That's extortion!"

"Take it or I leave," Deadpool tells him firmly. Just because he acts crazy doesn't mean he his...completely.

"Fine," Stryker says through gritted teeth and knowing his luck Deadpool will probably survive and he'll end up having to pay it but if he escapes with Xavier and Rogue then it will be worth it.

The solider he sent to get the chemical agent extracted from Mutant 143 returns carrying two vials filled with an amber liquid. "Bring me Summers and the Princess," he orders the two mutants to be brought to him. Cyclops and Magma are dragged before him in short order. "It seems I underestimated your team-mates," Stryker informs them.

Scott secretly smiles. He knew they would come. In fact he had sensed Jean's proximity. Being apart from her had been the worst part of all of this. Not the rough treatment or the solitary confinement or this collar around his neck. Just the fact he was apart from the girl he loves. During his confinement Scott had sworn to himself that the first chance he gets he is telling her he loves her.

Amara fills with hope and relief that this nightmare could be nearly over. When she next visits home she will have to request to her parents better conditions in the jails because having experienced it herself she now has a bit more sympathy. She wonders where Claire is though.

"Bend them over," Stryker orders and the MRD soldiers bend Amara and Scott over exposing the back of their necks. Stryker takes one of the vials and pours the liquid onto Scott's neck first just above the power inhibiting collar.

Scott gasps in pain as the liquid feels like it burns into his skin and he can hear it fizzle like it is doing that and then...then...

Stryker does the same to Amara before ordering his men to release them. Scott and Amara straighten slowly up. Their movements are almost robotic and the expressions on their faces blank.

"Now Mr Summers," Stryker addresses Scott. "Tell me do you consider this girl next to you a friend?"

"Yes," Scott replies in a flat emotionless voice.

"Do you as a well raised young man have an issue with violence against women?"

"Yes," Scott says again in the exact same tone.

"I see. Then listen to me carefully. Punch her in the face."

Scott does not hesitate for a second as he punches Amara in the face knocking her down.

"Say thank you sir! May I have another Sir!" Deadpool jumps in with an order for Amara.

"Thanks you sir. May I have another sir," Amara repeats in a tone as flat and emotionless as Scott's.

"Now that is what I call cool. Can I get some of that?"

"No!" Stryker states in a firm loud voice. He turns to the two teenage mutants. "Get to your feet princess," he orders Amara who does as commanded. "From now on you will obey and only obey my orders. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Scott and Amara says together.

"Aw! No fair!" Deadpool whines. He could have had so much fun with these two. He is also smart enough to work out that that liquid was obviously some sort of mind control. Man if only he could get some. The fun he could have would be like nothing this world has ever seen.

Stryker looks at the two mutants satisfied that this test seems to be successful. He had only ever tried that liquid on animals but as the evidence in front of his eyes shows it works on mutants as well and as a bonus it hadn't killed them. It is a useful method of control...or will be once he figures out how to synthesize it. He orders the power inhibiting collars around Scott and Amara's necks removed. Lets see how the X-Men react when they are faced with having to fight their friends. That should buy him time. His next step is to order Xavier and Rogue to be taken to the helicopter he has waiting. Before he joins them he has to save the data he has collected. With the Control Hub taken it means he would have to go the the hard drive room and manually initiate a data dump to the back-up location. That is why he needs time. He will not lose the data he has spent a lifetime obtaining. He will not lose what amounts to his life's work.

A short distance way around the corner with her back up against the wall trying not to be seen stands Domino her hands clenched into fists. "Expendable am I," she mutters angrily having overheard that line. "We'll see about that," she swears.

* * *

The X-Men have fought their way to the Control Hub and are taking out the MRD soldiers who had started blasting their way in. They hadn't gotten very far into doing so. They would all have to say this has gone as well as could be expected which could almost be a first for them. As soon as they have knocked the soldiers out the door opens and inside they find Clark leaning nonchalantly against the wall and Kitty is sitting in the chair with her feet up resting on the control panel.

"Cha. Like what took you guys so long?" Kitty asks with false annoyance in her tone and a teasing smile playing on her lips. She knows this situation is serious but she and Clark kinda couldn't help themselves.

A few of the others break out in a small bit of laughter and shake their heads in amusement. Even Storm secretly admits it is funny and perhaps not a bad thing to have a moment where the tension is broken as long as they can refocus on the mission.

"Half-pint. You are not even close to being funny," Logan tells her off although Kitty can tell he is saying that in a as light-hearted manner as Logan gets.

Jean steps forward inside the Control Hub. She is the leader until they find Scott and they will. She can sense him...but something is suddenly off about his thought patterns. They changed suddenly. Jean isn't sure what happened only that she has this terrible feeling that something bad has occurred and that they need to find him and the others quickly. "So have you found them?" she asks.

Kitty looks to Clark who brings up some plans on the monitor. "I found the holding cells. This is the best path," he says while pointing the path out. "We've closed what automatic doors we can to cut off reinforcements but we are still likely to encounter some resistance," he cautions.

Jean looks the plans over. She can't see any reason to argue with the path Clark picked out. They will just have to fight their way through it seems but that was always inevitable. She turns back to the others. "Alright. We basically know what we have to do. If we encounter a particularly strong point Kurt will teleport Clark in behind them," she lays out what they will do. This is using Clark as sparingly as she thinks she can get away with. If they come across a strong point he can take it out quickly using his powers in short sharp bursts.

Jean turns to Kitty. "Kitty can you lock them out the system at least long enough so they don't regain control until after we leave?"

Kitty nods. "I did it while we were waiting for you. They shouldn't be able to get control back for at least an hour I would say."

Jean nods. That was good enough. As they leave Clark hits the button closing the door and zips out before it closes completely. That should buy them another 20 minutes for anyone to finish blasting their way through that door.

Jean then leads them forward. As they encounter MRD soldiers she blocks their incoming fire with a TK shield while Evan disarms them long range with his spikes. Wanda fires off her hex bolts casing their weapons to backfire or simply rust to dust in seconds. This was really the first time Jean had had the opportunity to observe Wanda while fighting beside her and even though you could see the lack of training she had to say the girl in scarlet red was doing much better than she thought she would do and Clark's words before seem to have had the desired effect as Wanda keeps her temper under control.

Once disarmed Logan and Beast charge forward while Kurt ports forward and knocks the men down or Storm will send a powerful gust of wind at them sending them flying. With Kitty back she can help with running forward in a phased state so she can't be hurt and Kitty is surprisingly good at hand-to-hand combat. The occasional strong point is defeated just liked Jean planned with Kurt porting Clark in behind and he taking the soldiers down in seconds.

It's all amazing if you watch it how smooth they look as a fighting unit but for Jean something is missing. Scott by her side. Even though they are a team her and Scott have always been a double act. She provides the protection while he provides the long range weaponry. It had always been so smooth even when they were younger. It doesn't seem right with her barking out the orders instead of him. With him not here it is like there is a big hole...especially the one in her heart.

The X-Men turn a corner to be confronted by a small group of people who by appearance can only be mutants. In the lead is the man Jean knows from the mansion in the red and black. The man who took Scott. He stands there sword in each hand, the left hanging down by his side and the right resting behind his head across his shoulders. The others in the group all look to be about either teenagers or perhaps in their early 20s at most and are in MRD uniforms with the symbol ß on a patch.

There is a young man with unruly long black hair holding what looks like a shillelagh in one hand. Strapped over his chest is an ammo belt but what it holds seems to be pieces of wood. He is Ramrod and his ability is that he can manipulate wood, make it grow into any shape, alter it to make it as strong as physically possible or as flexible. He can make, shape and alter wood into almost anything.

Next to him is a shorter boy covered in brown hair. He is the aptly named Hairbag. A bonus of his mutation is enhanced strength, speed and agility along with razor sharp claws on his hands.

Another one is a large muscular bald boy who ended up with the name Slab. He can alter his mass and density making himself superstrong and highly resistant to injury.

The last young male is a strange looking boy with purple skin and hair and whose arms were out of proportion to his body. There were too long. He is what Domino referred to as the ironically named Gorgeous George and in essence he was a boy composed of what most closely resembled tar or putty allowing him to expand, morph and reshape his body in any way he wished. He was essentially a walking, talking pile of goop...or that's what Domino calls him.

Speaking of Domino she is there too and she knew they were being sacrificed while Stryker made his escape but she had to plan her actions carefully. Stryker could kill her if he wanted thanks to the implant in her neck so whatever she did she had to make sure Stryker didn't hear of it. Her best option she thinks is to wait for the chaos of the fight to begin and see what opportunities her luck presents her with. She twirls the two pistols in her hands with all the ease and skill of a hardened professional.

"Logan buddy!" Deadpool greets the feral mutant cheerfully. "It's just not been the same without you in my life. No-one else calls me bub," he complains sounding quite sad about.

"Do I know you?" Logan asks.

"You don't remember me?" Deadpool asks in a horrified gasp.

"I don't remember anything before Weapon X wiped my memories," Logan says which isn't completely true. He has those WW2 memories but he has nothing on this guy...except a feeling of great annoyance and a wish to rip the guy's tongue out.

"Oh man. That has to be a capital offence," Deadpool whines. "To rob you of the memories of all the fun times you had with your old friend Deadpool. Oh those were the days. You, me, Sabretooth, Maverick, Silver Fox...who let me tell you lived up to her name for she was one foxy lady. Rowr!"

'Silver Fox.' The name echoes around Logan's head and he gets a flash of memory of a native American woman with long dark hair and blue eyes and an almost overpowering feeling of love for her.

"Do you ever be quiet?" Storm inquires of Deadpool sounding quite annoyed at the insane gibberish coming out of his mouth.

"Not if I can help it and before we get down to the good old blood and violence I just have to say it. Dayum you're a babe! Hey maybe once this is over you'll let me cop a feel."

"Not likely," Storm says her voice colder than the Arctic wind she can summon.

Deadpool shrugs. "Had to ask." He raises his swords ready. "Alright then. Lets get this party started. The short ugly hairy guy is mine," he tells Beta Squad as it has been far too long since he has had the fun of him and Logan trying to kill each other and he is not missing out on this opportunity.

Domino coughs interrupting Deadpool. "No. Stryker's orders were very clear about who went first."

Deadpool remains as he is frozen. "You just had to ruin it didn't you. Here am I all fired up in prime fighting form and position and you had to spoil my fun. What are you? This team's equivalent of an ex-wife?"

Domino visibly bristles. 'Patience,' she tells herself. Patience and when Deadpool's not looking...BANG! Gunshot to the head.

Deadpool lowers his swords and steps to the side grumbling about how women ruin everything fun in the world and how if he is ever sent back in time he is preventing the women's lib movement. All of Beta Squad move aside and stepping round the corner and coming walking towards the X-Men with an ominous dark look and stride are Scott and Amara.

"Oh man not again," Kurt mutters at the fairly obvious fact that Scott and Amara are under some sort of mind control.

"Why does this like always happen to us?" Kitty asks in complaint. Us as in the X-Men since most of them by now have been brainwashed or mind controlled or had their minds altered in some way. It happened on a disturbingly regular basis.

Domino puts her hand up to the communicator in her ear and signals Stryker since he is the only one who can order Cyclops and Magma to do anything. "They're in position."

Stryker, in the middle of attempting to manually download his computer data, gives the order. Magma transforms into her fire form. Scott's hand rises to his visor control.

"Scott no," Jean pleads, her voice in anguish. These last few days without him had been terrible and painful and now she is facing this. "Please Scott. Fight this. I don't want to fight you."

Scott's face remains darkly blank and he unleashes a blast as Amara unleashes a stream of fire. Jean raises a TK shield. She grits her teeth and the force has her sliding backward. First Magneto sets them up and they end up fighting for their lives against the Sentinels. Then the mansion was attacked and currently it seems like most of the country wants to lynch them. Then on top of that Jean loses the boy she loves and is now fighting him. Well enough is enough and Jean Grey has had enough. As Clark once joked but is scarily real as these people will find out that they have just gotten onto Jean's bad side.

Scott and Amara increases the power of their attack and Jean reaches deep down inside herself to where her power resides and summons it all up and then for a brief second she feels it...like this bottomless well of power. If someone was to look into her eyes you would see them alight with pure psychic fire. With a loud cry Jean disperses Scott's and Amara's attacks but the result is an enormous wave of energy she ends up sending in every direction. It sends everyone around her flying in every direction and the whole complex shudders in response to the power Jean unleashed.

* * *

Even Stryker deep down in the dam amongst the hard drives feels it. Then he feels something else. Something cold and wet drip on his head. He looks up and a drop of water splashes on the glasses he is wearing. He removes them and looks harder for where that came from and sees an enormous crack in the concrete structure above his head.

Oh no!

Dams were delicately balanced structures and once weakened...he had to leave. Now!

Stryker inputs the last command and the hard drives start dumping their data to his back-up facility. He can only pray the dam lasts long enough for them to finish as he marches quickly towards his exit from this particular stage.

* * *

"Holy..."

"Spyke!" Storm snaps before her nephew can finish that although she too mentally is saying something similar as she gets back to her feet with a groan. What Jean just did there...that was something else. The whole concrete structure around them is cracked and even shattered completely in some places. Storm doesn't want to consider it but Jean could have killed them. Thankfully as she looks around at her groaning team-mates it seems everyone is alright. As for Scott and Amara they have been thrown right down the opposite end of the corridor so Storm can't be sure of their condition. Deadpool and Beta Squad are equally groaning as they start to pick themselves up. Seems like this fight is not over yet.

While everyone is shaking his head to clear the cobwebs and getting back to their feet Jean drops to one knee panting for breath with the one hand she has on the floor the only thing stopping Jean for keeling over.

Deadpool pushes himself to his feet and pops a few bones back into place. "Wow. I think that fixed my back. It's been giving me some jib I can't tell you. Well actually I can. It all started when I was down in Peru..."

Logan growls, cracks his neck and pops his claws. "You wanted to fight me bub then fight me but shut the hell up!" he yells beyond irritation now at Deadpool's incessant chatter.

"I knew you remembered me!" Deadpool celebrates with insane joy. "You always use to tell me that!"

"I don't remember ya. You are just that annoying!" Logan yells as he charges at Deadpool who charges straight at Logan and the two living weapons clash.

Clark pulls Jean out of the way and leans her up against the wall mentally noting how glad he is he figured out ages ago not to tick Jean off. Although that smarted more than he likes to think about as it says something about the diminishing strength of his powers. "You catch your breath," he tells her seeing how much that took out of her. "We'll handle this," he says in reference to the fight they seem they have no choice but to have. Clark rejoins the other X-Men as Beta Squad pull themselves up and get ready.

"So any idea vhat zhese guys can do?" Kurt asks about their opponents.

"No so we be cautious and watch each other. Be prepared to be flexible and swap opponents if necessary if someone's power will work better on another," Clark instructs.

Storm and Beast share a small look. It was just like Storm had seen in Clark all these months. There is a great leader inside him. The only issue is that Clark doesn't see it in himself and doesn't really want to be a leader. He only steps up when he feels he has to. Something to work on once all this is over. Right here and now was this fight in what is a horribly confined space to try and fight a battle but there is no choice so they simply have to do the best with what they've been given.

Domino with her team-mates is squaring up to the X-Men when she suddenly spots that the security cameras are trashed meaning there is no way for Stryker to see them. This is her chance...although it still leaves Deadpool as a problem if he reports in her betrayal. She looks at Deadpool and Logan literally tearing chunks out of each other and waits until she gets a sniff of a shot at the bracelet communicator Deadpool has on him. She lets off a shot which shatters it.

The surprise of that causes Deadpool to freeze momentarily and allows Logan to drive his claws deep into Deadpool's chest.

"Oh no. Ya got me! The light's fading. Cold oh so cold..." Deadpool's voice fades.

Logan snorts and kicks Deadpool off his claws and to the ground. "I saw your healing factor bub. That ain't enough to kill ya."

"You have to ruin it don't you," Deadpool complains as he lies there needing a minute to heal. "I was all prepared to shout 'psych!' and spook you."

The rest of Beta Squad look at Domino with surprise. She twirls her guns a few times and holsters them remaining cool and calm. She pulls the communicator out of her ear, throws it to the ground and stamps on it crushing it. "Stryker is sacrificing us so he can escape," she informs them. "I don't know about you guys but I'm not into selfless sacrifices for cold hearted assholes...and wait for it," she says.

A few seconds go by and then alarms sound from all around them all through the base.

"What's that?" Ramrod asks not familiar with that particular alarm.

"That would be the spillway alarm. Little Red Telekinetic there," she says pointing at Jean, "has cracked the dam and weakened its integrity. The dam is trying to relieve the pressure but it won't be enough. This whole thing is about to fall down on us. Good job there Red," Domino sarcastically congratulates Jean. "Next time maybe we can go with a gentle tap rather than a tactical nuclear strike," she expresses her opinion on what Jean did. She then turns to her team-mates. "And before you say it yes Stryker would leave us to die," she shoots the counterargument down before it is made. "Now tell me do you want to die for him?" she asks her _'_brothers_'._

"And you thought I needed advice about being careful," Wanda mutters at Clark giving him a dark look. "Where was her warning?" she asks pointing at Jean.

"Next time we're invading a base hidden inside a dam or are just fighting on or near a dam I promise Wanda Jean will get my first warning," Clark promises her.

Jean gives Clark and Wanda a dirty look as she pushes herself up on unsteady legs. She'll get them back later she vows. "How bad is it?" she asks Clark focussing on the main issue here.

Clark peers through the dam with his x-ray vision assessing how much damage Jean has done. It isn't looking good. "Lets just say I would not recommend still being here 15-20 minutes from now," Clark phrases his best guestimate.

With that knowledge Storm steps forward to address the group of young mutants in front of her. "So what is your answer to the question. Are you ready to die for Stryker?" she asks them needing to know if they are going to have to fight or not. They now have little time and none to waste if the dam was in as imminent danger of collapse as Clark is saying.

The 4 mutants look at each other. They sure as hell aren't that loyal. They pull out their own communicators, throw them onto the floor and crush them just as Domino did. "What about our implants?" Gorgeous George asks about the one thing that keeps them loyal by force.

"Implants?" Beast inquires puzzled by what he means.

Domino strides forward a few paces closer to the X-Men, turns round and places a finger atop the small scar in her neck. "We all have implanted devices. Control chips. Mine's here. Stryker even came up with one for George despite his mailable form and they are capable of killing us. If Stryker learns we have betrayed him he will kill us," she states bluntly what will happen as she turns to face the X-Men again.

Clark strides forward. "Let me look," he requests of Domino. She flashes him a puzzled expression and he explains, keeping it simple, "I can look through things like an x-ray."

Despite not knowing exactly how that works Domino complies, turning back round and lifts her hair out of the way and Clark's eyes flash electric blue as he x-rays her. He finds the implant under the skin sitting on a nerve. "It would require delicate surgery to remove it." He looks to Beast. "It's sitting on the nerve."

Beast shakes his head a little completely disapproving of such methods of control. However he thinks with the proper equipment and assistance he could perform the surgery and remove these implants. When this is all over he will endeavour to do so.

"How is it activated?" Clark asks.

Domino looks round and up at the tall handsome boy with the breathtaking cerulean blue eyes. Definitely meets her criteria for boyfriend material. "Stryker has a control strapped on his wrist," she explains. "All he has to do is push the button and then...bzzzz...we're dead. Very cartoonish supervillainy of him."

"All we have to do is to keep you out of sight until we disable it," Clark suggests as the temporary answer.

"Well you are going to have to hurry," Domino tells him and she isn't just referring to the fact this dam is about to collapse on top of them. "We were suppose to be the distraction while he escapes with two of your friends."

"Which two?" Jean asks, all this time restraining herself from rushing over to Scott. She's the leader for the time being. She doesn't get that luxury.

"Your Professor and Rogue."

Clark's fists clench and he has to restrain the impulse to rush off. In his current state that would not be wise.

"Vhat about Volcana?" Kurt asks remembering Claire.

Domino ponders that for a minute. "Not sure. If she's not here my best guess would be she still in her cell."

Storm steps up to the young woman with the white skin. "What is your name?" she asks kindly.

"Domino...Dom."

"Domino," Storm repeats the name warmly. "Thank you."

"For what? Being selfish and not wanting to die?"

Storm smiles knowingly. Knowing the young woman is being more selfless than she cares to admit. "But you are taking a risk. You said it yourself Stryker could kill you."

Domino shuffles uncomfortably on the spot. She's not being selfless. She's not! At least that is what she keeps telling herself.

Storm refocusses on business. "Now we need to know two things. Where is the cell where Volcana is and if the spillway is now flooded how do we leave?"

"There's a secret exit that I'm not suppose to know about. Stryker will be using it to escape," Domino informs them. "As for the cell block follow me."

"Vhat about him?" Kurt interrupts, stopping them before they can move and pointing at Deadpool.

Deadpool laughs slightly painfully as his chest wounds still heal. "Look I may be crazy but I'm not that crazy. This place is about to come down on our heads then I say we get going while we can and get back to trying to eviscerate each other after."

"I can't believe you just made that much sense," Domino says in complete shock.

Deadpool gets to his feet a little unsteadily and shrugs. "It happens...once a decade or so."

Logan glares at Deadpool. "You try anything and I'll cut your head off," he warns the mercenary.

Deadpool wraps Logan in a bear hug. "Aw Logan. You really do love me!"

Logan shoves Deadpool away hard and then some more to get him moving in the right direction.

"Hey! Watch it Hairy! I bruise easily," Deadpool jokes.

Now that that's settled Jean rushes over to Scott. Beast and Storm move to check on Amara.

Jean cradles Scott's head in her lap. "Scott?" she asks almost afraid that she hurt him when she pushed the blast away. She hadn't meant to push that hard. It was like she tapped into some hidden power within her for one brief moment. Scott groans slightly showing he is alive. Relief floods Jean. "Scott?" she queries his name again.

Scott's eyelids slowly open and his eyes focus on Jean. That is when the memory hits him. He shoots up. "Oh god," he says horrified at what he did. He attacked them.

Jean pulls him into her arms. "It's okay," she tells him.

"I'm sorry," he says his voice thick with emotion as he wraps his arms around her. "I was screaming at myself trying to stop but I couldn't."

Jean closes her eyes. Her poor Scott. When she gets hold of Stryker...well lets just say she is having less then altruistic thoughts for once.

At this moment Storm is trying to assure Amara that it wasn't her fault although Amara felt terrible and violated in a very unpleasant way. From a brief assessment Beast doesn't think Amara is seriously hurt and from the looks of it neither is Scott although he guesses they have a few painful bruises.

As much as Jean would love to never let go she knows they have to move. A fact made more urgent when the whole complex shudders and shifts. The dam was beginning to give way.

Jean helps Scott to his feet and he looks around as the the whole group of mutants gather around him and Amara. His gaze falls on Beta Squad

"It's alright," Jean says, sensing Scott's suspicions. "They're on our side at the minute. We need to leave."

"I knew you would come," Scott says to all the X-Men, feeling pride at them.

"Yeah. Thanks guys," Amara chimes in as she is helped to her feet.

"No problem," Evan says.

"Zhe X-Men never leave anyvone behind," Kurt states.

"Like totally," Kitty says enthusiastically. "Although good luck getting your job back," she says to Scott. "Jean has been kick ass as leader."

"Really?" Scott asks looking at Jean with a mixture of amusement and pride.

Jean looks slightly embarrassed. "Well...I...just did what was necessary," she says modestly.

"Aw it makes you want to cry doesn't it," Deadpool says choking up. He puts an arm across Logan's shoulders. "We're all just one big happy family!"

"Remove that arm before I cut if off," Logan growls.

"Spoilsport!" Deadpool complains.

Logan rolls his eyes. If he did know this guy before and he was like this then Logan could live with never getting those memories back. This guy had to be the most annoying man Logan had ever met.

"Right. Follow me," Domino says seeing that they need to get moving and as she breaks into a jog the X-Men, Beta Squad and Deadpool, with Logan watching him like a hawk, follow.

It doesn't take too long to reach the cells where Clark finds Volcana and rips the door to her cell off. "Rescue's here. Sorry we took so long," he says trying to jest.

Claire blinks. She never expected them to show...and what she did...if she tells them...

Before she can get too far in that line of thought Amara runs in and hugs her. "You're ok!" Amara says with some relief that her friend has not been harmed.

"Yeah," Claire says with a forced smile. "You know me. Never let the bastards grind me down," she tries to play off the fact that to some extent that is precisely what Stryker had managed to do.

Ororo closes her eyes for a moment and shakes her head. Claire's language has always been border line bad. They really must discuss that at a more appropriate time.

The whole complex shakes again.

"Time to go!" Domino says with urgency. She makes steps to move before she is stopped by Clark grabbing her arm. "What?" she asks him confused about why he stopped her. "We need to leave," she reiterates strongly.

"We need to tell everyone in this base how to leave as well," Clark says.

"You can't be serious," Domino says in total disbelief. "These guys kidnapped your friends and many of them just tried to kill you when you broke in here."

"True," Clark concedes. "But they don't deserve to die for doing what they think is their job."

"Superboy is correct," Storm says in complete agreement with Clark. "You need to tell them how to get out of here."

Domino just looks at Superboy and Storm and the other X-Men and can tell from their expression they think the same. "Alright. Alright. I'll do it if only so we can get out of here," she accepts the only course of action that will do that. "Frickin boyscout," she mutters under her breath in relation to Clark as she goes to the intercom on the wall and announces base-wide where everyone needs to go to escape. That done and with Claire now joining them the group break into a run as they try and escape before the dam collapses.

* * *

Outside on a hidden away helicopter landing pad Stryker is jumping into the helicopter with his two prized assets; Xavier and Rogue already inside. As long as he had them he could salvage this.

"Ah take it things haven't gone exactly ta plan," Rogue says with some dark satisfaction. It was a safe assumption considering how hurriedly they had been dragged out here.

"Very astute," Stryker compliments her. "However it is only a temporary setback."

"Stop this madness," Charles pleads with the man. Stryker was obviously a very intelligent man. He had to see reason.

"Madness?" Stryker queries at that word not seeing his actions in that light. "Is it madness to wish to protect one's country?"

"By committing these immoral experiments you have all you have done is blacken the country's name."

"I do what must be done. It may not be pretty but it is necessary."

Charles says no more. Stryker is beyond seeing reason. He can see that.

"Take off!" Stryker orders the pilot.

The helicopter starts to lift up when Rogue spots the hidden door in the rock face bursting open and out come the X-Men. Hope soars in her heart especially when she sees Clark blur forward and grab the landing struts of the helicopter. The whole aircraft jerks to a stop as Clark pulls it back.

"Shoot him!" Stryker orders an armed guard in the helicopter to open fire on Clark. The guard slides the door open and lets rip. The bullets bounce off wildly.

Clark tries to ignore the sting. He hasn't felt bullets sting this much in quite awhile. It must be his weakening powers. That would also be why he is struggling to pull the helicopter back down to the ground. 'Come on,' he mentally groans at the strain. His powers can't do this to him now. Not now. Not when they are so close.

As the guard empties his clip and tries to reload Rogue takes this as an opportunity. She jerks out of her seat and shoves him out of the helicopter. Stryker backhands her across the face for it.

Clark's eyes flash red at seeing this. Like Jean a sudden surge of power from deep within Clark springs forth and he pulls the helicopter hard back down to the ground. When Clark moves forward to step inside Stryker pulls out a pistol. Clark grabs it out of his hand and crushes it. He then grabs Stryker by his armoured vest and pulls him until their faces are only inches apart. His eyes are still glowing intensely red. "You do not touch her ever!" he spits in rage before he throws Stryker far into the air.

Stryker crashes painfully down on the concrete of the helicopter pad where he finds 3 metal claws inches from his face before they slash the control on Stryker's wrist for Beta Squad's implants. Logan then brings his claws right up to Stryker's throat. "Give me an excuse bub," Logan dares Stryker barely holding himself back from finishing it right here and now.

Clark can feel the sudden surge of power fade as fast as it came. He'll try and figure out what that was later. He steps into the helicopter and pulls Rogue into his arms and holds her close. "I missed you," Clark says at a whisper.

Rogue closes her eyes and fights to keep the tears back. She doesn't like to cry in front of people but she is so happy to see him and be in his arms again she is struggling to hold the tears back. So much so she can't even conjure up a sassy comeback. "Ah missed ya too," she says her voice raw with emotion. Clark rubs her back a little bit.

Meanwhile the pilot of the helicopter is proving he isn't stupid. He can see the mass of mutants and knows when he is beat as he holds his hands up in plain sight in a sign of surrender.

"Could ya do something about this dang collar?" Rogue asks Clark because it was annoying as hell.

Clark pulls back and looks at the bulky metal collar. "What is it?"

"It's a power inhibitor," the Professor answers the question. "It suppresses our mutant abilities."

Clark's face darkens and he looks carefully at it trying to figure out the best way to remove it without hurting Rogue.

"Tha lock's on tha back," she tells him turning her head and lifting her hair up.

Clark's hands come to it.

"Could ya...could ya be careful," Rogue asks him because she wants it mostly intact because it occurred to her if they study it maybe they could come up with something smaller and less obtrusive and obvious to wear and finally she would have a way to control her powers.

"Don't move," Clark says as he fires his heat vision off which takes much more effort than normal(Stupid Jor-El!) and fries the locking mechanism. He is then able to pull it apart and off it comes. He does the same for the Professor.

Charles rubs his neck as Hank lifts him out of the helicopter. He looks on with pride at his X-Men who have done so well without him. Clark helps Rogue out who is holding onto that collar as tightly as she can so she doesn't lose it. As they do so they find Beta Squad surrounding Stryker.

"No more implants to protect you now," Ramrod says threateningly. He and others, even Domino to an extent, saw this as a chance to get some payback.

Gorgeous George extends his arms and picks Stryker up off the ground. "I think it's time we got ourselves some payback. What do you say mates?" he asks his team-mates in his australian accent.

Hairbag makes some animal like sounds most closely resembling an ape's before he says, in a manner that shows his mind is somewhat simple, "Hairbag like that idea."

Slab punches his fist into his hand. "Sounds like a good idea to me!" he says enthusiastically.

"Stop!" Charles says in a commanding voice. Hank carries him up to the group. "I understand your anger but this is not the way," he tells them before they do something regrettable.

"This is what he deserves," Domino says, her bitterness at what Stryker has done to her coming through.

"What he has done is commit criminal acts and it is the law he must answer to," Charles says.

"Enough talk!" Slab decides and moves to punch Stryker with his superstrength.

Clark zips in front and catches the punch which takes more effort than he tries to show(Damn Jor-El). "This is not the answer," Clark states quite clearly his opinion on the matter. "If you decide it is you will find that I'll have to stop you," he warns them although he can't be certain he is capable of doing so anymore but they don't know that.

"We will have to stop you," Storm corrects as she and the X-Men move forward. This kind of revenge is something she cannot allow no matter how much anger she personally feels at Stryker.

Ramrod snorts. "Fine. He isn't worth that much effort," he decides. Even their revenge isn't worth getting into a fight especially now that they are free again. Gorgeous George drops Stryker. "Come on Beta Squad. We're done here," Ramrod commands.

"Wait!" Charles implores them. "You can come with us," he says. These were mutants, damaged by what Stryker had done certainly, but not beyond help and as is his nature Charles has to try and help them.

"No," Ramrod says simply. "We know what has happened. The world now knows mutants exist. We're better off on our own because I know what you stand for and it is not what we stand for. You fight for your foolish dream and we'll fight to survive. That's all there is to it so save your breath in trying to persuade us otherwise."

The others in beta Squad mutter in agreement minus Domino who remains unusually for her silent. Beta Squad then walks off and the Professor's expression becomes sad at his failure to reach them and he can sense there is nothing he can do to stop them walking away.

Rogue pushes the collar into Clark's hand and runs after the one person in particular. "Dom. Wait!" she shouts after the older girl. She grabs Domino's arm and stops her. "Don't go. Ya don't have ta go. Come with us," she pleads with...well with her friend. During these last couple of days Domino's company is what helped Rogue cope with finding out what she is as one of Stryker's creations.

"Rogue. I can't," Domino says her voice strained as it is tearing at her more than she thought it would.

"Garbage," Rogue says bluntly dismissing that out of hand. "And before ya say y'all are like them," she says pointing at the rest of Beta Squad, "you're not. Ah know you're not unless these last few days meant nothing ta ya."

They did mean something to Domino so once again she finds herself silent.

Rogue places her hands on Domino's shoulders. "We...ya and meh...we're family. These guys," she says pointing at the X-Men, "they're mah family too and they can be yours."

"Rogue..." Domino says sadly, her voice breathy.

"Ya go with them...then Stryker wins. Don't ya see. Ya will beh nothin but a weapon. They said it. They're going off ta fight yet what plan do they have beyond that? Nothin! Maybe they're right and what we believe in is a dream but at least when we fight we do it because we believe in something bigger than us. You're not lahke them because ah don't believe ya want ta just go off and fight. There's more ta ya than that."

"How do you know that?" Domino asks her unable to see how Rogue has come to that view.

"Because they nevah came ta see meh. Nevah spent tahme talkin' ta meh. Ya did. Ya go with them then ah have ta believe everything we shared meant nothin and that ya were using meh. Ya have ta choose Dom. Who are ya?"

Clark had rarely ever seen Rogue this passionate. It makes you wonder what it is that happened with Domino.

"She's right," Ramrod says as he and Beta Squad watch Rogue make her pleas. "You do have to choose Neena," he says using her real name. "Who are you. One of us or one of them? If you choose them then we're done. Next time we meet we won't be friends nor family."

Domino looks to her fellow team-mates and then to Rogue. She is torn. What she shared with Rogue did mean something but she has a shared connection to her 'brothers' too. Who does she have a stronger connection to? Who does she want to be? They're both right. She needs to choose. She closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I know I'm going to regret this," she mumbles as she makes up her mind. She looks to Beta Squad. "Patrick, Christopher, Michael, George," she addresses them using their proper first names. "Goodbye."

"You're making a mistake," Ramrod warns her.

Domino shrugs. "I'll survive. After all I'm lucky remember."

Ramrod shakes his head at her, washes his hands of her, before he and the rest of Beta Squad walk off into surrounding forest. She has made her choice. He and the others have made theirs and now they all have to live with the consequences.

Rogue smiles broadly, immensely happy at Dom's choice, and uses similar words Dom used. "Welcome to the family sis."

"Thanks but all things being equal I would rather be drinking myself stupid in Vegas," Domino jokes deadpan style. What persuaded her in the end? That wish of hers to think of Rogue like the kid sister she always wanted and how else is she suppose to fulfil her role as the protective big sister unless she stays with Rogue.

The others look on slightly bemused about what that was all about. Seems they all have a lot of catching up to do with each other.

"How touching," Stryker says with some distain. He is now at a kneeling position.

Domino's face darkens slightly at Stryker ruining the moment. She pulls her gun out, aims it at Stryker and pulls the trigger. It nicks his cheek. "That was a warning," she tells him. "As you know I never miss and next time you want to try and be clever I'll be aiming dead centre between your eyes."

"Wow. I'm so hot for you right now!" Deadpool proclaims. Here is a hot chick who could be a better shot then he is. He finds that such a turn on.

Domino makes a face of disgust. "The same applies to you Deadpool," she warns before she twirls the gun a few times and holsters it.

Below them, as the helicopter pad was high up on the surrounding hills, the dam cracks and chunks fall away. It had to be any moment before it gave way.

"Didn't we like leave the jet on the other side," Kitty says realising that they are on the opposite side of the valley from where they parked.

"Nightcrawler," Storm says Kurt's name. Kurt steps towards her. "Can you teleport me there?"

Kurt's eyebrows rise slightly. "I can get you to zhe other side of zhe valley," he determines because he can see it. He can't get them to the x-jet because he isn't exactly sure where it is in relation to where they currently stand.

"That will have to do," Storms decides. Kurt takes her hand and the two vanish in a puff of smoke.

More chunks of the dam fall away. MRD soldiers start to come out of the doorway in a panic trying to escape. Domino informs them bluntly that it is over and if they want to live best try and get away while they can. Seeing Stryker on his knees captured seems to add to the effect and they all heed that advice and start to make a run for it into the surrounding forests. Eventually the flood of soldiers reduces to a trickle and stops altogether and the X-Men can only hope that means that is all of them. There is then an eerie silence apart from loud cracking sounds as the dam approaches its inevitable end.

"Who has the answers Wolverine?" Stryker breaks the interlude.

Logan looks at him with a menacingly glare.

"Who has the answers that burn at the core of you every day?" Stryker turns his gaze to Rogue which makes her extremely uncomfortable. "Who has her answers?" Stryker looks briefly at Xavier as if he is asking the Professor that question. He then looks back directly into Logan's eyes. "Only I do."

"And what? You want to bargain them for your freedom?" Logan assumes.

"Freedom? The whole world has seen you. What freedom do you think you can have? What I can offer is my protection."

"There's an offer we can refuse," Amara says with total distain of the man and glaring down at him with all her inbuilt regal poise as if he is less than herself.

"Is that so?" Stryker asks. He stares into Volcana who shrinks back looking extremely uncomfortable, afraid even that he will reveal what she did. "Is that what you all think?" he asks still staring into Volcana.

Amara looks briefly at Claire and then back at Stryker puzzled why he seem so focused on her friend.

Domino saves Claire before she cracks or Stryker decides to spill her dark secret as Domino pulls her gun out and points it at him threatening to do what she promised. "What did I say," she reminds Stryker. She knows what he is doing. She has said it before and she'll say it now. Manipulative bastard. "No-one listen to him. He likes to play mind games," she tells them.

"Doesn't change the truth. Only I have the answers."

"And it isn't worth the price. Believe me I've spent these last few months paying it. It's better to remain ignorant." Domino turns to Rogue. "He'll never give you the answers you want because for as long as he doesn't he has something on you with which to control you," she explains to Rogue having a feeling Rogue longs for answers. Domino understands because for a long time she had that same longing but she has also personally experienced the price Stryker extracts from you for knowing and she won't have Rogue pay that. She won't have Rogue suffer like that.

Rogue nods. Deep down she knew that but still a part of her longs to know the truth about who she is.

Satisfied that she has made Rogue understand and that Stryker seems to have fallen silent Domino holsters her gun once again.

The dam below them then starts its final collapse capturing all their attentions. The huge wall of water sweeps down the valley and all the X-Men can pray is that it is the empty wilderness it appears to be and that Storm and Nightcrawler reached the x-jet in time.

"Arrrrgggghhhh!"

It is the sudden cry of pain of Logan that now draws everyone's attention. With them all looking at the collapsing dam Deadpool took his opportunity to slam his sword right through Logan's back so now it pokes out the front of his chest.

"Time for escape plan Alpha," Deadpool announces in a bullish manly voice. He pulls out two flash-bangs and throws them. They explode blinding and deadening everyone. For Clark's sensitive senses it is exceptionally painful.

Amidst the smoke Deadpool stands next to Stryker and presses the button on a device on his belt. Two yellow energy disks appear directly above and below them. "Sayonara suckers!" he yells because it was just stupid beyond belief to trust him for a minute when Stryker is the guy paying him. The energy disks moves towards each other and as they do Deadpool and Stryker vanish into them until they are gone completely. A teleporter Deadpool picked up on the black market. You'd be amazed what you can buy for the right amount of money.

Kitty coughs at the sulphurous smoke and points at the now empty space. "They're gone!" she exclaims.

Hank puts the Professor down on the ground and rushes over to Logan. "Logan. Are you alright?"

"I have a sword slammed through me!" he yells. "Of course I'm not alright!"

Hank now realises that was a silly question.

"Pull it out!" Logan demands.

This goes against Hank's instincts as a doctor but Logan is a unique case. "It goes without saying that this will hurt," Beast says anyway.

"Do it or I will!"

Hank grips the sword by its hilt and yanks hard pulling it out. Logan cries out in agony and collapses to the ground as he waits for his healing factor to kick in, mumbling many expletives that are best not repeated. Hank tends to him despite knowing Logan will refuse any help.

Domino looks on and steps next to Rogue. "Will he be alright?"

"Logan? Sure. He's survived worse than that. After all remember you mentioned Weapon X to me."

"Yeah."

"Say hello to him," Rogue explains pointing at Logan.

"He's Weapon X?" Domino queries sounding dumbfounded. She had never been let in on who exactly Weapon X was. "But he's so short and hairy," she comments like she expected something vastly different from what she is seeing.

Rogue chuckles at that as do quite a few of the others.

"Don't suppose this is the best time to tell him huh?"

Rogue guesses Dom means the fact that almost certainly Logan must be one of Domino's genetic parents. "Ah think ya better wait until he's calmed down and had a few beers. Getting stabbed always makes him cranky."

"Son of a bitch!" Logan swears as he gets back to his feet sorely wishing there was something here for him to take his anger out on. "When I get a hold of those two..."

Charles could understand and shared Logan's anger in one regard. The man responsible for attacking and capturing them escaped and who knows when they will see him again. Stryker was a very dangerous man. They'll have to be ready for their next encounter. However there is one positive out of all this and that takes the form of the young woman standing next to Rogue. The fact they have managed to save this one person from Stryker makes this worth it in Charles' opinion.

Soon the X-Jet comes to a hover overhead and all of them get aboard. Time to get out of here for there was still much to do to prevent the war Magneto is so worryingly close to starting but at least they are all together again plus one. X-Men United.

* * *

_Author's Note: Stryker's words have pushed Claire closer to being a villain but she isn't one yet. Her final decision about who she is is still to come. Deadpool's double-cross was inevitable. He would never betray the guy paying him and of course it means Stryker will return one day. Still loving Domino so had to have her choose to stay with her 'sister'. As for the others in Beta Squad I'll show what happens to them before the end of this story. Also I just had to include the Squirrel Girl mention who has indeed beaten Deadpool twice and he ranks her as an A-list hero up there with Thor and so on. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the X-Men are all finally back together and our favourite couples make up for the time they lost._


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

As the x-jet flies back across the border towards the campsite Charles listens as Hank catches him up on events. It was all deeply worrying. Magneto's attempted incitements. The riots and the protests which wasn't completely unexpected. The people are afraid. Charles job is to make them unafraid. You just have to give people a chance and once the facts are known people will see mutants are no threat and everything will calm down...or that is the belief Charles is working by.

There are dark thoughts plaguing him too about the line Magneto has crossed and how many others like Stryker and Trask are out there? How many other mutants are being subjected to treatment like he has suffered these last few days?

Charles' eyes turn to Domino. How many others like her are there?

He knows of one. Rogue. The poor girl. When this crisis is over there will be much to discuss with Rogue.

Hank had told Charles about the idea they had had in his absence. That they had to speak to Congress and couldn't wait until this calmed down. They were right because Magneto was obviously not going to let this calm down. He had to speak and show Magneto did not represent all of mutantkind and that they were not dangerous and this had to be done before Magneto succeeded into pushing the elected representatives into an overreaction that in the end would only prove Magneto correct in his views about humanity.

Piloting the x-jet Storm glances over at Wolverine. There was a hole in his uniform where the sword was stuck in. She was very angry after being told what had transpired. If she ever meets this Deadpool again she'll have to put this healing factor he possesses to the test. "Are you alright Logan?"

Logan glances over at her. He was stewing in his own anger and normally he would just bite someone's head off but he can never be that rude to her. "I'll live although when we meet those 2 again I can't promise they will after I'm done with them."

"One day you'll find your answers," Storm promises. "And you'll do it without needing to make deals with people like that."

Logan manages a small smile. For some reason Storm always looks at him like he is better then he is. He doesn't know why she does but he likes the fact she does. Too many people have looked at him like he is an animal or a weapon but she never does. He really doesn't deserve a friend like her.

In the back on the jet the mood was lighter now that they had their friends back. For the 1st time since they met the Sentinels things were going their way and they were no longer on the back foot.

Since they sat down Jean had not let Scott go holding her arms around him, letting her mind skim across the surface of his just so she can feel him and know he is there. Scott has been no different with his arms holding Jean. It had been hell without her and the feeling of her mind skimming across his he finds with very soothing and reassuring. In fact he can almost hear Jean mentally humming happy little tunes in his head. Scott finds he likes that too.

They were of course not the only couple happy to be reunited. Rogue was sitting on Clark's lap, her head resting on his shoulder as he held her tight. There was so much stuff in her head about what Stryker told her but here in Clark's arms Rogue feels it's nothing she can't handle. She can cope with anything for as long as he has him. "Ah missed ya so much," she tells him because when she was alone in her cell it was Clark she mostly thought about.

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I wasn't there when they took you," he whispers squeezing her tight.

Rogue rubs his back. "It's ok. Ya can't beh everywhere."

No but he should have been there for her. Clark curses Jor-El for about the thousandth time since that day.

"I knew they would come," Amara says to Claire. That belief that they would be rescued had helped Amara survive.

Claire fakes a smile but deep down she is thinking about what happened. She had made an acceptance that she didn't belong here so that begs the question what does she do now?

During the flight back many of them drop off for naps. Fights always take it out of you. When the x-jet lands at the campsite it is dark and they all wearily shuffle their way off only to be ambushed by the New Mutants flooding them with questions.

In a funny way Charles can't help but smile in reaction at the flurry of questions. It was good to be home and home wasn't the mansion. It was being reunited with his beloved students.

Clark leaves Rogue to go see his parents particularly his father who was back on his feet. He gives them both a hug.

"So he's the boyfriend huh?" Domino asks Rogue with an appreciative once over of Clark.

"Yeah."

"I just have to say it. Dayum girl!"

Rogue laughs lightly. Domino was now another one of the few people capable of making her laugh.

"Who's the babe?" Bobby asks pointing at Domino.

"Bobby!" Rogue snaps at his chauvinistic attitude.

Domino places her hand on Rogue's shoulder to calm her down. "Don't worry I got this," she assures her friend. Domino walks over to Bobby making her hips sway. She playfully and sexily drags a finger over Bobby's jaw. "I'm Domino," she introduces herself. "And what was your name again stud?" Domino asks him, her voice overflowing with sensuality.

Bobby opens his mouth but nothing comes out.

"Aw too bad. Nothing to say. Shame. I only date men who can remember their names." Domino then pushes his mouth closed and walks back over to Rogue who puts her hand over her mouth desperately trying to stop herself guffawing.

Shortly after some proper introductions for Domino to the New Mutants Rogue manoeuvres her over to where Clark is with his parents. Martha and Jonathan both give Rogue a quick hug at seeing her again which makes Rogue feels really nice, warm and loved. She then introduces her new friend. "Mr and Mrs Kent this is Domino. Dom this is Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark's parents."

Domino feels slightly awkward but she shakes their hands and greets them. "You're human aren't you?" she guesses from a feeling she gets.

"Yes," Martha confirms. "And last I checked sweetie so are you."

Dom can't stop herself smiling at that. "I guess but I know a lot of people who would look at me and not see that."

"We're not those people," Jonathan assures Domino. "And Clark says you helped them escape. Thank you for that."

"I didn't do anything," Domino insists not being modest exactly. She just made one selfish choice that she would be better off helping them. Well that's her story and she is sticking to it.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Haze slips into her room and closes the door behind her. She rests her head against it and closes her eyes. She takes deep shaky breaths as she desperately tries to reign her emotions in. The Acolytes had just returned from a trip to her home town of Smallville where they liberated all their mutant brethren from Belle Reve.

What they found...mutants locked up...the conditions...the experiments that had obviously been performed on them...

That could have easily been her and it had shaken her more than she wanted anyone to see. Tears leak from her eyes.

'This is stupid,' she thinks to herself. She made her peace with all this when she disowned her parents. There was no reason to cry. It never happened to her. Magneto rescued her and now they have set their fellow mutants free. It was the start of the mutant race taking its rightful place as the dominant species on this planet.

Stupid she wants to believe yet Alicia can't seem to stop the tears flowing.

There is a knocking on her door. 'Go away,' she mentally projects out. She wants to be alone.

"Chere?"

Gambit.

"Just a minute!" Alicia shouts through the door as she tries to wipe the tears off her face and make herself look respectable. Alicia takes a breath and composes herself. She pulls her door open a crack and peers through. "Hi Remy!" she says in a patently false cheerful tone. "What's up?"

"Can Remy can in?" Gambit asks.

Alicia tosses that over in her head a few times wondering if she is in a state to hide her weakness. She doesn't want her boyfriend of all people to see how weak she is. She decides that refusing will make it look like something is up so she opens the door and lets him in. "So is something the matter?" she asks him.

Gambit takes a moment to look around the room. Since Alicia rarely stayed in it there were almost no personal items and certainly nothing of value for a thief...but that isn't why he is here. Force of habit. He turns to look at the blond teenager he genuinely is fond of. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Gambit has many skills he likes to believe. One of which is reading women. People in general he is good at reading which is why he tends to take them to the cleaners in poker but women in particular has always been one of Remy's special skills. "Alicia," he speaks softly her real name. "Remy knows you are upset about something."

Alicia wants to deny it but she can tell from the look in his eyes he won't buy that. "It's nothing. It's silly."

"If you are upset d'en Remy will say it is not nothing."

Alicia moves to her bed and sits down. Gambit sits down next to her. Alicia ponders her words before confessing all of it about the feelings seeing the stuff at Belle Reve invoked within her. "And it isn't just what happened at Belle Reve," she continues. Now she is talking her feelings are flowing out of her. "It's about what happens next with what Magneto is planning. This war...I'm...I'm afraid Remy," she says in a frightened whisper, tears once more welling up in her eyes.

Gambit pulls her into his arms and strokes her hair. He could never stand to see any women cry. Call it his weakness. "It's alright," he assures her. "Remy will protect you."

Alicia holds him tightly. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me," she tells him.

Remy could boast he is the best thing that has happened to a lot of women but even he can see this is not the place for that kind of comment. Then to his own surprise he suddenly finds Alicia in his lap kissing him with more passion than she has ever before. In fact the kisses are hungry and desperate. The kind of kisses that lead up to...well Remy would be lying if he said he said he hadn't thought about it. Alicia was quite lovely and in 38 states of legal age.

Remy finds himself shoved down onto the bed quite hard. Another surprise. Alicia straddles him as he lays there on his back. "Chere?" he finally finds a moment to query what she is doing.

Alicia looks down at him, her eyes blazing with passion. "I want to know," she says. "If there is going to be a war...I could die tomorrow and I want to know what it is like just once." She leans forward, laying her body on top of his and brings her lips to his ears and whispers in a desperate plea, "Please."

Gambit smiles at her gently. "Remy could never refuse a lady."

Gambit rolls them over until she is on her back under him, kissing her everywhere. "Just relax and Remy promise you a night never to be forgotten," he says to her.

Gambit slowly peels her clothes off making sure to take the time to explore every inch of her and gauge her reactions. This was what he working towards all this time with Alicia. He loves to see the effect he can have on beautiful women. That and he loves the way he can get them to say his name over and over like it is the most reverent prayer. Still he knows the first time for any women, and she was a women in his eyes, could be painful and he was determined to make it as minimally so as possible.

While Alicia will always remember the pain she will also remember the multiple highs Gambit took her to by the time it is over. Eventually she falls asleep curled up around him, a contented smile on her lips, knowing that even if she does die tomorrow, she has at least had one moment of perfection in her otherwise harsh life.

* * *

**The Campsite...**

Back with the students and staff of the Xavier Institute they had just finished up dinner which wasn't terrific when you remember it is the emergency rations stored in the x-jet but it is nourishing all the same. The poor food could not put a dampener on the mood which had been significantly lightened. Not just by the return of the people they lost but by Domino. It turns out that Domino loves to express her opinion on any subject and she seems to have one on every subject but her opinions tend to be ones that have other people in stitches with laughter.

The reaction and way everyone seemed to welcome her had made Domino start to feel that she had made the right choice coming here rather than going off with Beta Squad. Sure they both faced the same scenario with the world knowing they existed and the less than welcoming reaction of the populous but she could see it in only her brief time here. These people weren't a team of just friends. They were a family who stuck with each other through thick and thin and she felt like she wanted to be a part of that.

Jean and Scott had pulled away to the edge of the camp sitting down on a fallen tree next to each other, holding each other. Scott had taken the opportunity earlier to apologise to Amara for punching her when under Stryker's control. She said not to worry about it and obviously understood having been under the same control. Still Scott felt slightly bad about the whole thing.

"I think she'll fit in," Jean says.

"Hmm...what?" Scott asks. He hadn't been listening to her more concerned with simply enjoying the sensation of holding her.

"Domino," Jean clarifies.

Scott looks back at the camp where Domino has the New Mutants falling over with laughter. There were still some issues with her. As leader Scott couldn't put it completely out of his mind she was trained by an enemy but for now he agrees with Jean not wanting to spoil this with an argument.

"I missed you so much," Jean says, stark pain in her voice. "When they took you...I felt that...I'm so sorry. I should have been there."

Scott squeezes her. "You did everything you could," he assures her. "It's not your fault. It was the fault of those that attacked us."

"It was hell without you."

"I know. It was hell without you."

"I love you Scott."

Scott pauses, his heart thundering against his ribcage. How long has he dreamed she would say those words to him. A long time is the answer. He reciprocates the words. "I love you Jean."

The two share a long passionate kiss.

When it is over they both need a minute to catch their breaths.

"If we were alone I would be acting on the many ungentlemanly thoughts I've having right now," Scott finds himself confessing.

Jean chuckles. She had picked up a few of those thoughts. She can't say she would refuse him either. For once she is wishing that the two of them didn't have to be the responsible ones.

Do they have to be the responsible ones?

No-one would notice if they went off a bit deeper into the woods would they?

Considering everything don't they deserve one moment?

For once in her life Jean decides to act on impulse. She nuzzles into Scott's neck. "You know it's a nice night. We could take a walk..._alone_."

The way Jean said the world _alone_ caught Scott's attention. It was sultry and seductive. She pulls back and Jean's expression matches her tone. Sultry and seductive in a way Scott never imagined Jean could pull off but oh boy she sure could. He can feel a stirring in his nether regions. He swallows. "You sure?"

"Very," she replies still wearing the same smile.

Jean and Scott get to their feet and walk of into the woods hand in hand. No-one would see them again until the morning.

* * *

Rogue had finally been able to change out of her uniform which after wearing it for almost 4 straight days was getting rather ripe. She had been thankful that someone had grabbed her bag when they fled from the mansion as now she was back in her more normal green top, skirt, leggings and black combat boots. She had simply been sharing in the laughter at Domino's stories after dinner. Despite what a hell being held captive was finding Dom and persuading her to join them had made it worth it. Rogue's eyes search for the one person who means the most to her. She spots Clark disappearing into the woods walking in a hurry and looking like...he almost looks like he is pain. She gets to her feet and goes after him.

'Damn it,' Clark thinks as he grits his teeth. His scar was flaring up in pain. He staggers into a tree and leans against it. This wasn't the first time it had flared up. Luckily it hadn't during the rescue. He pulls the plaid shirt he had changed into apart and lets it slip off his shoulders. He yanks the blue t-shirt he has on underneath over his head. The scar is burning glowing red.

"Clark?"

No. Not her. Anyone but her.

The pain intensifies and Clark drops to his knees.

"Clark!" Rogue's voice becomes more urgent as she rushes over to him. She comes around him and sees the horrid burnt scar on his chest in the shape of a figure of 8 inside a shield glowing red. She gasps, her hands coming up to her mouth. "Mah Gawd," she murmurs. "Ah'll get help."

"No!" Clark says sharply as he grabs her arm to stop her. "No," he repeats. "It'll pass. Just give it a minute," he says through the pain. Slowly, far too slowly for Rogue's liking, the glow starts to fade leaving the marked flesh behind. Clark takes a few deeps breaths.

Rogue's fingers gently reach forward and touch the scar. Clark flinches. "Ah'm sorry," she apologises. "What is this?"

"One of Jor-El's punishments."

"For what?"

Clark reaches down and picks up his t-shirt and slips it back on. "You may want to sit. This could take awhile," he tells her.

Rogue sits down next to Clark leaning against the tree as he explains what happened the day the mansion was attacked with Jor-El marking him. "That is why I didn't save you," he says sounding bitter. Bitter at Jor-El.

"And your powers?" she asks about that after Clark telling her Jor-El is taking them away from him.

"A couple of more days and they'll be gone. The little escapade up at the dam probably cost me a day so a couple of more days and I'll be mortal."

Rogue lifts his t-shirt up and her fingers brush across something else she noticed. One of dozens of little bruises.

"It was the bullets when they shot at me," Clark explains what caused them.

Rogue looks up at him and her eyes widen as a possibility enters her head. "Clark if it had been just one day later ya had found meh..."

Would the bullets have killed him is the question Rogue doesn't ask but Clark can guess she was about to. "It's best you don't think too much about that," he cautions her because yes more than likely. One day later and his invulnerability would probably be gone.

Rogue leans into him and he holds her. For several minutes there is silence while Rogue tries to figure out how to tell him what she discovered about herself while being held captive. "Clark. When Stryker had meh ah learned something about mahself. Something...ah'm not sure how y'all will take it."

He can hear the tension and worry in her voice. "You can tell me anything Rogue," he assures her, his voice gentle.

Rogue nibbles on her lower lip and plays with her white bangs in worry for a minute more before she tells him everything that happened to her and what she discovered about herself.

Clark listens in silence.

"So as it turns out ah'm tha result of some experiment. Ah was grown in some lab. Ah'm not a real person," she summarises what she thinks this all means.

"What!" Clark exclaims taking exception with that last remark. "Of course you're real," he says with total sincerity blazing in every word expressing his belief.

"Am ah?"

"Yes," he states firmly. "Look do you consider me a real person?"

"Of course ah do," she says passionately.

"Despite the fact I am an alien?"

"It doesn't matter ta meh. Ya know that."

"Rogue for all I know I could have been grown in a lab like a fungus. Heck I could simply be a highly evolved walking talking fungus for all anyone knows. I have no idea what Kryptonians evolved from. I do know from the tests Mr McCoy did on me that my DNA is so perfect and flawless that it can't be natural. That it would have to have been at least altered at some point artificially to achieve this level of perfection."

Rogue makes a face. "Ya just put an image in mah head of meh kissing a mushroom all this tahme," she says thanks to the fungus remark.

Clark chuckles. "Sorry although that does explain why you're dating me. Some mushrooms are known for their addictive quality."

Rogue snorts. "Ah ain't addicted ta ya."

Clark leans down and kisses her long, slow and passionately. When over he pulls back just a little so their lips are virtually still touching. "Want to rethink that?" he inquiries with a husky voice.

Rogue takes a minute to regain her breath. "Ok. Ah'm addicted ta ya," she admits or at least to his kisses which are just amazing.

Clark smirks briefly before returning to the issue at hand. He brushes her hair back off her face and looks straight at her so she can see he means every word he is about to say. "Rogue it doesn't matter how we came to be. All that matters is what we choose to do with the life we are given. So what you were grown in a lab. Doesn't change the fact that I...that I...that I love you," he finally says it.

Rogue's heart pounds in her chest at his words. "What?" she asks him, her voice deserting her.

"I love you Anna Marie," Clark says with all the feeling he can muster.

"Oh Clark," she says, tears in her eyes. Tears of happiness. "Ah love ya too," she says, Clark's admission giving her the strength to finally say it.

"Really?" he asks almost unable to believe she does and that she said that she does.

Rogue nods. "Ah do. Ah love ya. Ah've been trying ta tell ya for weeks but some dang thing always interrupted and...what?" she asks at his expression. His amused expression. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It is just...I've been trying to do the same and something always kept interrupting me and I lost my nerve."

"That's just...why do these things only happen ta us?" she asks throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

"I don't know."

Clark pulls Rogue into his arms and she holds him back feeling like an immense weight has been lifted off of her. Her lips are curved up into the happiest expression that has ever been on her face. He loves her. He doesn't care how she came into being. She told him and he still said that he loves her. Rogue can't believe she is even here at this moment. The most anti-social girl in possibly the whole world had the greatest guy in love with her and she was in love with him. These deeper more powerful feelings were like nothing she has ever felt. It made that crush she had on Scott pale in comparison.

Clark buries his head into her neck actually having to stop himself from crying with happiness. Guys didn't cry. It was against the guy code but damn did he ever want to. He has never felt like this, not even with Lana, and to have someone know what he is and love him all the same...

This was why those few days without her were hell. If he can help it he'll never be apart from her again.

"I love you," he mumbles into her neck just relishing the fact he can say it.

Rogue can say she is certain she will never tire of hearing Clark say that. "Ah love ya too sugah," she says back to him certain she'll also never tire of saying that back.

Clark knows he'll never tire of hearing Rogue say that to him. He pulls back and takes a long time studying Rogue's face.

"What are you doing?" she wonders.

"Looking at you," he replies simply with a smile on his lips he isn't sure will ever leave now. "I don't think I've ever really looked at you without your make-up on."

Rogue blinks and then realises that after all this time in captivity her make-up would have come off by now. "And what do ya think?"

What does he think? "That you are the most beautiful girl in the world," he tells her and it was true. Without her make-up Rogue was stunningly beautiful. In fact all the dark Goth make-up did was dull her true radiance in Clark's opinion. Without it Clark is certain Rogue would turn heads everywhere she went.

If this was another time and place Rogue would torture him by asking him whether he thinks that she doesn't look beautiful all the time. A question to which any answer he gives is the wrong one. She would have had fun with that but right here and now having just confessed their love for each other all Rogue does is leans forward, loop her hands around his neck and press her lips to his.

Their lips part and their tongues intermingle and Rogue has to say that despite having nothing to compare it to Clark was the most fantastic kisser. He could kiss with such power and passion to render her breathless every single time. Not to mention he can hold his breath far longer than she can and so can just kiss her until she is literally breathless.

The kisses are slow loving ones at first but getting more passionate all the time as they try to make up for lost time and then there is the other thing that Rogue had been thinking about lately. It had been tickling her thoughts for awhile and with everything that had happened this had crystallised into a solid desire she wanted to pursue.

Rogue begins to kiss her way down Clark's neck, smiling at the fact she can make someone so powerful as him moan in utter surrender to her. She yanks her gloves off and her hands slip under his shirt and skim the skin on his muscled back.

In response she can feel Clark's hand go under her shirt and skim along her skin. She gasps at the feeling she never tires of. Her skin still remains hypersensitive to touch after being denied it for so long or that is what it seems like to her...or maybe it's just the way Clark touches her. His lips now travel down her neck and lower...and lower until they are just above the swell of her breasts.

Clark can feel his control slipping. Around Rogue it has been slipping more and more lately. The taste of her, the feel of her, the smell of her was almost overwhelming at times for his self-control but he restrained himself as he hadn't wanted to pressurise her into anything knowing it takes time for Rogue to be comfortable to be that open and vulnerable. It takes a monumental effort but he drags his lips away from her skin. "Rogue," he says, his voice husky. "Anna. We need to...stop...to think..."

Although with her hands still skimming along his skin setting it on fire(the good kind of fire not the bad one Jor-El likes to inflict on him) he is finding that immensely hard. Oh god. Hard was so the wrong word to think right there.

"Maybe ah don't want ta stop," she says.

Clark's eyes widen in surprise. He had to have misheard that. It must be his hormone driven brain hearing things.

Rogue looks at him directly in his eyes. "Clark ah've been thinking about this for awhile. Ah'm ready."

You couldn't have hit Clark harder with kryptonite. "Rogue...Anna," he remembers to use her name. "I love you. So very much but with everything going on..."

"When will we get another chance Clark. Everything's changed now. We've been seen. Who knows how things will go from here. We're out in tha open and if our enemies want ta find us it is not going ta beh hard for them ta do so. We're placing our hopes on tha Professor persuading Congress ta see reason. If that doesn't work out...ah don't want ta spend whatever remains of mah life regretting tha fact ah missed out on something special with tha man ah love."

Clark can hear it. The fear that if it goes wrong at Congress they face being hunted down. He knows that fear. He's had it for as long as he was able to comprehend how different he was to 'normal' people. He understands what she is driving at about essentially seizing the moment for who knows when it will come again. What Rogue is suggesting...this is pushing his 'boyscout' image to the limit. He got that nickname because he was always polite, always courteous, always did the right thing in the right way or tried to at least. It didn't mean he didn't have his selfish wants or desires. His red kryptonite alter ego proved without question that he does. It was just he always put others first before himself. If Kal was here right now Clark knows what he would be doing but Kal isn't here. It is just Clark and his overly moralised normal self is saying how this is the wrong thing at the wrong time...yet he can't help but think that Rogue makes a valid point. When will they get another chance. Even if the Professor manages to persuade Congress Clark still has Jor-El to deal with and who knows how that will end. Shouldn't Clark take this once chance to be with the woman he loves?

For once Clark decides to listen to his inner Kal.

Rogue awaits nervously. Clark's silence is starting to have her wonder whether he will reject her which wouldn't surprise her completely. He is so good and righteous and...

All thought ends when he kisses her with so much passion she can feel her toes curl. Clark is soon gently removing her top and she doesn't try to stop it. Quite the opposite she helps him get it off. In return Rogue is soon lifting Clark's t-shirt off. The scars and the bruises that mar him don't put her off at all because despite them he still is the most amazing physical specimen. She reassures him of this with a few gentle kisses on his chest carefully avoiding the scar.

They are obviously both nervous and Rogue is also downright stunned that Clark is going ahead with this. That is when she sees it. The explanation. It is the 'Bad Boy' smile she had only seen when he was doped up on red kryptonite. Kitty was right all those months ago. She does get the best of both worlds. The sweet kind gentle guy on the surface who will never hurt her with this inner bad boy straining to get out who can almost literally knock her socks off with a kiss.

They come together once more kissing each other passionately. The rest of their clothes soon get thrown aside and both take a moment to look at the other in the naked flesh. It is a nervy moment but the fact neither was embarrassed told them that they were ready for this. Ready to have this one moment of perfect happiness amongst all this chaos.

Rogue blushes slightly as Clark's eyes drift over her, shy about exposing herself but not embarrassed at all.

Clark's eyes drink in the beauty of her in the naked flesh. Her pale skin in the moonlight. God she is beautiful beyond words. At the sight of her blush he leans forward, kisses her and whispers reassuring words of how beautiful she is to him and how much he loves her. In return she finds words spilling from her lips telling him how magnificent he looks to her and how much she loves him.

Clark lowers Rogue on top of his plaid shirt which is filling in for a blanket as he begins kissing her, touching her, caressing her, making her moan in pleasure like he had long dreamed of kissing and touching her like this in all those secret places he had never dared to before...of finding what it is that gives her pleasure.

Rogue too has dreamt of those things. Her naughty side has been itching at her for ages for her to have a chance to explore all those ripped muscles and so much more. She wants to discover what makes him feel good. She never thought she would have this and now she is about to...her brow furrows slightly when one of Clark's hands departs her skin and starts fumbling around in one his shirt pockets underneath her.

Rogue stops for a minute. "What are ya doing?"

Clark brings out and holds up a condom packet above her.

Rogue arches an eyebrow. "Ya had one in your pocket?" she queries puzzled. How long had he been thinking about this?

Clark smiles boyishly. "Well you know how it goes. Always be prepared."

Rogue laughs and slaps him gently on the arm. "Boyscout," she teases.

"Perhaps but one you love."

"Ah do. Ah really really do," she says as her lips join back with his and no more words are needed.

* * *

_Author's Note: Let me see here. Sex, sex and more sex. Gee I wonder what I had on the brain when I was writing this. Probably the opening of the possibility of what Mystique will do to Gambit when she finds out he stole Alicia's innocence. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the morning after the night before._


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The sunlight hitting her face is what first encourages Rogue to open her eyes. She feels so warm and nice. She feels more relaxed than she has in years. Then she remembers what she did last night. She guesses the saying is right. Sex does do the body good.

Sex. She actually had sex. She can't believe she of all people got to have sex. Rogue can't stop the enormous smile that comes to her face as she remembers everything she and Clark did. It had been wonderful. Painful at first yes but not as much as she imagined and then it turned wondrous...as it did the second time...and then the third. As it turned out Clark was very prepared in the area of protection. His explanation being that they had talked about it and he just wanted to be ready when the day came. As she teased him last night he really is a Boyscout but she still loves him. In fact she thinks she might love him more for being that thoughtful.

Thinking back on it all Rogue decides she really needs to invest in a thesaurus to come up with an adjective to describe how incredible it felt.

Rogue lifts her head off the crook of Clark's shoulder upon which she rests and gazes at the man she loves. She had had to be careful of his scar last night but had made an effort to kiss every one of his bruises. They were a symbol of what he went through to rescue her. He has one still powerful arm wrapped around her waist holding her close like he is trying to protect her even in his sleep. He is still asleep she notes as she looks carefully at his face. He looks...so completely at peace that it would be a crime to wake him but she'll have to because they have to get back before someone comes looking for them. To be caught like this...Rogue would never live it down and worse never hear the end of it from Kitty.

She raises her hand and tries to fix that errant lock of hair that flops over his forehead. Drove her nuts because she always wanted to try and fix it yet it always flopped right back into place. "Clark," she speaks his name softly. Clark shifts slightly. "Clark. We have ta get up."

"Don't want to. Sleeping," he mumbles.

Rogue snorts out a laugh at that. "Clark if ya don't...do ya want your parents to catch ya naked with your girlfriend?"

At that Clark's eyes shoot open and last night replays in his head. He looks at her, his eyes more alive with joy than Rogue has ever seen. They are almost glowing with the light that dances within them. Oh god those eyes. Rogue easily lost herself in those expressive eyes last night. In fact mentioning glowing Rogue can remember that is exactly what Clark's eyes did when they were together. They glowed with a dim fire that lit his irises up.

Clark's lips curve up into a happy goofy smile as he gazes lovingly at his now lover. A smile that is probably identical to the one gracing Rogue's face. He starts to rub her back gently with his hand. Ooh. She likes that. Feels nice. Last night when they were falling asleep he drew little imaginary symbols on her back with his finger. Kryptonian she thinks. She liked that too. In fact Rogue is pretty much thinking she likes this whole thing. Dang it! She wishes they didn't have to get up. She wishes they could stay like this for a long time.

Clark reaches round to the back of her head and pulls her head to his and they share a gentle kiss. When he breaks it he says in a soft loving voice, "I love you Anna."

Rogue smiles brightly at the use of her name. In fact she loved the many ways he said her name last night. Especially when they were _together _and he would utter it repeatedly like a prayer. She liked that and the sense of power she felt she had over him. "Ah love ya Clark," she says in return.

Rogue then lets out a sad sigh at having this wonderful little dream come to an end as she gets back to her feet and starts to look around for where her clothes ended up. Clark gets to his feet and stands next to her and his hands brush against her hips gently. She shivers under his touch.

"Did I do that?" he asks with deep loving concern.

Rogue's brow furrows puzzled by what he is asking. She looks down at where his fingers are and on her hips are bruises. Bruises left by fingers gripping too hard.

"I hurt you," Clark says with overflowing guilt. Even with his strength weakening he is still probably strong enough to break bone easily. He had been worried he would hurt her during it. In fact he said so to her but she said she knew he would not and that utter belief in him made him fall in love with her all the more but her faith seems to have been misplaced.

Rogue takes his hands into her own, interlocks their fingers and squeezes. "No ya didn't," she assures him. "Clark even a normal person can leave marks lahke that and besides did ya hear meh complaining at any point?"

Clark's lips curve up into that 'Bad Boy' one. "Can't say I did although I'm surprised no-one caught us. You were rather..._vocal."_

Rogue's cheeks flush with heat as she remembers back. Honestly she couldn't have stopped herself crying out if she tried. It was just too incredible an experience. However she retorts with, "So were you."

Clark's cheeks now flush with heat. He couldn't have stopped himself crying out either. It was the most incredible thing he has ever experienced. He had never felt more connected to another person. He nuzzles into her neck briefly. "Was it...was I alright?" he asks, once again with loving concern in his voice, worried he didn't live up to his end of it and make her happy.

"Ah'm not an expert or anything but ya have nothing to worry about. It was...incredible," she tells him in a slightly breathy sounding voice.

"So were you," he tells her back. "I'll never forget this Anna," he swears.

Rogue was really hating the fact they had to get back to reality. She reluctantly pulls away from him and starts gathering her clothes up. The sun glints off her bracelet and she remembers something. "Clark can I ask ya something?"

"Um...Anna...we don't have time for another round," he says with feigned shock.

"Get your mind out of tha gutter Space Boy!" she chastises him.

"That's kind of hard to do when you're naked. You are gorgeous you know."

Rogue can't stop herself smiling at that. She doesn't feel embarrassed at all by his hungry gaze. In fact it kind of sends a thrill through her to know she has that much power over him. It signals how much has changed. Sadly as much as she might want to and seeing Clark naked boy does she ever want to she knows they don't have time. "That's not what ah want ta ask and ya know it," she tells him flatly.

Clark grins. Yeah he knows it but he couldn't help himself. In fact seeing her in the naked flesh is causing stirrings he knows he can't act on but really can you blame him. Nature had gifted Rogue with a beautiful toned body with generous proportions for her curves and arguably she wasn't done growing yet. He tries his best to control his body's reactions. "Ask away."

"Do ya remember your first month at tha mansion?" she asks him as she pulls her panties back on and picks her bra up.

"I remember everything Anna," he reminds her still using her real name and he will continue to do so until this wonderful moment reaches its end. He pulls his boxers on.

Finished with her underwear Rogue slips her skirt back on. "When ah was being held captive ah had tahme ta think on things and it occurred ta meh over that first month how ya would always show up and keep meh company."

"And you want to know if I did that on purpose and why," he deduces as he brushes the dirt and bits of leaves off his jeans.

"Yeah."

Clark pulls his jeans on first before answering. "Yes I did," he admits. He then runs his hand through his hair. "As for why don't take this the wrong way but to put it simply despite your protests to be left alone I could tell you were lonely and take it from the sole survivor of his species no-one should be alone if it can be helped so I took it upon myself to make sure you weren't. The fact I got your friendship out of it was a bonus. The fact I got your heart was something I never thought I would be blessed with."

Rogue stops brushing her top clean for a moment. "Ya consider meh a blessing?" she queries unable to believe that. She was well aware of her neuroses not to mention her temper.

Clark pulls his t-shirt over his head and picks up his plaid shirt. "I'm not always brilliant with words or expressing my feelings but yes Anna I consider myself blessed to be your boyfriend. Being with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would do anything to make you happy...although never in a million years will you get me to dress up as a Goth," he jokes at the end.

Rogue laughs at his joke. She had tried one or twice to do that just to see how he would look but he politely refused and always managed to conveniently change the subject. She pulls her top over her head and straightens it out. She pulls her combat boots back on her feet and for the moment stuffs her gloves into her waistband. There. She is dressed again. She walks over to Clark who is just finishing putting his boots back on. She wraps her arms around him. "Just so ya know I'm blessed ta be your girlfriend," she tells him sincerely. "But mention ah was this sappy ta Kitty and nothing will stop meh killin ya," she warns him just to let him know.

Clark snorts with laughter. He then wraps his arms around her savouring this for one last moment. Now they had to get back to the harsh reality of a world hating them and what to do about it before a war broke out. Still even that for the moment can't ruin their mood and the two young lovers walk back to camp hand in hand smiling with smiles of true happiness.

* * *

A short while later Logan joins the adults as they sat together having breakfast. He had been up for hours. He didn't need much sleep. It had allowed him to spot Jean, Scott, Rogue and Clark sneaking back into camp earlier. You almost didn't need his sense of smell to know what they had been up to.

"We have a problem," he snaps in a gruff voice.

"Only the one," Ororo jokes. In reality they had many problems at the moment.

"Our 4 love-birds got up to something they shouldn't have."

Jonathan, Hank, Ororo, the Professor all look at Logan a bit lost. Martha's expression is unreadable.

Logan clarifies it bluntly. "They got laid."

"Clark Joseph Kent," Jonathan mutters furiously his son's name under his breath. With his heart in its current state he really didn't need this.

"Oh hush Jonathan," Martha puts him down.

Jonathan looks at her. "What?" he asks, confused by her words. He then eyes her carefully. At her expression he asks, "Did you know about this?"

"For the first moment I laid eyes on Clark this morning," Martha confesses. She can read her son like a book. "I mean look at him. Have you ever seen him glow like that?"

Jonathan looks at Clark across the camp and remembering back to when he saw his son earlier Jonathan can say Clark was glowing with happiness.

"Aren't ya pissed?" Logan asks her because he thought she would be.

"Well their timing isn't great," Martha concedes. "However I am not surprised. It tore Clark apart to have Rogue taken. It's only natural something like this would happen. The same applies for Jean and Scott I'm guessing. After all they're teenagers in love. Reckless behaviour is almost mandatory," she jokes.

Now Logan can see where Clark gets that habit of making light of everything.

Ororo nods in agreement as she thinks on Martha's words. "Yes I can see why they would. Clark and Jean were hit hard. I understand why they would express their love like that."

"Ya can't be serious," Logan says looking at her like she has a second head. He thought they would be as pissed as he is and that they would come together and give the kids hell. It wasn't panning out that way.

"Logan you want to treat them like normal teenagers but circumstances have forced them to grow up faster. They are not normal teenagers."

"On that I have to agree," Hank says.

Charles had to agree as well. Everything the X-Men have been through has forced them to grow up faster than he would have personally liked. These last few days alone have probably aged them years. He certainly feels like he has.

"We have to do something. They need a sit down and a talk to," Logan argues, itching to have something done.

"That I agree with," Martha says. It is the mature thing to do.

"As do I," Charles says. "However we can do that a bit later. First I want to discuss our situation. I spent a long time thinking on it last night. To summarise from what you have told me things are not going well and Magneto is trying to stir it up. In my absence you thought the best idea was to address the emergency session of Congress and show them we are not a threat and that Magneto does not speak for all of us. I agree. To emphasise this point I want to demonstrate that the divisions Magneto wants to exploit don't have to exist."

"How?" Ororo asks.

Charles looks at Martha and Jonathan. "I want you to accompany me to Congress and speak about your experiences living at the mansion so we can show humans and mutants can live together in peace."

"Us?" Martha queries. Her? Speak to Congress?

"Yes," Charles confirms.

Martha looks to Jonathan who looks back. If they were ever going to get their lives back this had to be done. However an idea strikes Martha. "What about Jean and Scott's friends Paul and Taryn? Couldn't they come too," she suggests as in the more the merrier.

"And Amanda," Jonathan adds in reference to Kurt's girlfriend.

"That's a good idea. I will speak to Jean and Scott and see if they think Paul and Taryn would be willing to do so as well as Kurt in relation to Amanda," Charles decides.

Jonathan then thinks about Chloe and Pete in a similar vein but problem is they are in Smallville, halfway across the country. He mentions it anyway.

"If we have the time perhaps and if they are willing," Charles says in response. The more humans they get on their side the better.

"What about Clark?" Martha asks raising something Clark said a couple of days ago about being seen on television during the fight with the Sentinels and what people will think he is. "He's been seen with the others. People will start making links. Do we pass him off as a mutant?"

Charles must admit that because of everything else going on that had not occurred to him before now. What about Clark? A solution is needed because he made a vow to protect Clark from evil and he has been told about the fact that Clark's powers are failing thanks to Jor-El. Soon Clark would be very vulnerable.

Clark is the most unique being Charles has ever seen. So immensely powerful yet the kindest of souls. He could almost be two separate people. The powerful alien and the mild-mannered farm boy. Charles' brow furrows as that strikes a chord. In a sense Clark is two people. He worked up a secret identity for this very purpose did he not.

"What if we pass Clark off as a human?" Charles proposes.

"What do you mean?" Jonathan wonders.

"Clark worked at creating a dual identity. We can pass off what people saw on television as his alter ego the Bayville Blur. We can concoct a story about him being an ally and I'm certain we can come up with something convincing to explain the differences in costumes. In that case all we need is for Clark to come to Congress as well pretending to be another human showing he can live in peace with mutants," Charles reels off the top of his head. It's rough but it's the basis of a proposal.

"That leaves us needing to explain how we came to be at the mansion," Jonathan points out what even he can see is the gaping plot hole.

For a few minutes there is silence until Hank speaks up after having given it some thought. "To quote Benjamin Franklin; 'Half a truth is often a great lie'."

"What the hell does that mean?" Logan asks coarsely.

"It means we tell as much of the truth as possible. For example the Professor was in Smallville looking for a mutant as was Magneto. The Kents were caught in the crossfire. Afterwards you talked and shared each other's stories. The Professor learned about the Kents losing their home. The Kents learned about the Professor's need for assistance in looking after the children. The solution to both problems then becomes apparent and the Kents end up living at the mansion with their very human son." Hank takes a moment to let everyone absorb that before continuing. "Now I'm uncertain that Congress will want every detail of that explained right there and then. Afterwards we might need to sit down and work the finer details out but I do believe that should be sufficient explanation if it is requested."

They all agree that as a rough plan everything that was said seemed sound. It was at least the start of their fightback to calm the world down before it toppled over the edge.

* * *

Across the campsite Rogue is busy getting her make-up back on. She is really thankful they had remembered to grab her bag of belongings before they had been forced to flee the mansion. Although trying to sort her hair without any electrical appliances was harder than she thought. She never realised how much she relied on those things. Without her straighteners in particular her hair was reverting to its naturally curly state.

Amara had been finding it all quite amusing how everyone was struggling. Nova Roma was a pre-industrial society so she was use to no electricity and was having no problem fixing her hair. She had had to help Claire with her long fiery red hair. Claire was...well unusually quiet. Amara could tell something was bothering her fellow pyrokinetic but Claire wouldn't talk about it. Amara wondered if it had something to do with when they were captured as in did something happen to Claire. Amara was worried about her friend and hopes in time Claire will feel able to talk about it. Amara has decided to just be patient and wait for Claire to talk when she is ready.

Kitty sits down next to Rogue and sighs. As a city girl all this living in the woods stuff was starting to get her down. That and hearing everything bad that was going on in the world. People were really reacting badly to this reveal of mutants. She really hoped with the Professor back they now had a plan to do something about it. Kitty looks at Rogue and then has to look twice. "Rogue. Why are you like glowing?"

"What? No ah'm not!" Rogue snaps.

Now that Kitty has said it a few of the others murmur about Rogue being 'chipper' which was disturbing. None of them had ever seen a 'chipper' Rogue.

"Yes you are," Kitty insists and then mentions a couple of other odd things she has noticed about Rogue this morning. "In fact earlier you looked like you were totally floating on air and then there is the singing."

"Singing?" Rogue queries puzzled genuinely not knowing what Kitty is on about.

Kitty nods. "Yeah. You were singing to yourself. Something about the stars I think."

"It's nothing," Rogue desperately tries to play it off. Though she is asking herself whether she had been doing that? Last night had been the most amazing of her life. Still she can't have been singing surely. Rogue notices sceptical glances from the people around her and tries to think of something to say. "Well ya know ah'm just happy ta beh back. Being captured and held prisoner wasn't a bundle of laughs ya know," she points out. That happens to be true by the way and heck she hasn't even mentioned finding out she is the result of Stryker's sick breeding experiments yet.

That remark hits Kitty especially hard since she was still feeling guilty about Rogue's capture. She knows she'll have to 'fess up about that when she gets a chance to talk to Rogue alone.

Rogue has to resist the urge to sigh in relief that they all seem to buy that. She decides to get some distance and heads to the edge of the camp where she finds Domino sitting down cleaning her guns. Rogue sits down next to her.

"So how was it?" Domino asks still cleaning her guns and not looking at Rogue.

"How was what?"

Domino stops, looks at Rogue and smiles knowingly having overheard the conversation. She speaks in a much lower voice than Kitty did so only Rogue can hear her. "Your friend Kitty there is a little too young to diagnose the condition. Those symptoms she mentioned. The glowing, singing, walking on air...then there is the fact that when you walked over here it was a little gingerly due to the fact I'm guessing you're a little bit tender down _there._ Now myself on the other hand I know what those symptoms mean. You had sex and from the smile on your face I'm guessing pretty damn good sex so I'm simply asking you to confirm how was it."

Rogue's cheeks blush with colour. Dang it! She had been that obvious apparently and she couldn't deny any of what Dom had said. Even the walking gingerly because she was tender. Nature had gifted Clark generously in _that _department.

Domino stops cleaning her gun and lays it down on her lap. "Look," she says more seriously, still in a low voice. "I know I have a tendency to run my mouth off but if you ever need someone to confide in I'm here."

"Thanks Dom," Rogue says genuinely speaking too in the low voice necessary to keep this talk just between the two of them.

"No problem. So I'm not asking for all the dirty details although I wouldn't say no if you're offering but you know anything you're willing to share would prevent my curiosity from killing me."

"It was...lets just say ah now understand why tha whole world seems so obsessed with it."

"Wouldn't mind a round 2 huh?" Domino says with a smirk playfully elbowing Rogue.

"Well it would actually beh a round 4. We got through 1-3 last night."

Domino arches an eyebrow. Dayum. "Well if it means anything you're probably not the only one thinking like that."

"What do ya mean?"

"Lets just say you aren't the only one being all glowy and happy this morning." Domino points at a person brushing their long red hair. "The redhead is just as merry as you are."

Rogue sees where Domino is pointing. "Jean!" she exclaims. "Ut uh. No way," she says in denial.

"Oh yes way."

"No. Ya don't know her. She isn't that impulsive and neither is Scott. Ah mean these are two people who plan their dates out in advance."

Domino's eyebrows rise slightly at that. "Seriously? They're that anally retentive?"

Rogue nods. "Yep."

"Still doesn't change the fact that I'm right," Domino says confident in her reading of Jean. She resumes cleaning her gun. "By the way I have to ask. You said you couldn't control your powers so how did you do it?"

While Rogue wants to think of Dom as her friend, arguably family of a sort, she realises that only knowing the girl for a few days isn't enough to permit her to spill Clark's secret. Besides she would never do so without asking him first. That being the case all she can really say is, "Clark's unique. Mah powers don't work on him."

Domino for once refrains from making a comment but she notes that as interesting.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Colossus is returning to his room after breakfast. He couldn't claim to be happy with his life but what choice does he have. Magneto had claimed that once his plans reach their finale he'll let Piotr see his sister. Piotr is using that tiny little sliver of hope to keep him going. His sister and her safety was all that mattered. Well that and the pretty girl with the brown hair and blue eyes who dragged him inside the warehouse during the fight with the X-Men. Piotr hadn't been able to get her face out of his head for some reason. That and her truly amazing smile. If only they weren't on opposing sides...

Colossus is just passing Haze's room when it opens and out walks Gambit, coat over his shoulder. Piotr stops. Neither Gambit nor Haze had appeared for breakfast this morning.

Gambit spots Colossus, flashes him a smile that says everything about what he got up to last night and walks off whistling.

Piotr watches Gambit for awhile before he shakes his head. He doesn't want to know because in no way is he risking getting involved for when Mystique finds out about this...

Piotr shudders to even think about what Gambit's fate will be.

* * *

**At the Campsite...**

Later that morning Tabby is hanging out with Wanda when she spots Rogue and Clark walking hand in hand talking both glowing with happiness. The odd thing was she had seen Jean and Scott acting in the exact same way a bit earlier. The two couples would both talk in whispers and smile at whatever it is they're sharing. She had never seen either of the couples so close. "Is it me or are the couples being all lovey dovey today?" she asks Wanda.

"It's you," Wanda replies because she had not see anything. She then gives her shoulder a rub. She hurt it during that fight at the dam.

Tabby looks at her friend with a little concern but Wanda had assured her it wasn't serious. Anyway back on the topic at hand. "No. I really think something is going on. Like there's something in the water."

Wanda shakes her head. "This coming from the girl who suggested we go skinny dipping with the boys in that pond nearby."

Tabby grins. "Hell yeah. Look I know you've had a tough life. So have I and the one thing I learned is that you have to take risks and enjoy life. You can accuse me of being impulsive but man it sure as hell makes you feel alive. Better to do that and regret a mistake than do nothing and regret what you missed out on."

"I still think your idea is flawed. I mean you want to go skinny dipping with them?" she queries, jerking her thumb at the boys. "We can do so much better."

Tabby looks at Wanda with real surprise and can see an actual teasing grin pulling at the Goth girl's lips. Well. Well. It seems she is a bad influence. She must give herself a pat on the back.

* * *

Scott is just sitting around when two arms wrap around him from behind. "Hey there Slim," his girlfriend and now lover greets him in warm loving tones. Scott still can't believe that 2nd part or how stunningly beautiful Jean is in the naked flesh. Scott is thanking whatever god is listening for blessing him with Jean. He is still having a hard time believing it actually happened. He had barely been able to believe it even when he woke up next to her this morning with her body curled up around his. He also hadn't been able to stop smiling all morning. The previous night had been magical and he knows he will cherish its memory for the rest of his life.

Scott turns round and plants a kiss on Jean's lips. Jean lets out a contented sigh. She had surprised herself last night by how impulsive she had been but when she woke up this morning wrapped around Scott she didn't regret any of it for 1 second. It added an interesting new level to their relationship for when all this was over. Jean found herself looking forward to repeating last night more often in the future because Scott was to be blunt hot and now she can add he is a stud as well. It may not have been some corny romantic scene with candles and rose petals but one thing it was was absolutely perfect regardless. Jean will cherish last night forever.

The one thing they both agreed on this morning was to keep what they had done secret. If it got out to the others...it made both of them shudder to think about it.

It is then both receive a telepathic summons from the Professor to meet him on the x-jet. On the way over they bump into Rogue and Clark. Rogue had gotten a similar summons and asked to bring Clark along with her. The two couples walked up the ramp both unaware of what they are about to face.

They get on board to find the Professor, Logan, Mr McCoy, Ms Munroe and Mr and Mrs Kent waiting for them. Logan is staring daggers into them and Mr Kent isn't far behind. The others have very neutral expressions.

The 4 teens start to get nervous. Scott bites the bullet and asks the obvious and simple question. "What is going on?"

Logan growls and mutters under his breath. Charles raises a hand to stop him before he goes off. The last thing this situation needed was unnecessary yelling. The 4 teens were grown-ups essentially. They would be treated as such. "We thought we should discuss what occurred last night," Charles tells them in a calm manner.

"W-what do you mean?" Jean asks her gut twisting into a knot. It couldn't be what she thinks it is. There is no way they could know.

"He means the fact that you Red and One-Eye along with Stripes and Space Boy took it upon yourselves to get laid," Logan puts it bluntly.

The two couples look at each other in horror and from the looks knew that they had both done the same thing and now they were completely busted.

"Now under the law you are all of legal age," Charles concedes. "However you chose very poor timing. I know your emotions must have been high but I do expect you 4 to show more responsibility. Now I accept I can't stop you from doing this..."

That gets a disgruntled grunt from both Logan and Jonathan. Martha has to elbow Jonathan for that. They had agreed to let Charles speak for all them since he would remain calm unlike her husband who is still in her bad books for the whole 'Deal with the Devil' he made with Jor-El by the way.

"I can't stop you from doing this," Charles repeats before finishing what he was about to say before he was interrupted, "but there must be rules."

The 4 teens hang their heads guiltily.

"Did you 4 even think about protection?" Jonathan has to know unable to remain silent any longer.

Now this is where Rogue has to defend herself and Clark. "Yes. It wasn't like Clark and ah went into this blind. We've talked about it for several weeks but decided we weren't ready. Even so ah started taking tha pill for when ah was ready and Clark had protection with him last night."

Logan looks at Scott and Jean. "What about you two or can we expect the pitter patter of baby steps in the mansion?" he bluntly asks them.

Scott looks guilty as hell because protection slipped his mind. Jean saves him. "I'm on the pill as well as Mrs Kent and Mr McCoy can tell you," she says. Mrs Kent because Jean went to her for advice and Mr McCoy because he is Jean's doctor and she needed to discuss it with him.

That was up there with Hank's most awkward moments. The same was true with Rogue when she came to see him about the same thing. He knows he will have to get over that as all the girls get older and become sexually active.

"No protection is 100%," Logan points out.

Ororo rolls her eyes at him. Yes she wanted to make a point about responsibility but he was going too far. If Logan had his way the children would probably never have sex regardless of how old they are.

Scott takes Jean's hand. "Well I would be there for Jean," Scott insists. No more than that he promises he would be there.

"I would be there for Rogue too," Clark feels he should say. "Although you should know...I'm not genetically compatible with humans," he says with a slight hesitation because that is very personal information. Rogue takes his hand and squeezes it knowing what that means for him to have to admit that.

"I can confirm that," Hank says. "Clark's DNA has less than 1/10 of 1% in common with a human. However when we get back to the mansion I will still do blood work and tests on all of you. Then Storm, Martha and myself have volunteered to teach a refresher class on sex education with you."

In fact the adults had decided at some point they would need to have all the children go through some kind of sex education class because they are all growing up.

"Oh god," Clark moans in horror. It was 'The Talk' all over again.

The other 3 teens felt exactly the same. The adults were hammering it home how important this was. They couldn't argue with that.

"I hope you understand the importance of this," Charles speaks like a father to his children. "You are entering the world of adults and you are expected to behave as such and take responsibility for your actions."

"We understand," Scott says speaking for all of them.

"Then also understand when we get back I'll have you burning all this excess energy you seem to have to fool around with off in the Danger Room," Logan says with a feral grin.

The 4 teens pale, even Clark, as with his powers failing that is not going to be pleasant. The 4 teens are permitted to leave. Clark shares a look with Rogue that shows, despite the hell they were now facing, that he never regretted last night for a single moment. That the price they were going to have to pay was worth it for what they shared last night. Rogue returns the look feeling the exact same thing. Scott and Jean exchange a similar look as well expressing to each other that they didn't regret it either.

As Clark reaches the bottom of the ramp his mother shouts after him. He gives Rogue a quick kiss and waits for his mother while the others move off. "Are you angry at me?" he asks her, afraid he has disappointed her. He hangs his head a little bit.

"No. In fact I'm proud of you for remembering protection even on the spur of the moment," she tells him. She wanted to tell him that before he left because it would have been easy for him to be caught up in the moment and forget about protection.

"I don't think dad is," Clark remarks at his father's expression during that talk.

Martha smiles. "Well your father is a little old fashioned. I think he half-expected you to wait until you were married. Trust me he'll get over it."

"Mom I hope you know I would never mean to do anything to disappoint you or dad."

"I know Clark." Martha gently cups his cheek and sighs. "You're growing up so fast," she says with motherly regret. "Part of me still wants you to be a little boy but you're not. You're a young man."

"I'll always be your little boy mom," Clark promises her, his expression so like that little boy he was the day Martha and Jonathan found him.

Martha pulls him into her arms and holds him for a long time.

* * *

"Ah can't believe Dom was right," Rogue mutters.

"What?" Jean asks her. The two of them were walking side by side as they headed back to camp. Scott was waiting for Clark wishing to speak to him.

"Dom, she said you and Scott had done it."

"How did she...?" Jean gasps in horror. "Was she spying on us?" she exclaims. The thought that someone watched her and Scott...

"No," Rogue corrects that notion. "She guessed it. Something about tha way ya were being all happy and glowy."

"Oh. I guess I have been smiling a lot this morning," Jean concedes making a mental note to watch that.

"Ya and meh both," Rogue admits. "Although ah nevah thought ya and Scott had it in ya," she says with a smirk.

Jean blushes. "Could say the same of you and Clark," Jean hits back. Ok she didn't think Clark had it in him. Rogue she could just about imagine.

Rogue now blushes. "Ah guess but...gawd if tha others evah find out..."

"We'll never live it down," Jean says having that same nightmare. "They would hound us until we spilt everything."

"Yeah...but it was worth it," Rogue says with a smile.

Jean smiles and nods in agreement. "Yes. It was," she says. She and Rogue have never really been that close but now that they have shared something similar maybe that could change.

* * *

After talking to his mother Clark finds Scott waiting for him. "Something you want to talk about Scott?"

"Yeah," Scott says rubbing the back of his neck in a near identical impression of Clark's nervous habit. This is a conversation he never imagined having. "So...um...you and err Rogue?"

"You and Jean?"

"Yeah. Never saw that coming to be honest. We had only talked about it a couple of times and really I thought we were still a long way from being ready for this. I don't regret it though."

"I don't regret what Rogue and I shared and despite the fact we had talked about it was still a little out of the blue."

"You were more prepared than I was," Scott remarks.

Clark smiles at that one. "Well I guess I finally have one up on our fearless leader," he jests.

"As long as I never have to have that conversation again," Scott says in reference to what they just went through.

"You think it was bad for you. Two of those people are my parents."

Scott shudders at that as he imagines himself in Clark's shoes.

"And wait until you get to hear my mother lecture us on sex education when we get back home."

Scott shuts his eyes. He had almost forgotten that bit or maybe he had tried to block the horror from his mind. That's going to be a looonnngg day.

"Still it was worth it," Clark states firmly.

"Yes it was," Scott says in total and complete agreement.

"And in no way do we ever let Bobby find out about this," Clark says because if Bobby does...nightmare won't even begin to cover it.

"Definitely not. In fact lets not tell any of them ever," Scott decides in relation to everyone else. "And if that fails I have a girlfriend who can do mind wipes."

"Mine has entire files of blackmail material on everyone."

"Everyone?" Scott inquiries fearfully because who knows what Rogue could have on him.

"Don't ever ever get on Rogue's bad side," Clark advises. "Because this is what she can do before she can kill you with a touch."

"Don't tell Jean I said this but I think you win for whose girlfriend is scarier."

"You know the really scary part is that I can't argue with you on that."

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought I needed to come up with a way for Clark's alien nature to remain unknown so hence the idea of passing him off as human and claiming the Bayville Blur is a different person. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; We catch up with Lionel, Magneto, Mystique and the Brotherhood and Charles informs Hank and Ororo about what he discovered about Rogue and Domino._


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

**At a secret Luthorcorp facility...**

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

That is a phrase Lionel Luthor knows applies to him.

He had been forced to run and hide..._'like some common criminal_' he thinks in disgust at the situation he now finds himself in. SHIELD, along with every other law enforcement agency, were now after him. They were already shutting down his accounts in an attempt to starve him of cash. Well the accounts they could find anyway. He has secret accounts under false names in countries where even SHIELD has no influence and that can keep Lionel going for awhile but not indefinitely. However, hide Lionel may have to do in the short term but in the longer term he could get out of this. He knows he can. He will however need help as much as that galls him. In fact it galls him more because there is only one person he can turn to. The one person he is on the phone to now.

"You must be joking," the voice at the other end says in complete disbelief at the fact Lionel came to him of all people for help.

"You are my last hope son."

Lex has to restrain the impulse to snort derisively. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" Lex asks his father. "Luthorcorp is finished. The shares lost 99% of their value. You have bankrupted it!"

"Companies can be rebuilt. It is the bonds of family that matter."

"Family?" Lex queries almost boiling over with rage at his father referring to their relationship like that. "You don't know the meaning of the word. You were the one who drove my mother to suicide!" he rages.

"That's enough!" Lionel snaps angrily. "Don't you ever disrespect my feelings for her. She may have been your mother but she was my wife!"

"Ok fine!" Lex snaps petulantly. "Lets talk about us. When were you ever a father to me? My whole life you have set up to be one great battle between the two of us."

"I was preparing you to follow my footsteps," Lionel justifies the way he raised Lex. "Yes it may not have been what could be considered a traditional upbringing but it was to get you ready to survive which you have. Look at you Lex. Setting up your own company which within only a few months is already making profit. I'm proud of you."

"I don't want anything from you dad!"

"Then what do you want Lex? To see me in jail, in chains? To see Luthorcorp in ruins and hundreds of thousands employees laid off? I know you care about them. Is that what you really want?"

"You really don't get it do you? You really have no idea what is going on do you? After you vanished the board came to me and asked for me to come in and save Luthorcorp. I declined."

"What?" Lionel asks unable to believe he heard that.

If Lionel could see him he would see a cruel cold smile on Lex's face. "Luthorcorp is finished and I'm going to be the one who puts it out of its misery," he informs his father sounding quite vindictive about it. Lex continues, "And when it is liquidated I can buy up its valuable assets at a fraction of their true value. Overnight I will make Lexcorp a global giant...and as for you dad yes I want to see you in jail, in chains and frankly it is too good for you. Goodbye!" Lex says with utter finality to emphasise that any link to his father is over as he ends the call.

Lionel stares at the phone in his hand enraged beyond description at the rejection of his own flesh and blood. Suddenly immense stabbing pains shoot through his liver. He collapses to the floor clutching at his side.

"Mr Luthor!"

It is Dr Groll, head of Project Prometheus, that shouts in panic as he runs over to Lionel's fallen form. He reaches into the pocket of his lab coat and pulls out a syringe. He jabs it into Lionel's neck and injects the contents.

The pain subsides and Lionel takes a moment to regain his breath. Dr Groll helps him up to a sitting position.

"Your condition is accelerating," Dr Groll has to grimly inform Lionel.

"How long?" Lionel asks his eyes for once showing the true weariness he feels.

"Days at most."

Lionel gets to his feet. "Then there is no choice," he declares. Lionel marches through the building he is in. The facility he is in. His secret facility where Dr Groll had been perfecting Project Prometheus. He walks into the room where it is held suspended by wires from the ceiling off the ground. To an outside observer it looks like a green suit of armour with the gauntlets and boots purple in colour and at the most basic level it is essentially what it looks like. Thanks to what was gleaned from Trask's designs of the Sentinels it was now fitted with directed energy weapons able to be fired from the gauntlets. This suit would also give its wearer great powers of strength and speed.

It was why Lionel commissioned the project in the first place all those years ago. It was suppose to be the next generation of weapon systems. A dozen soldiers in suits like this was the equivalent of a whole army. However they could never get it to work off its unique power source; the meteor rocks which were the only substance capable of generating the amount of power required to make it feasible. It looked like an unsolvable problem until Trask came along. The power distribution system for the Sentinels solved all the problems. The only difficult part had been scaling it down from 50 foot robots to a man-sized suit of armour.

The suit would be able to do much but the only part Lionel cared about at the moment was the suit's inbuilt life-support systems that would keep prevent his liver disease from killing him.

"Mr Luthor I must caution you I have barely done the computer simulations and in 20% of those the subject died," Dr Groll informs Lionel at where he is in testing the suit. For it to work the suit had to be tied directly into the nervous system. The strain on even a healthy body of that initial process was immense let alone the condition Mr Luthor is in. At best this is cutting edge science. At worst it is the realm of science fiction.

"I am dying anyway Dr Groll," Lionel points out. Therefore he has nothing left to lose. "How soon can you begin the procedure?"

Dr Groll can tell Mr Luthor won't be dissuaded. "An hour. I need an hour to set it up."

Lionel nods in approval. "Then begin. For you see doctor this suit is the only means I have to fulfil the only thing I have left now my son has rejected me."

"What?"

Lionel looks at Dr Groll who takes a step back at the cold dark look in Lionel's eyes. He smiles a smile of pure cold almost malevolent evil and speaks a single word in the same cold dark manner to match his expression. "Revenge."

* * *

**The Boarding House...**

The Brotherhood were starting to get cabin fever. As per orders they were staying out of things. Secretly a few of them were glad they hadn't been exposed as mutants considering what was going on. Even 4 days after mutants had been exposed it was all that was on television. Of course Magneto had done his bit to stir that up with his broadcast. Certain websites preaching mutant supremacy that had mysteriously and conveniently appeared were also stirring it up. Most of it was propaganda but as with the best propaganda little pieces of the truth were mixed in.

Neutron was slightly going out of his mind with boredom. All that action going on and where was he? Stuck in this lame place. What he wouldn't give for someone to beat up. He is then shouted at by Pietro that it is his bet. He, Pietro and Lance were currently playing poker around the kitchen table.

In the lounge Toad was currently sitting upside down on the couch watching the tv next to Fred who was eating a whole chicken at the moment.

"This is soooo boring yo," Toad complains to Fred.

Fred nods in agreement. "Yeah. I would love to go do something."

"You will be no such thing until Magneto directs you to," Mystique's stern tones tell Fred.

Toad and Fred look as Mystique walks into the lounge. They thought she had been down in the basement training Puzzler and Plastique. With this apparent war imminent it was vital for Mystique to get the Brotherhood as ready as possible in the time she has available and she was concentrating on training the new members. The two girls needed it most because unlike Neutron they weren't superstrong or highly resistance to injury as he was.

Pietro zips in from the kitchen. "Yeah and when is that going to be?" he asks, his tone snippy as it had been ever since Puzzler clocked him one when he was about to go off and rescue Wanda. He simply glared at Puzzler all the time now. She was on his list now of people he had a grudge against and when the moment comes he will get some payback.

Mystique stares Pietro down. "When your father decides it is time," she states. "And do not push me on this Maximoff or I will tell him about how you were about to disobey his orders," she refers to the fact he was almost about to run off and interfere during the X-Men's fight with the Sentinels. Puzzler had informed Mystique about it, no doubt to try and curry favour with Magneto which was fine by Mystique as it made the girl's actions predictable.

Pietro for once stares Mystique back. "She is **my sister**," he says emphasising the sister part. "Would you just stand by and do nothing?"

"I did," she says her voice cold in reference to Kurt and Rogue although Pietro only knows that Kurt is her son.

Pietro laughs. "You were concerned about freak-boy?"

Mystique' face twists in fury and her hand ends up wrapped around Pietro's neck and she physically lifts him off the ground. "Do not ever refer to my son in that manner!" she snarls angrily. "Do you understand me?"

Pietro nods as his face starts to turn blue. Mystique drops him. She kneels down next to the now gasping for breath boy. "As for your sister she made her choice as did my son. Neither of us has to like it but you will do what Magneto commands. We are about to fight a war. I suggest you start mentally preparing yourself because take it from me war is not some adventure where we all have a jolly old time," she says her voice dripping with sarcasm. "War is the most horrendous thing you can imagine and if you don't start bucking up your ideas you won't last 5 minutes," she tells him from her own personal experience of 2 World Wars and numerous other conflicts she has seen. Mystique stands up straight and looks at the rest of them. "And that goes for all of you," she says seriously.

She gives that a few moments to sink in.

"Mother?"

Mystique spins round and smiles in delight at who has appeared in the entrance hall. "Alicia!" She moves and embraces her daughter in a hug. She then takes a good few minutes fussing over Alicia's appearance as only a mother does. Mystique cocks her head to the side slightly. Her woman's intuition was flaring up. Something about Alicia was different. There was a...glow about her. "Are you alright?"

"Of course Mother," Alicia assures her.

Mystique intuition is heightened further by the fact Alicia isn't quite meeting her gaze. What is going on?

"He wants to see you," Alicia informs her mother as to why she is here and conveniently changing subjects.

Mystique nods. "Avalanche!" she shouts at him. "You're in charge until I get back. No-one leaves. Am I clear?"

Lance wanders in from the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. It's clear," he says with not a great deal of enthusiasm. He was still plagued with doubts about this.

Mystique stares at him for a moment. Now what is going on with him? First his heart wasn't in this and then it was and now it seems it isn't again. She does not have time to play mother to him as well. She doesn't want to be his mother. She holds her hand out and Alicia takes it before teleporting them both away to see Magneto.

* * *

**At the secret Luthorcorp facility...**

Lionel lays flat down on hos back on a metal table naked apart from a pair of skin-tight black shorts. Above him is the chest piece of the armour suspended, waiting to be lowered into place.

"The chest piece contains the power source and must be fitted first," Dr Groll is explaining. "This is so when the other pieces are put in place there is power to immediately feed their circuits."

"I understand doctor," Lionel says a little contemptuously at being talked to like an idiot as if he didn't know this already.

"When activated the suit will immediately deploy microfibres which will penetrate your skin and link up to your nervous system. It will be an...unpleasant experience," Dr Groll warns, his face grim underlining just how unpleasant an experience this is likely to be.

"If you mean it will hurt doctor just say so."

"It will be beyond the worst pain you can imagine. That's why in the simulations 20% died because it caused a complete nervous system shut-down."

"I have little left to lose. Do it," Lionel orders.

Dr Groll activates the machine and the chest piece lowers down until it comes into contact with Lionel's skin. Lionel twitches as the metal, thanks to a sort of glue, starts to bond to his skin. This means that once on the suit can't be removed without peeling away the entire top layer of skin. It was one of the flaws Dr Groll hadn't managed to sort out. Dr Groll's hand moves towards a lever. "To kick start the power cell I must infuse a large amount of electrical energy. Brace yourself," he warns Lionel.

Lionel braces himself and Dr Groll pulls the lever. Electricity flows into the suit and Lionel cries out in pain. On the front of the chest piece above the heart the green hexagonal power cell begins to flicker with green glowing light as it comes to life. The chest piece activates, the microfibres penetrate the skin and tap into the nerves and Lionel screams louder as his entire nervous system comes alive as if on fire.

* * *

**The Campsite...**

It is after lunch and Clark wanders over to the edge of the camp where Domino sits when she wants to be be alone and maintain her guns.

"Something I can help you with tall, dark and handsome?" she asks pleasantly while not looking up at him just yet.

"I want to thank you."

Now Domino stops cleaning and looks up at him. "For?" she asks puzzled.

"Rogue told me you helped her a lot after Stryker told her about how she came to be. That you were there for her as a friend and I want to thank you."

Ah so Rogue told him and still she is smiling like a loon. Domino can guess that means he took it all ok. In reply to him she says, "That's what family is for. Besides I wasn't going to let him do to her what he did to me."

"Which was?"

"Rather not talk about it."

Which considering how Domino loves to talk shows Clark that it must have been unpleasant and difficult for her. As well as feeling compassion for her it is also stoking up his anger. Stryker has a lot to answer for one of these days.

"I should also say thank you."

"For?" Clark asks puzzled.

"For making Rogue happy. I mean she is positively glowing. It's like she had mind-blowing sex or something," Domino says with a smirk.

Clark's cheeks flush with heat.

Domino chuckles. Kids today. So easily embarrassed. "Don't fret. I promised Rogue I wouldn't say anything," she tells him.

"Thanks," Clark says, his voice a bit squeaky.

"No problemo but you break her heart and I break you. Capish?"

"I was with you all the way up to capish," Clark says with what Domino would call an adorable goofy smile.

Domino chuckles at his humour.

"Seriously. If I ever do anything to break her heart I'll tell you how to break me."

Domino shakes her head at how sincere he is. "You're far too good a guy for a world like this."

"Um...thanks," Clark says not sure what to say back to that.

Domino shrugs. "I just calls them as I sees them."

"I noticed," Clark remarks but unlike certain other people who never shut up, he means Live Wire, for some reason Domino doesn't get on his nerves. Unlike Live Wire Domino is actually funny and her voice doesn't grate on him like Live Wire's does.

Domino chuckles again. "You just take care of Rogue and you and I will get along just fine. I hope there are no hard feelings about what happened at the dam. I wasn't exactly my altruistic best," she says in reference to some things she said and did while she sort of apologises but not quite.

"You were angry and resentful. I'm sure you had your reasons for that and I rarely take things personally."

"What does it take to get on your bad side?"

"Trust me Stryker is there along with Lionel Luthor. People with so much power, money and intelligence and they misuse it all for their own selfish immoral ideals. Drives me nuts when they could do so much to help people."

Yep. That boyscout crack she made at the dam definitely holds water. "So we friends?" Domino wonders.

"If you're family to Rogue you're family to me," Clark says with a smile.

Domino smiles back at him and good lord does he have an infectious beautiful smile. She has to say she really has made the right choice choosing the X-Men. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming it is almost off-putting but it is such a nice change to what she endured under Stryker. It makes Domino just about believe that maybe now she can rebuild the life Stryker took away from her the day he snatched her.

* * *

Across the camp Ororo steps abroad the x-jet where she finds Charles taking a moment to be alone with his thoughts. As they had discussed earlier they had made contact with Amanda, Paul, Taryn, Chloe and Pete all of whom were more than eager to help by coming to Congress. Chloe especially was not going to turn down the opportunity as a reporter to be there at no doubt one of the most pivotal moments in human history. Congress would be in session tomorrow. First thing tomorrow morning they would leave and Charles prays that reason will prevail.

"Penny for you thoughts," Ororo jests lightly.

Charles smiles slightly. He was just working out what he would say to Congress tomorrow. "How are things?"

"Better. Now that we have a plan the students seem to be more optimistic about us going home," she informs him after they had gathered everyone together earlier and explained what they were planning to do.

"I'm glad."

"Of course it goes without saying that Scott, Jean, Clark and Rogue were already in good moods."

Charles smiles at that too as strange as that might sound. He had noticed it when they were all sitting together having lunch. The secret little smiles, the holding hands and affectionate touches. It is quite inspiring and uplifting to see young love displayed so openly. Although sooner or later that was going to get noticed by the others.

"Magneto is not going to let up is he?" Ororo asks because when Clark talked to Pete and Chloe he found out about Belle Reve being broken into and the mutants released. From the description Chloe gave of who did the attacking it was obviously the same mutants they fought in New York.

Charles shakes his head sadly. Magneto was not going to stop stirring up fear and hatred until he had pushed the government into doing something over-reactionary like some kind of crackdown on mutants. Perhaps using the army to do so and then Magneto would have his excuse to start the war. "No...which is why we must succeed tomorrow. I can't let him do this Ororo."

Ororo can hear the guilt and sadness in Charles' voice. Guilt for perhaps not stopping Magneto sooner and sadness at how lost his friend has become. "I heard Kitty mention something about websites and social media?" she queries of a conversation she partially overheard between Kitty and the Professor.

Charles nods. "Someone has set up sites expunging essentially propaganda about mutant supremacy and encouraging them to rise up and claim their destiny in a revolution not unlike what has transpired in the Arab world recently."

"Someone as in Magneto," Ororo assumes.

"That is my assumption. Kitty did make a good point that now we have been exposed we should use such media to reach out to our fellow mutants with our message. We have limited equipment with us here but Kitty is very skilled with computers and I agreed to let her start setting up what she can to counter Magneto's message. Hopefully it will be enough to do so."

"I'm sure it will be. We both believe by nature people are generally good. The vast majority people just want to live in peace."

"It all comes back to Congress tomorrow," Charles argues. "If we succeed we prove Magneto wrong and ourselves right. The current hysteria will die down and Magneto will lose any support he has managed to stir up thus far."

Again that is the belief Charles is working by but it is better to live by a hopeful belief than the dark one Magneto lives by. Charles decides to change subjects. They had a chosen course of action. Rehashing it over and over wasn't going to help the odds that it would succeed. He could work on the speech he would make to Congress a little later. "How about our new friend? What do you think of her?"

"Domino?" Ororo asks Charles to confirm whom he means. Charles nods. "She likes to talk," Ororo will say that about her and she doesn't find it a particularly endearing quality. "She seems to have an opinion on everything...and she seems overly fond of those guns of hers," Ororo adds as another down point. The guns make her uncomfortable.

"Yes we will have to do something about that," Charles concedes. He hates guns too because really they are only good for one thing; killing. "Perhaps when this is over we can ask Forge to come up with something less lethal," he suggests.

"Like some kind of stun weapon?"

"He did it for the Danger Room. I doubt he would find it hard to scale something down to handgun size. Domino has undoubted skill...and Rogue is fond of her. I don't want to drive her away if I can help it. She can be an asset."

"There is something else isn't there," Ororo can guess from Charles' tone.

"I think it better Hank is here as well," Charles says as he telepathically summons Beast. As soon as Hank arrives Charles explains all that he learned while captive about Domino, Rogue, Beta Squad and how Stryker created them.

"Monstrous," Hank mutters at the unethical practices.

"Does Logan know?" Ororo asks, her anger barely in check at what Stryker has done.

Charles shakes his head. "No. The only one I am fairly certain he is related to is Domino if what she said was true about her being composed of all the mutants that were part of Weapon X."

"What does that make him to her?"

Hank works it out what she is if she is composed of several different individual donors. "He is the equivalent of her great grandfather at closest...genetically speaking...or you could call her his 1st cousin. The percentage of DNA in common is the same. It depends on precisely how many different individual donors Stryker used."

"And Rogue? The others?" Ororo asks as in could they be related to Logan too.

"It was why in part I wanted them to come with us but they refused as you'll recall. As for Rogue I am uncertain it has fully occurred to her the implications."

"That for all we know Logan could be her father," Ororo verbalises it.

"No way to be certain until I can do tests," Hank says.

"Do we tell him?"

"I think perhaps not until after tomorrow," Charles thinks is the best idea. "If we tell him we all can guess his reaction and tomorrow is too important. If it goes well then we will have all the time we need to sort out the revelations this brings."

Ororo doesn't like to keep it secret from Logan but she can't help but agree. Tomorrow was essentially do or die. It goes well or they face the prospect of going to war. Now that she has heard this revelation she can't help but think that Logan really could be Rogue's father. She can remember the two of them arguing and the thought entering her head of how similar they were to each other. What if that was truer than she thought it to be at the time. Still it leaves one question. Charles had mentioned Stryker commenting that Rogue looked like her mother. Ororo can't help but wonder who Rogue's mother is.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

"He calls me and then makes me wait for hours," Mystique mutters to herself in complaint as she waits outside a door to Magneto's inner chamber.

"Well well now. Nice to see you again Raven."

Mystique groans as she spots Sabretooth approaching with a feral grin on his face. "Don't get any ideas Victor. It was one night and it will only ever be one night," she states quite clearly to him that she will never end up in bed with him again in response to his almost lecherous expression.

"Your loss," Sabretooth says with a shrug.

"Hardly," she says with utter distain. God what had she been thinking or more accurately what had she been drinking? Answer; too much of everything.

"You ever see him?" Sabretooth asks her.

"Him?" she seeks Sabretooth to clarify whom he means.

"Our boy."

"Why would I want to? He's only a pathetic flat-scan human," Mystique says with a lot of derision for her own flesh and blood.

"Yeah. He always was a complete disappointment," Sabretooth says in agreement with her sentiments about their son. "Last I heard he had amounted to nothing switching from one menial job to another."

"If you say so. I've washed my hands of him."

"And switched them to Haze. What's the matter? Starting to feel lonely in your old age?" he teases her.

Mystique scoffs and quickly pours scorn upon him. "That's rich coming from someone who has a good 7 decades on me and unlike Logan you get to remember it all don't you?"

A deep laugh erupts from Sabretooth. "It's always amusing to have that constant advantage over the runt. Perhaps just before I kill him I'll let him in on who we are to each other."

"Good luck with that," Mystique says dryly. Personally it would make her day if Sabretooth and Wolverine killed each other.

"Mystique!" Magneto's voice thunders from within.

"Got to go. As always Victor please let someone kill you before we meet again," she says before she walks inside.

Sabretooth grins in amusement at her genuinely heartfelt expressed opinion. At least he can say she never changes. She always has been and always will be a cold, heartless, selfish bitch.

Mystique walks in as Magneto works at a large computer system with a huge screen on the far wall from where she entered. "You summoned me?" she announces her presence.

Magneto stops his work and turns round. "I did."

Mystique looks at what is on the monitor behind Magneto's head. "You set up those websites?" she asks having heard about them from Puzzler.

"A way for our brothers and sisters to get in contact," Magneto explains why he did it. "I have already reached hundreds. Our revolution will soon begin," he declares confidently. After all the revolutions in the Arab countries were organised by using the new social media. There is no reason Magneto cannot do the same to organise the mutant revolution and the most ironic bit of all is that he would be using a human creation to overthrow the tyrannical human regime.

"You know the government can shut those down," Mystique points out.

"And they will try I have no doubt and in doing so prove the truth of humanity's tyrannical nature when they violate their own constitution which guarantees freedom of expression."

_'So says the self-appointed sole leader/dictator of the mutant race,'_ Mystique mentally pours scorn on Magneto's declaration. Out-loud she asks, "What do you need me for?"

"We'll get to that in a moment," he delays her. "First I have something to show you."

Magneto turns back to the computer and brings up a new image. One of a satellite image of a lake. "Alkali Lake," he explains what it is.

"Stryker's base," Mystique knew it to be.

"Take this as the before picture. Here is the after."

The picture changes to show a destroyed dam and a flooded valley. "How?" Mystique asks as in how did that happen?

Magneto brings up another satellite image of a certain black jet.

"The X-Men?" Mystique queries with noticeable surprise in her voice that they would be responsible.

Magneto smiles pleased by what this means in his mind about the X-Men starting to realise that his way is the only way. "Indeed. Couldn't have done a better job myself," he praises them with false modesty about himself.

"Is Stryker dead?"

"Uncertain but irrelevant. His base is destroyed and his organisation has been dealt a crippling blow. With Luthorcorp being seized the MRD are now essentially an inert element. They're finished which leaves us free to move onto the next phase which is why I summoned you. I have a task for you."

"What task?"

"Tomorrow Congress meets and considering the isolated location where he is held I need this done tonight."

"Where who is held?"

Magneto does not answer Mystique's question right away. "This meeting of the US Congress is the perfect opportunity. It is the perfect moment to act to push them over the edge. They will, as is human nature, give in to their fears and hatreds and the war shall begin. To ensure this I need to unleash an unstoppable engine of destruction to scare them senseless."

Unstoppable? Oh no. He couldn't possibly mean...not him! Anyone but him. After the way she was betrayed last time she freed him Mystique loathes him. If she had her way he would rot in that tube floating in that suspended animation fluid until the end of time.

Magneto unfortunately confirms it is who Mystique thinks it is. "It's time Mystique. Time to unleash the Juggernaut!"

* * *

_Author's Note: Considering what is going on with the uprisings in the Arab world it occurred to me that why couldn't Magneto use social media to organise his mutant uprising so that is what I had him do. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the X-Men make their case to Congress._


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

The sun is only just rising over the horizon as the Black Widow overlooks the Luthorcorp facility SHIELD had tracked Lionel Luthor down to. He would not get away this time. She had the necessary units moving into position. Not as many as she would have ideally liked but SHIELD was overstretched with everything that was going on.

There were guards armed as one would expect for a private security force and patrolling the perimeter in the standard manner. It wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with a hundred times over and more. She orders the units in and with acceptable efficiency the perimeter guards are subdued. Natasha makes her way into the building disarming and disabling any guards she comes across. She finds her way into what is obviously a lab of some sort.

Natasha goes to the nearest computer and hacks her way in. Maybe she will discover what it is that brought Lionel here when he could have gotten out of the country by now. What she manages to find is both deeply worrying and possibly extremely useful. Even a customary glance at the Project Prometheus plans would indicate the possibility of creating a powerful weapon for SHIELD. This could rival what Tony Stark has been working on. It would save her the trouble of having to steal his work.

Then from directly behind her a voice, "I don't believe you are authorised to read that Ms Romanova."

Luthor.

Natasha tenses.

She spins on the spot and raises her bracelets which are devices capable of delivering electro-static discharges of up to 30,000 volts. Unfortunately for her Lionel raises the hand of his armoured suit first and the last thing Natasha sees is a green blast of energy hitting her dead-on.

* * *

**The Campsite...**

That morning the students are packing up their sleeping bags and everything else in the hope that this is the last day they have to sleep out in the wood. Today was the day they would get their lives back. It meant there was an energetic atmosphere around the camp. The Professor, Beast and Storm had already set off to go pick up Chloe and Pete to start with. By leaving this early there was time to go to Smallville and get back in time to pick up Paul, Taryn and Amanda from Bayville before one last quick stop back here to pick up the Kents before they would head to Washington. In fact at the Blackbird's top speed Smallville wasn't really that far away so there was definitely time. For the first time in days they weren't rushing or being forced to only react to events. They had a workable plan.

Clark is just fishing out a pair of his glasses that he had packed away in his emergency kit. He had been informed of the idea to protect him. He was happy and he was not. Clark was fearful about being found out to be an alien but then again he wouldn't be ashamed to be labelled with the others as a mutant. They were family to him. He said this which got him proud smiles from everyone. They shouldn't have to take the heat while he is relatively protected. However the Professor was quite insistent on at least trying to do this as were Clark's parents so Clark reluctantly consented into doing this.

Glasses slipped on his nose Clark turns to Kurt next to him. "Kurt. I was meaning to say thanks."

"For?" Kurt asks.

"Being there for me when Rogue was missing. I know I wasn't good company," he says apologetically. During those 3 days Kurt had tried to cheer him up but Clark was a bit of a bear with a sore head around everyone.

"Zhat's vhat friends are for," Kurt says simply. Yes Clark hadn't been his usual menial self but Kurt understood why and didn't hold it against him. "By zhe vay I vas meaning to ask vhat is going on vith you and Rogue?"

"In what way?" Clark asks praying to God Kurt hasn't figured out what he and Rogue did. There hadn't been any repeat mainly due to Logan watching them like a hawk. It was one reason Clark really hoped this went well so they could all go home and if he got to spend his nights with a certain Goth next to him he wouldn't say no. Of course that is after he sorts this thing with Jor-El out. Why can't his life be simple?

"You've been so...I don't know...happy." Kurt had also noticed the same thing with Jean and Scott. The two couples were almost inseparable being close and openly affectionate.

"I'm just happy to have Rogue back," Clark explains as innocently sounding as he can.

Kurt can't help but think that Clark isn't being entirely honest...but Clark is also a bit of a boyscout so he decides to take it at face value.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Unknown to the X-Men a huge man in brown armour was slowly, methodically, walking towards the New York area. He is the Professor's half-brother, Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut. The name was apt for he was an unstoppable force. How he got released he doesn't know. Maybe the system that was suppose to keep in a state of metabolic suspension caught a virus or something. However it happened Cain just took it as a lucky break. When he got to Bayville it would be an unlucky break for his _dear_ little brother.

To say Cain was angry would be an understatement. When he woke up he trashed the prison just to make sure no-one would ever put him back in there. It was a hell no-one could imagine and it was his brother's doing. His brother came up with a way to stop the unstoppable. For how long has it all been his brother's fault. It was his brother's fault that their father preferred Charles over his first born son. Cain's mother died giving birth to him and when he was...he can't have been more than 2 or 3 when his father married Sharon Xavier. Cain's father only married her for the money but the stupid bitch just had to get pregnant and give birth to the oh so precious Charles. Charles the favourite son who always got more love and preferential treatment while Cain got the beatings and punishments and for what? Bullying Charles?

Wasn't Cain's fault Charles was such a snivelling little weakling. At least the stupid bitch that was Charles' mother had the good grace to die although not soon enough for Cain to avoid the endless humiliations and punishments. To top it all off who got her inheritance as stipulated in her will. Take a guess that it wasn't Cain.

Did the humiliations never end where Charles always got picked ahead of him and Cain hasn't even gotten onto the fact how when they were growing up Charles dared to enter his mind. Oh it was an accident his brother would say. He couldn't control it he would say.

Cain's fists clench in rage. He didn't buy it then. He doesn't buy it now and to top off the disrespect as soon as their father died Charles changed his surname from Marko to Xavier. In fact Charles had been introducing himself for years as Charles Xavier. Humiliating and disrespecting Cain was one thing. Humiliating and disrespecting their father was quite another and Cain determined he would make his brother suffer 100 times over for everything he went through. He swore he would become Charles' living nightmare so he hunted down the Crimson Ruby of Cytorrax after hearing tales of its legendary mystical power. He used the Ruby to activate his own x-gene. The Ruby's mystical power though enhanced it to give Cain power beyond anything any mutant can possess. He became invulnerable with limitless strength. He became an unstoppable force. He became a human Juggernaut.

Oh yes Cain was angry because to top it off who put him back in his tube last time? Kids! A bunch of punk teenagers stopped the Juggernaut! The time before that it had taken over a dozen SHIELD special units to stop him and they only managed that thanks to his brother. Oh Cain was going to make them pay. He would break every one of those snotty kids in half and he would make his brother watch him as he did so.

As he walked Cain wrecked everything he came across but it was still not enough to assuage even the tiniest fraction of his anger. Then an idea strikes him. On the way to Bayville there is this small town he has to pass through. It is overshadowed by this dam. A cruel smile comes to Cain's face. Not only will that be fun it will almost certainly lure Charles to him and save him so much time for the quicker the end comes the better as far as Cain is concerned.

_'I'm coming for you brother,' _Cain thinks to himself. _'And this time I won't stop until I have destroyed everything that matters to you,'_ he swears.

Cain then kicks the state trooper car that foolishly just pulled up in front of him sending it and its occupants high into the sky. At their cries and screams Cain just grins in amusement.

* * *

**At the secret Prometheus facility...**

"I want to say never send a spy to do an archer's job," a highly amused voice breaks into Natasha's conscious. She flutters her eyes open and groans at the sight of the archer in the purple and black costume with the letter H on top of the mask over his head. "Did anyone ever tell you you are not funny Barton," Natasha tells Agent Clint Barton of SHIELD; codename Hawkeye.

"Just you. Can't imagine what that says about you," he jests.

"I have good taste," Natasha puts forward.

Hawkeye grins and offer her his hand. He isn't completely without manners. Natasha gets to her feet her head pounding.

"So care to fill me in?" Hawkeye asks after he had been sent in after SHIELD lost contact with the Black Widow and her squad.

"My men?" she asks first.

"Oh they're alright...mostly. A few might be needing traction," he jokes at the laid out state he found them in just like he found the Widow.

Natasha rolls her eyes at him. Did Clint ever take anything seriously? "Luthor?"

"No sign," Hawkeye tells her. "So come on Widow. You get sent on one simple mission to pick up a hairy old man and I find you passed out on the floor. Not enough sugar in your diet?"

"Remind me why I haven't killed you yet?"

"My award winning personality and my killer looks?"

Natasha scoffs at that. "You need to have that ego of yours shrunk down Hawkeye. It has trouble fitting in the same room as you."

Hawkeye finds this exchange of barbs amusing. He always does enjoy trading them with Natasha but the shouting in his ear by Fury reminds him he is on a mission. He reaches under his mask and pulls his communicator out his ear. He tosses it to Natasha. "Fury wants a word with you."

Natasha catches it and notes her communicator must have been damaged since she is hearing nothing. She explains to Fury everything that transpired and everything she found out up to the point she was knocked out. She is lucky to be alive. She wonders why Luthor didn't finish her off when he had the chance.

Fury rubs his head trying to assuage an enormous headache. "Are you telling me Lionel Luthor is out there somewhere in a suit of armour with enough fire-power to level a building?" he asks with an angry calmness to his tone.

"Yes sir," Natasha says a little reluctantly because it is her admitting her failure. Another failure. This has not been her finest few days and if Hawkeye ever finds out he will never let her hear the end of it.

"I don't need this and you know why I don't need this?"

"No sir."

"Because last night the Juggernaut escaped from his prison. You remember what it took to stop him last time don't you?"

"Yes sir." Natasha knows because she was there. She was one of the special units that eventually took him down but only after a fight that lasted for over an hour and left her laid up for weeks.

"You and Hawkeye find Luthor," Fury orders. "I'll deal with the search for the Juggernaut. Fury out!" he snaps.

Natasha almost cringes at the tone of Fury's voice. Fury was hard to live with when he was in that kind of bad mood. She throws Hawkeye his communicator back.

"So the standard look for clues?" Hawkeye inquiries because yes he liked to joke but equally he could do his job better than anyone else when he wanted to.

"Yes."

"Ok. While we do that perhaps you can tell me how Mystique also managed to get the drop on you," he says with an enormous smirk.

Natasha closes her eyes and swears in every language she knows and that is a lot of languages. Hawkeye is never going to let her live this down.

* * *

**The Campsite...**

The x-jet lands back at the campsite after having picked everyone up. Kurt had practically sprinted into Amanda's arms. Jean and Scott caught up with Paul and a rather green around the gills looking Taryn. Apparently flying didn't agree with her. Meanwhile Clark catches up with Chloe and Pete. Chloe had a world breaking pout going as she sulked at the fact she missed out on being able to report the battle with the Sentinels. She also doesn't refrain from commenting that Clark has a weird glow about him. Seriously is it that obvious that he had sex?

"Thanks for doing this guys," Clark says to Chloe and Pete. Scott says the exact same thing to Paul and Taryn.

"Hey if even half what you said you've been through is true it is probably not enough," Pete says.

"Well I still want to say thanks. By the way what did you tell your patents?" Clark asks as in what did they say about this.

Both Chloe and Pete look sheepish and Clark guesses, "You didn't tell them did you."

Chloe shrugs. "Well I was bound to give my dad a heart attack eventually. Might as well be today."

Pete hits her across the back of the head.

"Will you stop doing that!" Chloe yells at Pete as she rubs her head. "And what was it for this time?"

"Heart attack Chloe?" Pete just queries in disbelief at her insensitivity.

It takes a few moments but Chloe remembers. Clark's father. Clark had mentioned it over the phone. "Oh gee. Clark. I'm sorry," she apologises.

Chloe's mouth getting ahead of her again. Clark is use to it. He accepts her apology.

Paul briefly asks Scott if he is alright after being captured. Scott assures Paul that he is although Paul gets the feeling Scott isn't saying everything about what happened as he is trying to put on a front he is alright. That and something else is different about Scott that Paul can't quite identify. Taryn makes the almost exact same observation about Jean as well as noting the glow about her.

Just then Beast comes galloping out the x-jet and comes to a stop next to the Professor who is at the bottom of the ramp preparing to give a reassuring few words to everyone before they left. "We have a serious problem," Hank says, his face grim.

When Hank mentions about picking up police reports of a large man in brown armour Charles' face goes grimmer than Hank's. Charles didn't know how but from the description and the destruction that was being reported it could only be Cain. They had to stop him before he made things worse than they were already but they had to go to Washington as well. That could not be put off. This was their only chance.

Therefore the only option Charles had was that he would have to send the X-Men minus him to go fight the Juggernaut. Jean would have to take his place as the telepath to disable Cain...once they got that helmet of his off. Still he wished he didn't have to. The last thing he needs when trying to persuade Congress that they want to live in peace is to have his students fighting the Juggernaut but Cain had to be stopped.

"Ok so who exactly is this Juggernaut?" Domino asks after the Professor explains the situation and plan to everyone since she doesn't know anything about him.

The Professor gives the story of his half-brother who hates him so much he used mysticism to activate his x-gene and turn himself into the unstoppable Juggernaut.

"No offence there Prof but he sounds like one guy who didn't get enough spankings growing up," Domino comments.

Charles smiles sadly. "Quite the opposite I'm afraid Domino. Our father was a violent man." Charles didn't talk about it a lot as they were painful memories. He doesn't remember his father fondly as a result. In fact the complete opposite which is why he changed his surname to his mother's surname.

"Shit," Domino swears in response. "I walked right into that didn't I. Sorry," she apologises.

"It is quite alright," the Professor assures her. "You couldn't have known."

Still Domino feels bad. She knows what it is like to have an abusive father. A couple of her foster fathers were violent especially this one when he was drunk...bad memories she didn't want to dwell on. "So how do we stop this guy?" she asks.

"We?" Rogue queries from Dom as she implied she was including herself.

"Hey I just got myself a little sister. You really think I'm letting you go off and fight an unstoppable bully without me to watch your back."

Rogue smiles really touched by that.

"I appreciate the offer Domino," the Professor says. "But you must be aware that the Juggernaut is immensely dangerous. He will try and kill you without any compunction on his part," he tries to caution her about what she is getting into.

"He's welcome to try," Domino says in reply as she takes her guns out and twirls them a few times.

Rogue watches Dom do that and an idea hits her. "Ya said ya could shoot anything right?"

"Yep."

Rogue looks to Scott. "Tha latches for his helmet," she proposes as in Dom could shoot them.

Scott muses. That might work if they can get Juggernaut into a good position. Still he can't be certain it would work. The armour was tough. Then again this is the Juggernaut they are talking about and you have to do anything you can...take any edge you can to stop him.

"Someone want to clarify?" Domino asks having never seen the Juggernaut.

The Professor explains about the Juggernaut's only weakness; his mind and how enough psychic shock blasts can disable him. Problem to that is the helmet the Juggernaut wears attached to his armour by 4 latches that protects his mind.

"Hey you give me even a sniff of a shot and I can hit anything," Domino vows.

Clark listens on in silence. His powers literally only had hours to go by his reckoning and of all the threats they have to face it is the one that literally wiped the floor with him in the Danger Room simulation when he was at his full power. Clark never forgot that day. He virtually trashed the Danger Room...mostly with his face as Juggernaut pounded him into it and remember this about the Danger Room; it is not as dangerous as the real thing as it has safety protocols to prevent serious injury. It had been an extremely disconcerting experience for Clark to be that overpowered by someone. Clark came to the conclusion afterwards that that was why he had been made to take the simulation on his own so he would know what it is like to be on the opposite side to the normal one he is on. That was the lesson. "I'm coming too," he announces suddenly changing the plans about him going to Washington because he can't leave his friends to fight this battle. He would never be able to live with himself if he did leave and something happened to any of them.

"Clark. Your powers," his mother says in worry for him as in she knows he must be close to the end as far as his powers are concerned.

"I may be a whole lot less than 100% but I'm still the strongest person here," he argues. He looks to Scott. "If you can tell me you don't need me then I won't come," he says honestly meaning it. He wants to go but the decision is Scott's in the end.

Scott runs his hand through his hair. He had been brought up to speed on Clark's failing powers which in a situation like this were a liability yet he couldn't argue that Clark was still the strongest one amongst them. In fact even when Clark's powers give out he is sill stronger and faster than a 'normal' human if Scott remembers correctly. To top it all off this is the Juggernaut they are talking about. Their literal bogeyman. As he was thinking with Domino they need every edge they can get. "I can't say we don't need you," Scott confesses so therefore Clark is going.

Charles hates to think this since he is sending Clark to face possible serious injury but this could work out better to protect Clark's identity as he has a sudden idea. "Kurt," he addresses the blue-furred mutant. "Can I see your holowatch?" he requests holding his hand out.

* * *

**Capitol Hill, Washington DC...**

Inside Congress the joint sitting of the two Houses debate had been raging for hours. Accusations and counter-accusations about who knew what when about mutants thanks to Magneto's broadcast revealing that. The debate was currently the most watched tv programme in the history of the United States, and possibly the world, as the public watch, wait and see what their leaders will do to solve this crisis.

One of the main speakers Senator Mitchell gets back to his feet to try and get some kind of semblance and order. "It doesn't matter right at this moment who knew what when," he states. "That is a debate for another day. What we need to decide is what we do now."

That gets many mutters of agreement.

"Things have gotten completely out of hand. We have people being attacked in the streets accused of being mutants and even though it isn't right I don't blame the people for these attacks. After all how long have these things been walking our streets pretending to be one of us plotting and planning who knows what. We need to know who these people are, where they are, what they are capable of and contain them. Then we have this Magneto virtually declaring war on us. We need to have him and anyone who thinks like him hunted down and dealt with," Senator Mitchell says leaving the exact details of what 'dealt with' means deliberately vague. He continues, "If necessary we use the army to do so. We need to do this to ensure not only the safety of our country but more importantly the safety of our friends, families and loved ones."

There are more mutterings of agreement about that and permeating it all an air of fear.

Senator Mitchell can sense he has started shifting things his way. Now maybe he can get a majority to agree with him on the course of action that is needed. However before he can speak several people break in led by the Professor. "I wish to address this assembly!" he announces.

"Who the hell are you?" Mitchell asks with an angry sneer. He was just about to go into full flow and is most displeased at being interrupted.

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier," the Professor introduces himself. He notes his name gets a reaction from the assembled elected representatives. No doubt because the school had featured heavily on the news after the students had been identified as the ones in New York fighting the Sentinels. "Yes that Charles Xavier who runs the School for Gifted Youngsters," he confirms for them.

"Why should we let you speak?" Mitchell shoots back at Xavier. "We all saw what happened in New York. We now all know about the secret lower levels at that so-called school of yours. For all we know you are in league with this Magneto. Are you here to deliver an ultimatum on his behalf?"

"No," Charles says simply. One small word with so much power. "All I ask is the chance to be heard and to give our side of the story. For while there have been many voices in this debate there had not been a single one to speak for the **true** voice of mutantkind. Give me this one chance and I will show you Magneto's views are only a minority opinion. He does not speak for me nor for the majority of mutantkind. There need not be war for do we not all desire to live in peace?"

After some yelling and arguing the majority decide to hear the Professor out. "Thank you," he says gratefully as he takes centre stage along with Hank and Ororo. Jonathan, Martha, Paul, Taryn, Chloe, Pete and 'Clark' stand with them.

Charles can feel every eye on the room on him and sense even without meaning to the fear and anxiousness within them. The very thing he is here to allay. He addresses them, and as this is being broadcast around the world, the peoples of the world as well. "I shall start this by saying that we are not monsters or something you need to be afraid of. Yes we are different. We are a new branch of the human family. This is not a new thing for 100,000 years ago there were 3 human species living on this planet. It is the natural force of evolution being played out here and now but despite the differences one thing remains the same. We are still human. We live, we love, we fear, we feel pain just like everyone else. We have the same dreams and the same nightmares."

"Very eloquent Mr Xavier," Mitchell says not sounding impressed in the least by the pretty words. "Now perhaps you wish to explain what happened in New York."

"Magneto happened Senator," Xavier says simply. "You want me to prove that he does not speak for all of us. I couldn't come up with a better example. He lured us into what turned out to be a trap. His actions had us fighting for our very lives all because he decided alone that the time had come to expose our existence to the world on his terms. He put the lives of my students, who are arguably still children, and many other innocent people in jeopardy just to satisfy his own personal agenda. Now does that sound like a man any rational person would side with?"

There are a few whispered comments about that being a good point. That's something at least. Charles knows he is being very harsh on Magneto but Erik stepped way over a line this time. If portraying Magneto as a lone extremist prevents war Charles can live with that.

"Even if I was to believe that what about the fact you have been hiding amongst the general population for years?" Mitchell asks Xavier to explain.

"Again I refer you back to New York Senator. Magneto spoke the truth on one issue. The robots we fought were created by a normal human man for the sole purpose of hunting down mutants. Then afterwards our home was attacked as you have no doubt seen from the images of our home. Attacked by an organisation set up by Lionel Luthor."

That gets more reaction at the mentioning of Lionel's name.

"Yes the very same Lionel Luthor now on the run from the authorities. He funded the construction of the Sentinels. With people like that out there I ask can you blame us for being afraid how people would react and that is what it was Senator. That is why we chose to remain hidden. Fear. The very human emotion of fear. All we wish is to live in peace as equals and may I add this. During the fight with the Sentinels, a fight we never wished or were prepared for, we did everything we could to protect innocent people as has been shown on the news coverage."

There are a few whisperings from the assembled people about how that is true and a few counter ones about how people would never have been in danger if the mutants had not been there in the first place.

"That's all well and good but it still doesn't give any reassurance to the human population that we don't have to fear your kind as you claim you fear us," Mitchell says in such a tone that shows he doesn't buy that for a second. After all what do people with superpowers have to fear from people with none. It should be the other way round. Let Xavier try to refute it.

"Then why not ask them," Jonathan says as he steps forward volunteering to be the first one to refute that accusation. "My name is Jonathan Kent and by now I have no doubt you know that myself and my wife work and live at the Institute. What you are probably assuming is that we are mutants too. We are not. Myself, my wife...my son are all completely human." Jonathan can't stop the little hesitation before adding Clark into the claim of being human as he is telling a lie to protect his son. Of course over the years he has told many lies to protect Clark and if necessary he'll tell as many as it takes to keep Clark safe.

The claim to be human garners a few surprised reactions from the people present as if they really didn't expect that.

Jonathan was a nervous wreck and his heart really didn't need this kind of stress but this had to be done. "As a fellow human being I can assure you the people I live with are no threat to anyone. I have come to think of them almost as family. They are good bright kids who I have never had any worry about being friends with my son." He then holds his hand out at Beast. "This man here who I have no doubt you are judging on his appearance is one of the smartest people I know. He use to be a teacher until his mutation forced him to flee and give up a job he has told me he loved. Having seen him work with the children I know it to be true and that he was an excellent teacher who I know for certain must be missed by the human children he use to teach. Will you deny other children his skills or the skills of people like Dr McCoy simply because they are mutants?" he asks them. "For myself I will say this that in my judgement he is a good man who has and can continue to teach my son much and I am honoured to consider myself his friend."

Hank smiles slightly at Jonathan's words, deeply touched by them.

"If you are not a mutant Mr Kent how did you end up at this so-called school?" Mitchell asks, sounding like he doesn't quite believe Jonathan's claim to be a normal human.

Jonathan gives the story they worked out previously about how they met Charles and he pre-empts the obvious retort about the fact they were caught in the crossfire as proof mutants are dangerous with the following. "Magneto, yes, is dangerous," Jonathan concedes, because you can do nothing else, "but Charles and his students risked their lives to protect us during that encounter." Which is actually true when you recall Magneto attacking them on the farm. Jonathan continues, "Such willing selflessness was proof to myself at least that these were good people who deserved to be heard out and after listening to Charles talk about his students my wife and I decided these were immensely talented young people who needed help and guidance to fulfil their great potential. It was a conscious choice I made Senator and one I have never come to regret even in spite of the events of these last few days."

Jonathan then steps back, a little weary due to his poor health, and lets others speak. Paul and Taryn step forward their voices shaking betraying their nervousness as they speak about learning the truth about Jean and Scott and how in the end they decided it didn't change anything about their friendship or their feelings.

Pete and Chloe's stories take a little longer as by now stories about the meteor mutants of Smallville which had previously been ignored or dismissed as made up by the locals where now nation wide knowledge especially after the break out at Belle Reve. Being Clark's friend was used as to explain meeting the Professor and the X-Men which is essentially the truth.

Chloe returns to the issue of the meteor mutants when she is asked about fearing them after all the death and destruction they have brought. "None of these people asked to be changed," Chloe says in defence of the meteor mutants who once changed couldn't handle the power they were given and committed all the acts Chloe spent years reporting on. "None of them asked for the power they were given. For that they should not be condemned. What they needed was people like Professor Xavier to give them help, support and understanding. That is what they...that is what all mutants need Senator and I know this a little better than most because I did that with someone I use to date and I knew he was a mutant before we dated. It didn't matter to me because what I was interested in was the type of person he was."

"Then why is he an ex-boyfriend Miss Sullivan?" Senator Mitchell asks her, attempting to imply by his tone that it was the fact he was a mutant that caused the break-up.

It wasn't by the way. Jordan had been keeping secrets and he just wouldn't open himself up and Chloe got tired of being the only one seemingly trying to make it work. Also her feelings weren't getting any stronger and she had come to the conclusion that if it was this hard it was doomed to fail so she ended it. However as for what Mitchell is implying...Chloe smirks. He has no idea who he is messing with. "Why do you have an ex-wife Senator?" she shoots back. "The answer to your question is probably similar."

They are actually a few laughs that echo around at Chloe's retort. Mitchell's face turns red with suppressed anger or embarrassment. One of them.

Amanda takes her turn to step forward still trying to hold back her laughter at Chloe's retort. That was so funny. She explains how she is currently dating someone from Xavier's. She doesn't say who exactly to protect Kurt although when she gets home her parents will probably want to know after they ground her forever. She kind of neglected to mention she was coming here. Anyway like Paul, Taryn, Chloe and Pete Amanda briefly tells her story which has many of the same elements as the others That the fact Kurt and the rest of them were different didn't change any of her feelings for them and that in her opinion they were good people who she is honoured to call her friends.

Martha then takes her turn and steps forward as 'Clark' stands slightly behind the group and remains silent. Martha addresses the assembly. "As my husband mentioned he and I are simple farmers. We worked the land and grew food. One day we had the fortune to bump into Charles Xavier...and yes you did not mishear me. I said fortune. He told us of his students and how he honestly admitted to needing help not with their powers but with the normal issues one gets with teenagers going through puberty and becoming adults," she gives her version of how they ended up at the mansion. "Now at first I wasn't sure if I could help but I like to think of myself as a generous person and so is my husband. We chose to give it a trial run I suppose you could call it. In the process I made a good dear friend in Ororo Munroe who is one the kindest most caring people you could meet. To reflect my husband's words I consider it a honour to be her friend."

That touches Ororo deeply and she feels the same way about Martha and their friendship.

Martha continues. "Standing here now having endured everything we have these last few days I can tell you without hesitation or doubt that like my husband I don't regret the choice I made. They are good children. I have seen them laugh, I have seen them cry, they are as mischievous as any child but it is always in the lightest of manners. They can do amazing things and I don't mean solely with the powers they possess and many of them have done this despite the fact they come from broken homes or in some cases because they were thrown out because they were different."

Martha's face becomes a mixture of sadness and anger at that. "I care for them now like were my own family. At their hearts they are good and I believe in them. They should not be punished for the fact they are different. We are all different. You cannot blame them for being mutants. Many didn't know what they were until their powers manifested. There are many out there whose powers have not manifested and don't know they are mutants. Your children could be mutants," she points out to the assembled Congress. "Would you honestly throw them away if they were? For myself if my son was I could not. I would never stop loving and caring for him for he is my son. Every mutant is someone's son or daughter and they all need to be loved and treated as such. Not doing so would only take this nation back to a period of separation and judgement I thought was consigned to the history books."

Martha holds her hand out in Jonathan's direction and he takes it. "One last thing ladies and gentleman as a demonstration of how much my husband and I believe in this is the following. During the attack on the mansion my husband suffered a heart attack. He should be in a hospital yet he is here speaking to you risking his health and possibly his very life. Why you may ask."

Martha looks to Jonathan and he returns to the microphone to answer it. "Because the cause of peace is more important than my health. I love those children. They are no threat to anyone and I am here to see they live in a world of peace and equality even if I don't live to see it."

Charles is impressed. The passion was palpable from the Kents. They spoke most eloquently as well and the fact this came from what you would call salt of the earth Americans and humans had to make an impact on the people here.

The assembled men and women of Congress start talking to each other. On some it had had no impact. Their views were unchanged. On others it definitely had but which way the majority was going was not yet clear. If they chose to go ahead with some kind of crackdown reinforced with segregation of the mutant population or regressive and discriminatory laws against the mutant population then Magneto had won. He would use that as an excuse to go to war. Charles can only pray and hope reason prevails.

Just then a female aide to Senator Mitchell whispers something in his ear and hands him a remote. He brings the hall to order and addresses it once more. "They are fine words you have all spoken. I congratulate you on that but that is all they are. Words. If mutants are truly not a threat then perhaps you can explain this to me?" he asks them as he click on the remote.

Several screens around the hall light up showing live coverage of the Juggernaut trashing a dam which if he destroyed would wipe out the town below and kill thousands. Currently he was battling the military who were unsurprisingly losing badly against the unstoppable force as the Juggernaut destroys the 2 helicopters firing on him. Mitchell just glares at Xavier and dares him to try and explain this.

* * *

_Author's Note: In the comics Juggernaut is Charles' step-brother. Cain Marko's father married Charles' mother for her money after Charles' father died and she was a widow. In evo it was said quite clearly that Cain is Charles' half-brother and also possesses a x-gene so I came up with that bit where they have the same father. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the showdown with the Juggernaut!_


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

It's never very hard to find the Juggernaut. All you have to do is follow the path of destruction that is literally miles wide.

"Glad to see he has liked mellowed," Kitty tries to joke as the Velocity flies over the destruction on its way to the confrontation with the Juggernaut just as the sun sets. Of course in reality Kitty was a nervous wreck on the inside. This was the Juggernaut after all they were about to fight. There was no bigger hitter on the list of enemies they had fought.

"So what's the plan here One-Eye?" Domino asks Scott as she checks her guns.

"The usual one. We hit him hard and fast, try to keep him off balance and get his helmet off so Jean can disable him with her telepathy. Domino you just find the best position you can to try and get a shot off and please try not to hit your team-mates."

"Wow. I would never have thought of that," Domino says with immense sarcasm. "Thanks for that fearless leader."

Rogue sniggers. It was almost as snarky and sassy a reply as she would have given.

"Great. Two of them," Scott mutters disparagingly in relation to Domino and Rogue.

The news feed of Juggernaut's fight with the military is brought up on a small screen in the Velocity.

"Gee he is in some serious need of a makeover," Domino remarks. "That armour look is so last medieval period."

"Do you have an opinion on everything?" Logan asks her from his position in the pilot's seat, his voice gravelly deep in irritation at Domino's incessant talking. Logan likes peace and quite and talking to people only when he really has to.

"Sure do Hairy," Domino quips merrily. "And talking of makeovers when this is over we seriously need to do something with your look. That whole trying to be dark, brooding and intimidating is out. Maybe we could give your hair a nice braid. That would lighten it up."

Most of the X-Men can't stop themselves sniggering. Logan growls and swears as soon as they get back and get the Danger Room up and running again he will make sure they suffer. Doubly so for Domino. He just knows he is going to regret the fact they let her join.

As they near the dam Jean's nervousness builds. Her stronger power has always been her telekinesis. Her telepathy may not be up to this. She should have practised more. Scott can practically feel Jean's worry. After their night together it seemed easier than ever to pick up her feelings. He takes her hand, squeezes it and thinks to her _"I know you can do it"_.

That makes Jean feel better a little bit and she gives him a small smile. Still she wasn't sure she could do this. It is very hard to do to disable a mind in this fashion but still having Scott here holding her hand, sensing his belief in her, seems to give her more strength.

Rogue turns her attention to her own boyfriend who is sitting looking straight forward, his stare intense. "Hey. Ah'm suppose ta be tha only dark brooding one in this relationship," she jokes lightly.

Clark manages a small smile at that.

"What's tha matter?"

"This is it. For my powers. After this they'll be gone, exhausted," he tells her. "I'll be mortal."

"There's something else isn't there," she guesses.

"You know me so well," he says pleased that she does. "I'm a liability Rogue. I've never been that. I'm suppose to protect all of you. It's what my powers are for."

"And now for once you can't protect us," Rogue gets where Clark is going. This is the part of him that annoys her slightly where he feels like he has to take on the whole world's burdens and where he treats her like some damsel in distress. Oh she has learned to live with it. It's part of who Clark is and she loves Clark but it can still get pretty annoying at times. She takes his hand and squeezes reassuringly. He smiles lovingly at her at the gesture.

All things being equal Clark would rather be in bed...with Rogue just lying together if that wasn't too much to ask but instead he is about to go off into a fight where his powers could give out any moment. He sighs. He was a liability yes but he could still be useful and he would help his friends as much as and for as long as he could.

"Head's up. We're here," Logan announces. He brings them around and they get the first clear view of the dam. There was wreckage at the bottom of the military helicopters the Juggernaut had already destroyed. They were other helicopters circling about. News-copters. The bane of their lives that day they fought the Sentinels.

"Vhy do people just sit around and vatch stuff like zhis?" Kurt asks unable to get why these people are risking their lives around someone like the Juggernaut.

"Why do people slow down to look at traffic accidents?" Clark asks back. "The reason is the same. Curiosity. Morbid perhaps but essentially curiosity."

"You know it is like scary when you do that," Kitty says to Clark.

"What is?" Evan asks lost about what Kitty is on about.

"Clark showing how smart he really is when he acts all goofy 80% of the time."

"Better than 100% of the time like a certain native of Deerfield, Illinois," Clark snarks back.

Domino chuckles, leans over to Rogue and whispers, "You know you are so lucky to have him." And Rogue was. He was funny, smart and gorgeous. What more could you want in a man?

"Ah know," Rogue admits her honest opinion.

"I'll put us down at the end of the dam," Logan announces.

Wanda, once more finding herself filling in for those who had to be in Washington, makes a face. "Why is it another dam we are facing?" she asks having had enough of them after Alkali Lake to last a lifetime.

"Must be zhe theme of zhe week," Kurt jests.

Wanda looks at Clark and coughs. He looks at her puzzled. She jerks her head in Jean's direction and Clark gets it. "Jean," he says her name.

"Yes?" Jean queries.

"Just to say don't lose your temper and destroy this dam." He looks back at Wanda. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Wanda says with completely false over-the-top enthusiasm. Wanda wasn't going to let it go after what happened at Alkali Lake and what Clark said he promised he would do.

"Remind me to kill those two when this is over," Jean requests of Scott.

Scott wisely says nothing which only makes sense when you consider he was unconscious when Clark and Wanda were having that little exchange and has no idea what any of that was about.

None of that is endearing Wanda any more to Rogue but she had pretty much accepted that she and Wanda were probably never going to get along anyhow.

As they land they spot Juggernaut standing atop the middle of the dam looking almost like he is waiting for them. "Ok. Everyone knows what to do," Scott says. "Kurt will take Rogue and Kitty behind him. When we distract him move in and undo the latches on the back. We'll do our best to cover you. Domino as I said you just pick your spot."

Domino brings one of her guns to her forehead in a salute. Honestly Scott sounded like a good leader. Better than Stryker certainly.

They disembark the helicopter all suited up in their X-Men uniforms apart from Domino who is still in her Beta Squad uniform minus the patches which she ripped off. The Juggernaut starts to walk towards them, his feet making a thumping sound as he does so due to his immense size and weight. "I knew my cowardly brother would send his little children to face me. I can see he didn't have the guts to come here himself. Never mind. Breaking you in half is almost as good," he says with some relish at the idea.

"Whoa," Domino says now she can get her first real perspective on the sheer size of the opponent they face. "I guess you missed that bit where they warned ya steroids are bad for your health."

"Oh I see Charles has decided to add a clown to the roster. She certainly looks the part," Juggernaut comments in regards to Domino's appearance sounding extremely unamused at her attempts at humour.

"This is all natural unlike you 'Roid of the Rovers," Domino shoots back.

"Um Dom normally ah would agree with ya but ya really don't want ta make him mad," Rogue feels she has to caution Domino.

Domino can hear the fear in Rogue's voice. This guy must really be bad.

"Everyone get in position," Scott orders and they all spread out as Dom picks her spot. Rogue, Kitty and Kurt stick close together ready to go. "Go!" Scott shouts as he unleashes his optic blasts. Spyke fires off his spikes. Wanda tries her hex bolts and is surprised when they barely budge the Juggernaut. She was trying to knock him off his feet but her hex bolts just sort of slide round him.

While the attacks can't and don't hurt the Juggernaut it does make him focus on them as Kurt teleports himself, Kitty and Rogue in behind the huge man. "Well that's like the easy part," Kitty comments in a whisper.

"Yeah. As soon as he figures out what we're doing though he'll try and stop us. He ain't that dumb," Rogue says although he isn't far off being that dumb.

"Ja but if it vas easy anyvone could do it. Zhis is vhy ve're heroes," Kurt proclaims proud of the fact that they are heroes. Even if the world hates them as long as they believe in themselves that is all that matters.

All 3 take deep breaths. As soon as Jean does her bit in trying to restrain him they'll move in.

Jean is trying to do that very thing right now but it was like trying to push the moon. She was taxing her powers to the limit and all she was doing was slowing the Juggernaut down a bit. Her head was already starting to hurt. "Argh," she cries out. "They have...have to hurry," she says her body shaking from the effort.

Small pings can be heard as Domino gets her shots in but so far even her luck wasn't that good. The latches were still intact and fastened securely. She mutters a remark about wishing for poor workmanship when they need it.

"You're doing great Jean," Scott tells her as he shoot off a optic blast to cover Logan who charges in. He swipes with his claws which barely scratch the surface of Juggernaut's armour. In return for that attempt Juggernaut backhands Logan sending the feral mutant back 20 feet and making Logan's head ring like a bell. If it wasn't for his adamantium bones the blow would have shattered his skull.

Clark follows Logan's path, zips in, ducks under a blow and manages to undo a latch on the front.

"On no you don't!" Juggernaut yells and manages to connect a punch onto Clark's face with a fist that is larger than Clark's head sending him back a good 20 feet. When he slides to a halt Clark finds his lip is split and he spits up some blood. Proof his invulnerability is gone. He had however provided a distraction as Kurt teleports onto Juggernaut's back as he is attempting to refasten the latch on the front. Juggernaut hears the **bamf!** sound and then one of the latches on the back being undone. "Not this time you little blue freak!" he rages and he manages to grab Kurt and throw the blue-furred mutant off the dam.

Kurt free-falls for several seconds before teleporting himself back up onto the dam. His heart thuds against his chest. He makes a mental note not to get thrown off any more dams as that was scary and thanks God who in his good grace made Kurt a teleporter.

Behind the Juggernaut Kitty and Rogue take their turn as Kitty runs and dives forward grabbing his ankles and phasing him down into the concrete. Rogue runs up and undoes the second latch at the back.

"ENOUGH!" Cain explodes, literally, out of the dam sending Rogue and Kitty both flying to the ground. Cain was angry. These kids were doing it to him again! He stomps towards Rogue and Kitty. "You think you bitches can stop me?" he roars incredulous. "I'm the Juggernaut! Nothing stops me!"

Cain raises his foot above Rogue aiming to stomp her literally flat. Kitty rolls on top of Rogue and phases them both through the dam an instant before the Juggernaut's foot slams down cracking the concrete.

Scott visibly cringes. If they keep this up they will bring the whole dam down. He relays a directive to be more careful as everyone with long range attacks hit the Juggernaut taking advantage of the fact Cain's back is turned to them. "Superboy. Heat vision?" Scott queries when he doesn't spot it.

Clark shakes his head to indicate that that power has deserted him. However with the Juggernaut ever so slightly off balance Clark can do the following as he zips forward and shoulder charges into Cain's back sending the huge mutant tumbling forward and ending up sprawled across the top of the dam. Clark grabs the Juggernaut by the back of his armour and lifts him high up above Clark's head and slams Cain down on his back so as to gain access to the latches on the front, one of which he undid and Cain has managed to refasten. He reaches for one with his left hand but his wrist is grabbed by the huge and immeasurably stronger right hand of the Juggernaut.

"You're pretty strong kid but you ain't in my league!" Cain dismisses the threat Clark poses. Cain then draws his left fist back and smashes it into Clark's face blurring his vision and ringing his head like a bell once again. Cain gets back up all the time holding on to Clark's hand squeezing it to near breaking point. Trying not to show how much that hurts Clark lays some punches into Juggernaut's mid-section with his free hand which barely budge the huge mutant.

Cain chuckles at Clark's attempts. "Not too shabby kid. That almost tickles. Now let me show ya how to really throw a punch." Cain draws his left hand back and slams it into Clark's side who cries out as a cracking sound reaches his ears which he is pretty certain are his ribs which the Juggernaut just broke.

* * *

**At the Project Prometheus Facility...**

"Uh oh," Hawkeye mutters as he looks over the computer records left behind that they have spent most of the day trawling over trying to find something useful...some way to track Luthor.

"You care to clarify that?" Black Widow asks him.

"Before Luthor cleared out his doctor was monitoring the effects of the suit on the body. If I'm reading this right it hooks up directly to the nervous system and it seemed to be affecting his brain chemistry."

Natasha steps up next to Hawkeye and reads it. "If this is right it increases his anger and aggression. It could lead to him acting most irrationally."

"So now we have a crazy guy in a super-powered suit. Well our day just gets better and better," Clint says with the necessary sarcasm. "So who gets to tell Fury?" he asks.

Actually that was not important Natasha realises. What is important is finding Luthor before the suit makes him so irrational it leads him to commit a truly terrible act.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Lionel Luthor is marvelling at what a difference a few days and a billion dollar armoured suit make. A few days ago he was a dying man whose strength was leaving him. Now he felt more alive than perhaps he has ever felt. Now he had the power to beat an entire SHIELD squad without breaking sweat.

Lionel didn't stick around the facility for two reasons. One; he knew SHIELD would send reinforcements and he was and is still trying to understand completely the entire range of functions of this suit. Two; he had more important places to be and revenge to inflict. Lionel had already visited the two places he needed to and left a couple of 'gifts' for their inhabitants. It would be some time before he saw his revenge bear fruit but Lionel could wait. As for right now he is keeping a low profile within some woods.

Lionel spots a small rock outcropping, raises his hand, aims at the rocks and unleashes the suits weaponry. A powerful green beam is emitted from his hand and hits the rocks smashing them to pieces. He had quickly mastered control of that function of his new toy.

Lionel has to suppress a giddy laugh. It would almost be too easy to lose himself to the thrill of the power he now possesses. The power was immense as had been the pain as the suit was activated but Lionel refused to succumb. Lionel Luthor is not a man who will simply fade away and through his own sheer force of will he survived the pain and the stress and strain upon his weakened body due the integration of the suit into his nervous system and now he was reaping the reward of his struggles.

Lionel wanders through the woods and comes to their edge where he spots a family out camping in a caravan. They have a portable tv running as they sit around a fire. Lionel watches the news broadcast on the tv from a distance and sees a huge man in armour battling the military and then another helicopter arrives and out of that come the familiar faces of Charles' students. Like him they had been in hiding.

Lionel grins as a sudden thought enters his head. Perhaps it is the power of this suit altering his normal path of thinking or perhaps the fact he has nothing left but his revenge is driving this but Lionel thinks he needs to go pay a visit to this dam and help this armoured man destroy Charles' students. After all they are in part to blame for his downfall. It would be exceptionally satisfying considering that Lionel can see the Bayville Blur is with them. Lionel can destroy him as well and as luck would have it he isn't all that far away from this fight.

Lionel activates a function of the suit as rockets in the sole of the boots fire up and Lionel soars upward into the night sky.

* * *

**Back at the dam...**

Juggernaut slams another punch into Clark's mid-section and he falls to his knees. Cain raises his fist again but Clark is spared by the now recovered Wolverine jumping onto Cain's back and slashing at the weak points on the armour.

The Juggernaut releases Clark as he tries to get a grip on Wolverine. Cain manages to grab Logan and hold him in both hands high above his head. "Don't you get it pipsqueak! You can't hurt me!" Cain roars.

"Doesn't stop me from trying!" Logan snarls back.

"Then try to do it from the bottom of this dam!" Cain shouts as he throws Logan over the edge.

"Nightcrawler!" Cyclops yells urgently. Kurt understands what Scott wants and vanishes in a puff of blue smoke.

"He has some serious anger issues doesn't he," Domino can't help but remark about the Juggernaut.

"You have no idea," Cyclops says back as he unleashes another ineffectual blast upon the Juggernaut as he tries to come up with another strategy to get those front latches undone.

Logan is about halfway down when Kurt appears in a puff of smoke, grabs Logan and ports him back up. They land in an unceremonious heap atop the dam. "Thanks elf," Logan has to begrudgingly say because while the fall wouldn't have killed him it would have hurt like hell and put him out of this fight for too long. The two then watch as the Juggernaut charges into the X-Men. He manages to hit a few of them knocking them flat and nearly unconscious. Normal human flesh against the unstoppable, invulnerable force of the Juggernaut. There can only be one winner.

Wanda is one who is knocked down and groans painfully. She had never fought anyone who was so resistant to her powers. Not even Clark was this resistant. She opens her eyes to find a giant fist raised back high above her. "Lights out girly," Cain says with a great deal of satisfaction about what he is about to do.

Wanda's eyes widen in fear at the fact her life is about to be snuffed out. For a time she almost didn't care about her own life as long as she got revenge on her father but now having made friends, having found a place she might call home Wanda finds she wants to live to enjoy those things. She finds herself saved as Clark appears from nowhere and grabs the arm, his teeth gritted at the strain of holding Cain back. "Wanda. The latches," he manages to say asking her to undo them while he tries to keep the Juggernaut busy.

Wanda is up to her feet as fast as possible and manages to get one latch undone as the Juggernaut is busy trying to shake Clark loose literally shaking the alien teen in the air but Clark is holding on for dear life. With Clark providing the distraction Wanda's hands reach for the last latch when a green energy beams strikes her and Clark simultaneously knocking Clark loose from his grip on the Juggernaut's arm and sending both teens rolling across the dam until they come to a stop groaning more in even more pain than before.

Everyone, even the Juggernaut, stops and looks where that came from and find a flying man in a green and purple armoured suit hovering above them.

"Lionel Luthor!" Kitty exclaims in shock as she recognises him. Shock at seeing him in a flying armoured suit of all things.

"How nice to be recognised," Lionel says with an angry sneer. "You," he points at them. "You have cost me everything but now I will make you pay by helping destroy you!" he says with such bitterness it is almost palpable.

Cain sneers back at Lionel. "I don't need anyone's help!" he proclaims angrily. "Stay out of my way or I'll crush you like a tin can!" he threatens Lionel.

"And no-one tells me what to do!" Lionel shouts back not seeing how out of character he is acting. He raises his hands and two green beams shoot from them not aimed at the Juggernaut but the X-Men who are forced to dodge them.

Scott rolls out of the way of a blast thinking how this is the last thing they need right now. He spots Clark still down even as Wanda is getting up. Something is wrong there but he needs to come up with a new strategy like right now. "Nightcrawler! Shadowcat! You're with me! We'll deal with him!" he orders pointing at Lionel. Kitty because it's a mechanical suit. If they can just distract him enough to give Kitty an opportunity to phase through him then she'll short it out. He then looks to Domino. "How about trying your luck on him," he suggests to her since she wasn't making a dent on the Juggernaut.

Domino smirks. "You got it fearless leader."

"Jean you and everyone else hit the Juggernaut!" Scott orders putting Jean in charge of that fight as he fires off a blast at Lionel who dodges through the air. Then on the arms a hatch opens up on each and Lionel fires off two missiles which spiral down towards the dam but never reach it as they explode after being shot down by Domino.

Lionel blinks. That shot was impossible or would be for anyone but Domino as a hail of bullets crack off his armour hitting every conceivable weak spot forcing him to pull back temporarily out of range.

Back with the clash with the Juggernaut Wanda with a cry unleashes the most powerful hex bolt she can summon and even then only manages to bring him down to one knee as Jean tries to push him down to both and Wolverine once more jumps on his back trying to slash at that last latch while Cain tries to fend Logan's attacks off. Spyke unleashes a wave of his bone spikes in an attempt to distract the Juggernaut as they incapable of actually hurting him.

Rogue takes the opportunity with the Juggernaut busy to run over to Clark who is barely up to his knees grimacing in pain. "Are ya alright?" she asks with immense concern.

Clark raises his hand to his chest and takes a few deep painful breaths before answering. "Felt...felt like kryptonite," he explains what it felt like to him when that green energy beam struck him.

Rogue's brow furrows as she looks up at Lionel in the sky just as Kurt ports near him with Kitty in his arms who delivers a kick to Lionel's head before they vanish again in the trademark puff of blue smoke. She then spots the green glowing centre on the chest. An idea hits her. "Is your x-ray vision still working?" she wonders.

"Not sure. Maybe."

"Try it on that suit Lionel's wearing," she suggests.

Clark looks up and focusses his eyes. The quality to use a term is poor but he manages to spot it. "The suit seems to be powered by some kind of kryptonite power cell."

"Then y'all are stayin' away from him," Rogue decides. The others will just have to manage. Rogue helps Clark to his feet. "Come on. Up ya get. We still have ta get that last latch."

"Right. The Juggernaut," Clark's mind catches up. Before he can get back to that fight Domino hits Lionel right at the joint of the shoulder with a shot inadvertently causing an overload and the suit to fire off a green beam which strikes the rotors of one of the circling news-copters.

"Oh gawd," Rogue mutters in horror as the helicopter spirals down. It clips the edge of the dam and Clark zips forward and manages to grab it by the tail before it plummets down. His feet slide towards the edge as he barely has the strength length to hold it. He grits his teeth and digs his fingers into the metal which groans in protest. He has to stop. No matter what it takes. He has to stop himself and the helicopter falling over the edge.

With a strained grunt Clark stops it falling with his feet millimetres from the edge but he is only barely holding the weight of something that before when he had his full powers he would have easily been able to simply pull back up. In fact it feels like his arms are getting pulled out of their sockets at the shoulder. "Nightcrawler! Get the people out! I can't hold it!" he shouts desperately as Kurt is the only one who can save the people now.

Kurt temporarily leaves the fight with Lionel as Scott and Domino keep him busy and Kurt teleports inside the helicopter amidst the very surprised and frightened people within.

Lionel spots his chance to finally deal with the Bayville Blur. He manages to hit Scott and Domino, temporarily knocking them down and swoops in close. "You said something about seeing me face my justice," Lionel mocks using Clark's words. "How about I deliver some of my own upon you," Lionel proclaims with a cold vindictive smile upon his face. He raises his hands and two green beams strike Clark.

If Clark had had the time he would have remembered to activate the protection his x-men uniform can provide against kryptonite. Unfortunately he hadn't had the time and therefore he gets to feel the entirety of the blast. Every cell in Clark's body screams in pain but he doesn't move. He can't. He has to hold on until Kurt is done no matter what the kryptonite radiation is doing to him. No matter the fact it is killing him.

"Oh you so like need to get over yourself!" Kitty shouts as she leaps off the dam and phases right through Lionel who had hovered down within her leaping distance. The suit short-circuits as always happens when Kitty phases through anything electronic and Lionel flies about completely out of control until he crashes down on top of the dam making a painful grunt as he does so.

Down in the helicopter Kurt is making his second trip. He had picked up the news crew on his first. Now he was getting the pilot when he spots Kitty falling through the air off to the side of the helicopter.

"Any time Nightcrawler!" Kitty yells in panic for Kurt to come save her.

"Gott im Himmel, dass Mädchen wird den Tod vonmir sein," Kurt mutters in German. Translated it means 'God in heaven, that girl will be the death of me.' He ports with the pilot, reappears next to Kitty, grabs her before teleporting them all to safety. Once he has dropped the pilot off he and Kitty teleport back up next to Clark who is sweating and in obvious discomfort and barely holding on.

"Ve've got them Superboy. You can let go," Kurt tells him.

Clark lets go of the helicopter and virtually collapses. Kitty and Kurt have to grab him before he tumbles over the edge.

"Are...are they safe?" Clark asks barely able to do even that.

"Yeah," Kitty assures him. "You did it," she says with a lot of admiration and respect for the pain he had to have endured. She heard his screams of almost torment. It's amazing he managed to hang on to that helicopter but he did. Mind over matter she guesses as in Clark's will overcame.

Back with the fight with the Juggernaut he was back to his feet having finally beaten off Logan. He rips out a piece of the dam and throws it. It shatters upon impact, a piece hitting Evan and knocking him out. The others are forced to dodge and roll out of the way of the flying pieces of concrete.

"You think you kids can stop me!" Cain roars just getting angrier every second this fight went on. It was unfathomable to him how a bunch of snot nosed teenagers had lasted this long against him. Not to mention that guy in the armoured suit sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. Once Cain has destroyed each and every one of these kids he would do as he threatened and crush that guy like a tin can. "Nothing can stop me!" he continues. "I'm raw power!"

"Is that a fact tough guy?" Cyclops asks back on his feet and taking the opportunity of Lionel being down for the moment to turn his attention back to the Juggernaut. Everyone is clear giving him a shot to do something he has always feared to do. "You want it raw? Then take it...RAW!" he shouts as he removes his visor and takes a good long look at the Juggernaut.

A tidal wave of pure red energy strikes the Juggernaut sending him tumbling head over heels before he can stop himself. He then begins to slowly stomp forward. Scott opens his eyes as wide as he can and power surges forth from him. He had never done this, afraid of what would happen. He feels like his brain is heating up and his eyes are alive with static electricity. The Juggernaut just keeps getting closer and closer and Scott feels a sudden weakness run through his body like he is draining it. Too much power unleashed too quickly. Scott had always wondered if he had limits and now it seems like he has. He briefly wonders if he could actually die from doing this. Is he draining his very life-force?

Scott didn't have an answer. All he knew is that somehow someone had to stop this monster of a man. Scott drops to one knee but doesn't stop. The Juggernaut just keep walking forward until he reaches out with his huge hand and clamps it over Scott's head cutting off the flow of energy.

"I'm going to pop your head like a zit!" Cain promises.

"Hey!" a voice yells at him. "Ya want ta hit someone. Try hittin meh!" a southern laced accent dares him.

Cain turns his head to see the girl with the white stripe in her brown hair standing there challenging him. "Well if that's how you want it," he says before he swings Scott round and throws him into Rogue.

Rogue lands on her back with Scott on top of her. This wasn't her smartest idea she knows but there was no-one else close enough to save Scott. She pushes him off of her just as Cain's enormous left hand grabs her by the waist, lifts her up and slams her down on her back. Rogue cries out in pain.

Back with Kitty and Kurt they feel Clark instantly straighten with renewed strength at the moment Rogue cries out and as they look they see his eyes burn red. His head snaps round just as the Juggernaut raises his right fist to pummel Rogue literally into the dam. Just as when Stryker struck her a surge of power rises up within him. In an instant he is not with Kitty and Kurt but next to the Juggernaut whose arm he has grabbed.

"You do not touch her!" Clark yells in anger, an anger that has been bubbling under the surface for days at everything that has happened, that they have had to endure. He then yanks the Juggernaut's arm back hard and something happens none of the X-Men had ever seen. The Juggernaut screams out in pain as Clark dislocates the shoulder and everyone just stops and looks in complete shock at something they all thought was impossible. Clark just hurt the Juggernaut.

Cain stares at the kid in disbelief at what he just did. It hurts. Cain can't remember the last time he felt pain. In return the kid glares back with glowing inhuman red eyes. A look that makes even Cain pause. Two red beams streak forward from Clark's eyes and slice open the last latch.

"No!" Cain shouts out in denial.

In response Clark slams his fist into the Juggernaut's mid-section doubling Cain over. He raises his fist back to strike again in the hope to daze the Juggernaut long enough to pull the helmet off only this time Cain manages to catch the punch. A sound like thunder echoes around and you can almost see the air ripple with power as Clark's fist hits into Cain's huge hand.

Cain grits his teeth at the effort it took to block that punch. What the hell is this kid and where did he get power like that from suddenly? Cain doesn't waste much time thinking on it as he snaps his dislocated shoulder back into place and his Juggernaut healing powers take effect. He delivers an uppercut to Clark sending the teen high into the air. Clark tumbles over mid-air, lands on his feet and slides to a halt. As before he can feel the surge of power start to leave as quickly as it arrived but before it does he zips forward, leaps over a swing by the Juggernaut and as he sails over Cain's head manages to grab the helmet and lift it off before landing in a crouch several feet away.

"Jean! Now!" Domino yells having recovered from the hit she took and having seen this.

Jean pushes all her worried about Scott to the back of her mind and focusses all her power into getting into the Juggernaut's head. Cain raises his hands to his head. "No! Get out of my head!" he shouts as he desperately tries to fight her off. He won't be beaten again! He won't go back to prison!

Jean raises her hand to her head and concentrates with every will of her being all of her power trying to break through the defence the Juggernaut is putting up as he tries to keep her out. Beads of sweat start to form on Jean's brow from the effort. Then suddenly a green beam of energy strikes her dead on knocking her flat.

Everyone looks to see Lionel back to his feet as the one responsible. "You mutant freaks will all pay for this!" he yells at them sounding as irrational as the Juggernaut does.

"Pay for what?" Clark asks utterly exasperated at the man. "You funded the creation of the Sentinels whose sole purpose was to exterminate mutants. You created the Mutant Response Division whose sole job was to hunt down and incarcerate mutants so you could perform inhumane experiments on them. You had the MRD attack our home. We on the other hand have done nothing to you."

Lionel's face twists up in rage and disgust. "All that is true and it is also the least you deserve! I will create an army of these suits with which to hunt down and exterminate all of you freaks!" he yells with irrational hatred made worse by the side-effect of the suit.

Clark's lips curve up into a almost smug smile. "And you just admitted that in front of the whole world," he points out and up at the news-copters still circling overhead.

Lionel snarls in anger at being duped and fires off a blast at Clark who manages to dodge it. Clark looks at Lionel with the green glowing kryptonite power cell and then down at the Juggernaut's helmet still in his hand. He gets an idea. "Hey Luthor! Catch!" he yells as he flings the helmet like a Frisbee with as much strength as he has left. It moves far too quickly through the air for Lionel to block it as it hits the power cell dead on cracking it. The helmet ricochets off over the edge of the dam and falls the long way down to the ground far below.

Lionel stumbles back as the suit's power starts to fluctuate due to what Kitty did combined with the fact Clark just damaged the power core.

"Wolverine!" Clark shouts at Logan. "The power cell in the chest!" he instructs.

Logan's lips curl up into a feral grin as he charges at Lionel, his claws drawn knowing what it is Clark is asking him to do.

Lionel tries to hurriedly step back as Logan swipes at him. He raises his arms in front of his face afraid what the mutant with the metal claws will do. There is a slicing sound. Lionel looks down to see the power cell has been cut out. The suit instantly loses complete power and Lionel finds himself frozen in place unable to move.

Logan grins. "Light's out bub," he says with relish and then slams his fist into Lionel's face and his adamantium bones do the rest as he knocks Lionel out. He then throws the kryptonite power cell into the dam lake where it sinks to the bottom, hopefully for Clark never to be seen again.

With Jean down every X-Man capable is now forced to make a charge at the Juggernaut to try and subdue him long enough to buy time for Jean to come round but he swats them away like flies. Cain will have to thank that guy for knocking out the redhead...by giving him a swift death. He turns his attention to the kid in red and blue who hurt him. "You!" Cain points at Clark who he just knocked flat down. "Lets finish this!" Cain challenges Clark.

Clark pushes himself back up to his feet after Cain knocked him along with everyone else down. "I don't suppose at this point it would make any difference to say that violence doesn't solve anything," Clark says half-making a joke and trying to buy a little time because he can feel it. Not only has the mysterious surge of power gone his powers are gone full stop.

Cain stomps towards Clark. "Violence...power...fear. These are the only things in this world that people respect." That is what Cain learned from his father.

"On that I couldn't disagree with you further because you'd be surprised what a little compassion and understanding can achieve," Clark argues.

"Leave the jokes to the comedians kid," Cain says as his way of dismissing that argument. "Now lets finish this!" he roars as he swings a punch at Clark who barely manages to duck under it. As Cain keeps swinging Clark keeps dodging. Frustrated Cain slams his foot into the top of the dam cracking a whole section under Clark's feet knocking him off balance and allowing Cain to smash a punch into Clark's face, another into his already damaged ribs and a third into his gut. Cain grabs Clark by his red jacket and hoists him up before delivering a head butt which Clark is pretty certain just broke his nose.

"I'm disappointed," Cain says almost sounding like he is. It has been too long since he had a real challenge and the kid has failed miserably to provide one.

"Well I hate to do that," Clark says sounding entirely insincere which he is. "I'll be sure not to dislocate your shoulder or double you over next time we meet," Clark quips through the pain of his aching body.

Cain growls and raises his right fist back. "There ain't going to be a next time!" he roars.

"Firstly ya talk way too much!" a recovered Rogue yells as she jumps on the Juggernaut's back, taking advantage of the fact the huge mutant was distracted by focussing on Clark. She wraps her arms around his head and places her now gloveless hands on his face. "And secondly keep your dang hands off mah boyfriend!" she manages to say as her powers kick in. The two then both cry out as Rogue begins to absorb him.

As the Juggernaut releases him Clark slumps down to his knees, blood trickling from his nose, his vision going blurry around the edges. He shakes his head and tries to remain conscious as he watches the Juggernaut stagger around with Rogue on his back until he topples forward and Rogue falls off of him and rolls forward a few feet.

Cain pushes himself up to his knees. What the hell did that girl just do to him? He feels so weak. It doesn't matter what she did he decides as his anger rises up. He'll make her pay. He stands up, stomps towards her and throws a punch forward only to have it blocked with equal strength by Rogue. He tries his left. Rogue bats it away and then backhands him hard across his face spinning him around 360.

Rogue grabs him by the collar of his armour and pulls his face to hers and the look in her eyes, where her left one is twitching slightly, makes even Cain blink twice. This was one pissed off woman. However man or woman no-one stops him. He knee-kicks her knocking Rogue back several paces. He charges at her and she charges at him. The two unstoppable forces, the Juggernaut and Rogue fuelled by the Juggernaut's powers, collide with almighty CRACK!

They end up knocking each other back as Rogue, being the smaller combatant, ends up sliding on her bottom backwards. Her face though is still full of fire, determination and anger. Feelings which are only amplified by the burning rage and anger she absorbed from the Juggernaut's psyche. No-one hurts Clark...except her that is and that is only when he deserves it for teasing her. She gets to her feet and moves off to face the Juggernaut again determined to make sure he feels her wrath.

During this Domino has managed to make her way over to Jean and is shaking the redhead telepath gently. "Come on. You have to wake up," she says as Rogue and Juggernaut exchange blows locked in a stalemate which will only last until Rogue loses the power she drained. Domino shakes Jean harder. They have limited time. Jean has to get up.

Jean's eyes flutter open. "What?" she says a little out of it.

"That's it. Come on," Domino says as she lifts Jean up to her feet.

Rogue cracks another mighty blow across the Juggernaut's face and he topples over right next to Scott. Cain grins as an idea hits him.

Rogue charges forward but slides to a stop when the Juggernaut stands up with the virtually unconscious Scott in his massive hand. "Take one step and I crush him like a bug," he threatens and Rogue knows Cain means it.

"Scott?" Jean's half groggy brain queries before she spots him in the Juggernaut's hand. Her eyes suddenly narrow and within their green depths a spark of fire ignites. Juggernaut is threatening to hurt Scott. HER Scott! No-one hurts Scott! No-one will hurt the man she loves!

The spark of fire soon lights up her whole eyes and pain like Cain has never felt engulfs his entire brain. It feels like his brain is on fire. He screams out, dropping Scott, as power like he has never felt blows through his mental defences like they don't exist making his brother look like a weakling by comparison. Cain staggers forward a pace of two, his hands to his head before his eyes roll in to the back of his head and he topples over making a large thud and this time he isn't getting up.

Jean lets out a groan as the fire in her eyes fades away and if it wasn't for Domino she would be joining Juggernaut in collapsing. Sweat is running down her face in rivers and she is panting for breath.

"Vhoa!" Kurt remarks at the sight.

"Jean you like totally nuked him!" Kitty exclaims.

"You did it," Domino congratulates the redhead she is holding up. "Remind me not to piss you off," she remarks.

Jean manages a smile and a small laugh at that one.

The others start to pick themselves up and help each other up almost all of them groaning in pain after what the Juggernaut did to them. Evan is still half out of it after the blow he took to his head and Wanda has re-injured that shoulder she hurt at Alkali lake. Generally they are just hurting all over. It was a hard battle made harder by Lionel's appearance but they had done it. Juggernaut was defeated. Lionel was defeated. The dam had been damaged yes but not fatally. They had saved thousands of lives and can take pride from their efforts today.

Rogue rushes over to Clark and helps him up. Essentially she is holding him up because Clark doubts he could walk by himself at the minute.

"Oh easy," Clark pleads with a wince as Rogue still has Juggernaut's strength and she is squeezing too hard on his damaged ribs.

"Sorry," she apologises easing up her grip but she isn't use to being the stronger one. "Are ya alright?"

"I'm alive...but it's over."

"Over?" she queries a little confused by what he means.

"My powers. They're gone. I'm mortal," he explains which is why he is in so much pain and exhaustion.

Rogue's face is full of sympathy. Now she'll have to protect him for a change.

Logan picks Scott up who is utterly exhausted after unleashing his power. Logan slips the visor back on Scott's face. "Not bad there One-Eye. Foolish but not bad," Logan says.

"Coming from you that's a compliment," Scott wearily jokes.

Just then they are all blinded by spotlights. They look up to find black helicopters with the familiar SHIELD logo on the side.

Logan grunts. "Typical Fury. Showing up after we do all the hard work," he grumbles in complaint as he heaves Scott into the Velocity. The others are soon onboard and Logan fires up the Velocity which departs the scene quickly.

From one of the SHIELD helicopters Fury watches the X-Men leave in their helicopter. He lets them go. He has bigger fish to fry as SHIELD agents secure the dam and surround the Juggernaut and Lionel Luthor. Fury had watched the whole thing as millions of others no doubt had on television. Fury gives out the orders to have Juggernaut contained in the portable tank they brought along. The liquid that fills it suspends metabolic functions. It was designed as an alternative to cryogenic suspension for long space journeys back when that idea was popular. It worked...sort of. It suspended metabolic functions but was flawed in that it was also fatal when used for long periods which it would have to be on long space journeys. Fatal on anyone but the Juggernaut whose healing powers keep him alive as the liquid keeps him essentially asleep.

The helicopter lands and Fury disembarks as the unconscious Lionel is dragged before him by a couple of SHIELD agents. Fury looks at the man with almost disgust. "Get him out of here!" he orders not in the mood for a talk with the fallen industrialist right at this minute. Lionel gets dragged off to another helicopter to be taken to prison.

It takes several men just to lift Marko into his tank. Fury watches as it is activated, fills with the green coloured liquid and allows himself to feel a small bit of satisfaction that at least that is one major headache dealt with. Of course thanks to Luthor and Trask he has about a hundred other headaches to deal with. Thinking of Trask last he heard Hill was closing in and should just be about capturing him right about now.

* * *

A safe house by its definition is suppose to be a refuge. A place to safely hide out but as the gunfire draws nearer Bolivar Trask can see that this safe house has failed to live up to its billing.

There is banging on the door to the room he is in indicating they are trying to break it down. Trask stands up straight. He won't go down cowering like a coward in the corner or hiding in some little hole.

The door is broken down and half a dozen SHIELD agents pour in, spread out and surround him, aiming their weapons at him. Trask looks on a young woman with brown hair marches up to him.

"Bolivar Trask. By order of SHIELD you are under arrest," Hill informs the doctor.

"Arrest for what?" Trask dares to inquire.

"How about we start with treason and work our way down."

Trask sneers at her. "Treason? The only treason around here is Fury's and SHIELD's for doing nothing to deal with the mutant threat," he says almost in disgust at her, Fury and SHIELD for not acting. "Unless we act they could very well replace us within several generations."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Huh," Hill remarks before she takes two steps forward and brings her knee up between Trask's legs. He inevitably collapses to his knees. Hill grabs him by the lapels of his jacket and holds him in place tightly. "Listen to me you son of a bitch!" she practically snarls. "No-one and I mean no-one commits genocide in the name of the nation I serve. Not on my watch!"

Hill then throws Trask to the ground and points at him. "Get him out of my sight!" she orders and Trask is grabbed by the SHIELD agents and dragged away. She activates her communicator. "Put me through to Colonel Fury," she directs.

* * *

Back at the dam Fury is observing the Juggernaut being loaded into a helicopter. They would have to build a new prison for him. Just then a SHIELD agent summons Fury back inside the helicopter. "It's Agent Hill," the man informs Fury that Hill is calling.

"Fury here."

"Sir. We have Trask," Hill informs him.

A rare smile comes to Fury's lips. "Bring him in," he orders. He then switches communication channels and waits for the response on the other end. "This is Director Fury. Get me the President," he directs the person.

* * *

**Capitol Hill, Washington DC...**

There is utter silence inside the assembly as everyone watched enraptured the fight with the Juggernaut, the incredible appearance of Lionel Luthor and his public admission to be behind the Sentinels. Not to mention there was the rescue of the news crew that Lionel, a human and not a mutant, put in danger. One of the reporters is just saying how these kids were the truest heroes they had ever seen for fighting this monster and saving over 60,000 lives in the town below the dam. The whole world had seen them put their lives on the line and for the majority of Congress it has put things into perspective.

Senator Mitchell stands there gaping like a fish. He had been expected destruction, an utter disaster. Not what he just witnessed. He finds his voice. "What just happened?" he asks no-one in particular.

Charles smiles. He has never been more proud of his X-Men. "You made a reference earlier to the lower levels at my school Senator," he says starting his reply. "That ladies and gentlemen is what they and my school is for. Those children you saw are my students; the X-Men. We teach the students to use their powers to help mutants and humans alike. Just as there are good and bad humans there are good and bad mutants. We want to live in peace as equals. Any mutant who poses a threat to that we will fight if given no other choice but violence is always a last resort. I may point out that they did not have to go out there and fight. They could have stood by and done nothing. We are not the enemy. Our dream is the same as yours. To live in a world at peace and be allowed to fulfil our potential. I hope their actions have shown you better than my words that the dream I have stated is possible and that we can move into the future together. The choice ladies and gentlemen is yours."

In the aftermath of the X-Men's actions and the sudden announcement to Congress from the President of the capture of Trask who confessed everything not the least bit ashamed or contrite for his actions declaring them necessary to protect humanity a majority in Congress votes that mutants are still equal citizens of the United States and that there won't be any punitive or discriminatory laws...for now. However there is a vocal minority who object and refuse to accept this decision. A minority who wants laws to control and contain mutants and despite losing the vote they have no intention of shutting up or going away.

The next day the President speaks to the nation publicly clearing the X-Men for the Sentinel incident in New York and calling on all people, human and mutant alike, to be open minded and not to judge others solely on their differences. In short he asks everyone to take time as they absorb and adjust to the revelation of the existence of mutants.

Will it work in the long term?

That remains to be seen.

* * *

_Author's Note: I want to make a small criticism of evo here because they had Juggernaut defeated by Rogue draining him and then Iceman freezing him in a block of ice. My criticism isn't the fact they beat him but the fact he never reappeared on the show because as soon as his powers returned the Juggernaut would have resumed his eternal mission to make his brother suffer but then again I know they were having problems just to get a 3rd season on the air so they can probably be forgiven. Clark's 2nd power surge; an indication that Jor-El was not entirely truthful about what he has done to Clark. Also considering the Juggernaut's virtually limitless strength an indication of just what Clark will be capable of one day to actually be able to hurt him. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the students return home or rather to what's left of it short one member and Jor-El's patience with Clark finally runs out._


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The New Mutants still hold up in the woods are watching the whole fight with the Juggernaut on a tv that was left for them cheering on their friends to victory. When they see the huge mutant collapse after Jean blitzes his mind they all jump and yell and cheer and give each other hugs.

That is when Amara notices one person who is missing. "Claire?" she queries as she desperately looks around for her friend and finds no sign. Claire must have vanished when they were all engrossed in the fight. "Guys!" she suddenly yells interrupting the celebrations. "Claire's gone!" she says in a panic.

They all look at Amara in surprise and then shock as they realise Amara is correct. Claire is gone.

"Her stuff is gone too," Jubilee says noticing Claire's bag is missing from the pile awaiting to be picked up when they are.

"Whoa alright. Lets not panic," Sam says taking charge and trying not to jump to a worse case assumption. "Lets spread out and look for her," he proposes as a course of action.

The others all nod in agreement, pair up and spread out and start a search. Rahne shifts into her wolf form and tries to pick up a scent. She wrinkles her nose as there is a strong burning smell in every direction it seems to her and nothing particular to Volcana. When she shifts back and informs her, in her case, partners Roberto and Jamie of this Roberto speculates that maybe Claire did it on purpose so they couldn't track her.

* * *

"You know this isn't funny Claire!" Bobby shouts out as he and Jubilee search. "There are easier ways to get back at me!"

Jubilee rolls her eyes. "You really think that will work?"

Bobby shrugs. "Have to try."

"Bobby do you think we'll be alright? You know with everything. Being exposed and stuff," Jubilee says a tad fearful of what will happen to them now.

"Of course we will Jubes. You'll see," he says trying to be optimistic although that is hiding his own fears. "And hey if worse comes to the worse I'll protect you."

"Cha. I think it'll be me protecting you," Jubilee contradicts him.

"Pft. You're just a girl," Bobby dismisses that.

Jubilee gasps and then stamps on his foot. Bobby hops around holding it. "What was that for?" he exclaims.

"If I have to explain it then you're more of an idiot than I thought you were," she says angrily and shoves him over before walking off, her head held high.

Bobby lies there completely lost at what he did to deserve that.

* * *

"Hey don't worry Mara. We'll find her," Tabby tries to reassure her friend as they search the area.

"It's my fault," Mara says at a whisper.

"What?"

"I noticed she was acting weird after we were rescued but I thought it was just you know a temporary thing because of what we went through. I knew I should have raised it with someone."

"Hey don't beat yourself up. You can't blame yourself for what someone else chooses to do."

Amara looks at Tabby sadly. "Maybe I can't do that the first time it happened but the second..."

"First time? What do you mean first time? Who...you mean me don't you," it suddenly dawns on Tabby. Amara says nothing and Tabby assumes she is correct. "Mara. My leaving was nothing to do with you," Tabby tries to make her friend understand and not to beat herself up. "You were a great friend. It was my screw up and mine alone and I'm certain that whatever is going on with Claire is nothing to do with you either."

If that is true then why does Amara feel so guilt ridden?

They hear Ray and Sam yelling and the two girls run off in that direction. As they get there they find the others have come running too.

"What is it?" Amara asks with utmost urgency. Sam holds what he has had found out in her direction. It is an envelope with her name on it. Amara frowns and takes the envelope and rips it open to find a letter within written in Claire's handwriting.

_Hello Amara._

_By now you will have noticed I'm gone and a simple search should have found you this letter. I spent ages thinking what to include in this letter. What do I say to explain myself?_

_I decided on the truth. _

_That day when the mansion was attacked and I saw you go down I exploded with rage and I killed your attackers._

"Oh gods," Amara murmurs. Gods as in the Roman ones she worships.

_You want to know the really damning part is that I don't even feel that sorry I did it. They deserved it for attacking our home and hurting you. When we were captured Stryker would come to visit me every day and point out how this made me one of his students and not one of Professor Xavier's. For 3 days I told him to go to hell but shortly before we were rescued he finally made me realise he was right. I'm not one of you. _

_You, Amara, and all the others would never have done what I did or if you had at least you would be broken up and guilt ridden about it._

_I don't belong at the Institute. If I had told you this in person I can pretty much imagine the arguments you would be using to say how wrong I am which is why I had to leave with only this letter as explanation. As I'm writing this I'm not sure how I'll leave without you noticing. I'm waiting for a moment when you are all distracted. Most likely the best time will be when the Professor is in Washington._

_I'm not one of you. I know. I'm repeating myself. I just need to make you understand. I'm also not one of Stryker's. He never sold me on that. Truth is I don't know who I am any more if I ever really did. All I do know is that I need to go on a journey to find out who I am and that I need to do this alone._

_I have no doubt Logan will try and find me but trust me he'll fail. He taught me a little too well. Tell him...tell the Professor...tell everyone I appreciate everything they did for me._

_Oh that goes doubly for Mrs Kent. Please ask her not to take this personally. She is the closest thing I have ever had to a mother._

_Tell them also that your secrets...all of them are safe with me. They will never pass my lips. I owe you that much._

_So I guess this is it. I have nothing more to offer except you are my best friend Amara and shall be for the rest of my life even if we never meet again. I hope one day we shall._

_Goodbye. _

_Your eternal friend,_

_Claire._

_PS: Tell Drake if he doesn't quit the practical jokes I will return and murder him in his sleep._

Amara's hand shakes with pent-up emotion. Tabby takes the letter from her and reads it. "Stupid bitch," she mutters under her breath to describe Claire's decision. This is not the same but it's not dissimilar either to the foolish choice Tabby herself made when she chose to leave. Tabby passes the letter off to someone else and tries to console Amara who is obviously deeply upset.

The letter does the rounds as the New Mutants read it with a mixture of expressions ranging from surprise, shock, sadness and many others.

Bobby gets the letter last. "Now why I am the only one who is getting threatened with being murdered in my sleep?" he complains.

Jubilee rolls her eyes and bats him across the back of his head with her hand. Please someone remind her why she has a crush on him.

* * *

Later the Velocity and the X-Jet land at the same time having rendezvoused first. As its members depart 'Clark', the one who appeared at Congress, turns out to be Jordan Cross wearing Kurt's holowatch. Despite his and Chloe's break-up they were still friends. Jordan had originally come along just to back Chloe up on the facts of their relationship and show that mutants and humans could be friends. He had been on the x-jet the whole time when it stopped here before they left for Washington. He was not really in a mood to interact with a lot of people. He is never really in the mood to interact with a lot of people thanks to his powers. When Clark had to go off and fight the Juggernaut Jordan was asked instead to fill in for Clark at Congress which he agreed to do. All he really had to do was stand there and not say anything as he couldn't imitate Clark's voice and leave the talking to Mr and Mrs Kent and the others.

The odd thing was that the Juggernaut's appearance worked out perfectly to protect Clark. At the same time he was actually fighting the Juggernaut his human alter ego appeared to be standing in Congress so mission accomplished in protecting him as the Professor's wished.

Once everyone departs the two aircraft it is instantly noticeable that something is wrong when they find the New Mutants sitting around looking very sullen. The Professor picks it up first. "What has happened?" he asks.

Amara walks forward, her face showing obvious signs of crying, and hands Claire's letter over to the Professor. He reads it through and then lowers his head and closes his eyes.

"What?" Logan asks.

Charles holds out the letter to Logan who snatches it away and reads it. Angry determination forms on his face and before anyone can stop him he is off running, dropping the letter as he goes. Storm picks it up, reads it and sadness clouds her features as she does so.

"What is like going on?" Kitty asks at everything.

Charles takes a breath as he gathers in his feelings of sadness and failure. "Claire has left us."

"What!" half of them exclaim.

The next few minutes are spent with Claire's letter getting passed around as everyone reads it. Clark reads it as he is sitting down and Beast is examining his ribs which are hurting like crazy. Not to mention his nose, his head...oh heck half his body is in pain. Feelings of sadness well up inside him as he reads. Claire may not have been his closest friend but he felt for her and he'll miss her. If only he had been here to make her realise what a terrible mistake she is making. The same one he did last summer. Running away doesn't solve anything.

Clark's eyes drift up to his mother looking visibly upset. She had invested so much of herself into helping Claire and it obviously hurt that she had failed. His dad was doing his best to comfort her. They really don't need this Clark thinks to himself on top of worrying about him getting hurt and his father's heart troubles and then there is Jor-El still lurking in the background. His parents really doesn't deserve this and sometimes he thinks he doesn't deserve to have them as his parents after everything he puts them through.

Beast soon finishes his work on Clark and moves onto the next one in line which happens to be Evan who has a nasty looking lump on his head. Hank's going to have a busy spell here patching everyone up thanks to the Juggernaut although since everyone is mostly walking Hank can be thankful that no-one looks to be seriously hurt. At the back of his mind though is the same sadness they are all feeling that they have lost Claire today.

Scott reads the letter and takes a few tired steps to stand next to the Professor. "We've lost one today haven't we?" he asks with sad resignation that this is so.

Charles nods sadly. "Yes."

"Logan?"

"I don't think he'll find her. Call it a feeling. However we have to let him try. He knows where home is when he's ready."

"Home," Scott says with a bitter-sweet smile. At least they could go home now...or at least to whatever is left of it.

* * *

**The next day at the Institute...**

It is at what is the shambles of the mansion the next day the X-Men hear the President's speech. The only thing they had done last night, after dropping off Chloe, Pete, Jordan, Amanda, Paul and Taryn back to their respected places of habitation, was to try and find intact rooms for everyone to sleep in. It had meant they all had to end up doubling up or even trebling up. Essentially everyone collapsed into their beds tired emotionally and in the case of the ones who fought the Juggernaut physically exhausted as well. Not to mention very very sore.

In the light of the day the next morning they make an assessment of the damage and start the process of firstly just tidying up the mess before they can even think of repairs. The army, the police and who knows who else had been through here rifling through all their belongings.

As expected the computers and hard drives were gone which is why Charles is glad they managed to delete everything before they were attacked. Small blessings. Still it made him a little angry because he knew they were taken to discover their weaknesses. The computers and hard drives could be replaced of course. Another small blessing was that the back-up hard drives had not been found in their hidden alcove in the deepest of the lower levels. Hank would bring them up and connect them and at least they could get the mansion's basic computer functions restored and they could if necessary activate what remains of the mansion defences.

There was a lot to do to rebuild. The gates and in large places the outer wall were demolished. The grounds at the front were a mass of craters. The mansion had dozens of holes blasted into the walls and the front door had been destroyed. They could be covered up Charles supposed if he locked down the mansion as that process had titanium armour plates slide into place to completely seal the building but that was over excessive and didn't look friendly. In the aftermath of the reveal Charles knew they had to do everything they could to come across as peaceful to the rest of humanity.

The lower levels weren't too badly damaged. Their construction made them difficult to damage but like the rest of the mansion the lower levels had been searched thoroughly and cleaned out. There was virtually nothing left in the infirmary which meant any effort to try and prove or disprove the possibility of Logan being Rogue's father was weeks away at best since it would take that long to replace that kind of sophisticated equipment. Same was true for any effort to validate Domino's claims of her genetic heritage.

As for the President's speech Charles conceded it was a well crafted one and correct. Time was what was needed. Time for the world to adjust and time for Charles to explain who mutants were. Fear comes from a lack of understanding. Charles would have to come up with a way to make sure people were informed and could understand who mutants are.

Although first things first and repairing their home came first. After breakfast everyone helped out with that except for their human friends who all ended up grounded for not telling their parents about their little trip to Washington. Taryn's parents even went as far as to take her credit cards from her as punishment which was just a horrendous punishment as far as Taryn was concerned.

By the end of that first day back they manage to clear all the wreckage and debris inside the mansion out and pile it outside. There is no sign of Logan yet and considering how stubborn he is it could be days before he gives up his search for Volcana and returns.

At the end of that first day back the students return to their beds once more quite tried but the mood is a bit more cheerful for the simple fact that they're home.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

After the decision of Congress and the President's speech Magneto had been in silent contemplation sitting upon his metal throne.

Charles.

When Magneto saw Charles appear at Congress he thought it a foolish idealist act and perfectly in keeping with his old friend. He had not anticipated the performance Charles would put on. Standing side by side with humans as they plead for peace. Then the fact the X-Men selflessly risked their lives defeating the Juggernaut only added weight to Charles' arguments. Not to mention that fool Luthor's appearance didn't help.

_'Well played Charles,'_ Magneto must reluctantly concede in admiration. This is why he misses the chess games he and Charles use to play. Charles was always such a worthy challenging foe. If only he would give up this idealistic nonsense about living in peace as equals and join Magneto's cause. The world would fall before them but Charles had chosen his side as foolish as it was. Mutants and humans were not equals. Mutants were superior. Anyone could see that...except Charles it seemed.

It frustrated Magneto but still one day he knew he would be proven right about humanity. He is simply afraid for Charles it will end up being a painful lesson. Well when the day comes Magneto will be there to help. That is what friends are for. Until then Magneto will continue to do what he thinks must be done. The President's speech doesn't change the outcome only the actions Magneto must take have to altered which is what he is contemplating about.

"Seems like you won't be getting your little war after all."

Magneto looks up and glares at the one who dares intrude in his personal domain. Sinister. "Perhaps I misjudged them on this occasion," he concedes. "However humanity will return to its true nature soon enough. This is only a postponement."

"Perhaps an useful one," Sinister puts forward.

"Explain."

"You have made contact to hundreds of mutants through the internet but they are scattered and disorganised. We could use this time to bring them together, set up an underground rail-road to use a phrase to bring them to where we want them to be. We could mould them into an organised underground movement waiting for the moment to come into the light and strike at humanity. Setting all that up takes time and effort."

Magneto cannot deny Sinister makes a valid point. Perhaps a postponement of the war is not a bad thing after all. At the very least Magneto has made the existence of mutants public knowledge. He has shaken the bottle. Now all he has to do is make sure it explodes at the time of his choosing. "Leave me," he commands wishing to think this over on his own.

Sinister doesn't take orders but he chooses to depart having planted the idea he wanted in Magneto's head. He wants mutants brought together as well so he can study them. Every new bit of data is a step closer to Sinister's ultimate goal. Therefore this alliance with Magneto remains useful to him. Now he has done this Sinister heads to what is a hanger where he keeps a jet for his own personal use. He has plans beyond Magneto's and he has places to be and things to do.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Mystique wishes she was surprised that somehow the X-Men had managed to thwart Magneto's plans but as it turns out she isn't. She also wishes she could have been there in person to see Juggernaut get his comeuppance. It had been easy enough for her to sneak into the prison and release him despite how much she hated doing it.

Truth is Mystique has no care for Magneto's politics. She cares about mutants and their future and it is speaking of the future that brings her to visit her friend Destiny once again.

"Hello Raven," the blind seer greets her friend.

"Irene. Did you know?"

"That things would turn out this way?"

"Yes."

"It was the most likely outcome but the future is never certain."

"Where does that leave me Irene?"

"Where you always are Raven. I can tell you what I see but as for what you do with that you just have to make up your own damn mind."

"Quoting the Matrix to me really?"

Irene smiles. "I did enjoy the Oracle's words. We can never see beyond the choices we don't understand. Words to live by."

Mystique slumps down in a chair in Destiny's sitting room. "I tried you know. Tried to get the Kent boy on side," she bemoans that failure but she had tried because Irene said the boy was important.

"By drugging him Raven?" Irene queries with the arching of one disapproving eyebrow. "Did you really think that would end well?"

"What else was I suppose to do? He's bought in to Xavier's idealism which you said will only lead to disaster."

"I said that idealism alone is not enough," Irene corrects Mystique. "And it won't be. Idealism alone is never enough. This nation was founded on great ideals but it was forged by war. You have to be prepared to fight for ideals. Fight against those who will see us wiped off the face of this earth."

"Which is why I work for Magneto because he'll do what is necessary," Mystique justifies the choice she made to return to Magneto after their falling out during the whole Asteroid M scheme.

"A man driven by hate only creates a world full of hate."

"Are you saying I'm wrong working for Magneto?"

"No."

"That's it? Just no?"

"I'm saying for now this is your path but all paths intersect with others and when the time comes you will have to make a choice. Do you want to continue following Magneto's path or do you choose another?"

"I just want to keep my children safe Irene. That's the only path I care about." That is what drives Mystique. That is how she justifies her actions. In her judgement what keeps her children safe.

"The future is never set. It is shaped by our choices. Yours and theirs," Irene explains to Mystique as in Mystique's choices alone can not determine her children's future. Irene continues, "There will be many trials to face and overcome. What they just went through is nothing compared to the storm that is coming as the fires of hell threaten led by the Queen with the blackest of hearts."

"And will they survive?" she asks almost fearful of the answer.

"Even in the darkest of nights the light of the Star Child will always show the way in the end."

"Kent. It's always back to him. What is he that makes him so special?"

"Did you watch the fight with the Juggernaut?"

"Yes."

"Did you see the part when the boy hurt him? Do you know what it takes to hurt the Juggernaut Raven? For that one moment you saw a glimpse of the true power that lies untapped within him. For now he is but a boy and most of that power lies beyond his reach for the moment but one day he will be a man and when he learns how to access and use his great power correctly he will change the world and become more than a man."

"What will he become?" Mystique asks, clearly confused about what Irene means.

A knowing smile comes to Destiny's lips. "A Superman."

* * *

**Another place...**

A tall, lean man in his late forties with black hair kept tied back. He is wearing black pants under a dark purple overcoat, with a white silk shirt underneath it. His green eyes are fixated as he sits in darkness watching multiple tv screens showing the events of the last few days. Unexpected events. The man did not like that. He did not like things that he had not organised.

"I told you we should have kept a closer eye on Magneto," a feminine voice declares with a slight British accent to it. It is also haughty, well spoken and tinged with arrogance. The man glances over to his right to see a voluptuous woman, 21 years old, with long, golden blond hair, cold blue eyes, clad in tight white leather pants, white high heeled boots, a white tube top and a white cape standing there.

"Spare me Emma," the man says, not wishing to hear her gloating at being correct.

Emma Grace Frost, the White Queen of the Inner Circle, smiles as perfectly as always a smile of indifference that reveals nothing about her true thoughts.

Who are the Inner Circle?

Throughout history there are stories of secret organisations that ran the world from behind the scenes. They are not stories. They are truths. Every great civilisation has had them. People who from behind the scenes shaped and manipulated events to their suiting. For the last few centuries that organisation had been the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. On the outside they looked like a exclusive social club that catered for the powerful and wealthy when in reality the club was just a way to create links to people in positions of power. Only those who were members of their leadership, the Inner Circle, knew of its true purpose to be the power that shaped the world. The leadership were ranked and named after chess pieces.

As a Queen Emma held a position of great power because she possessed great power. She was a telepath. An immensely powerful one. As a secondary mutation she could transform her body into unbreakable diamond. Emma walks forward nearer to the man, her movements poised and refined. "I am not wrong though am I Sebastian," she says with just the tiniest hint of a dare in her tone as in daring him to contradict her about what she said about Magneto. It's subtle so not to anger him but it's there. Emma just knew Magneto's fanaticism would cause problems.

Sebastian Shaw, current Black King of the Inner Circle, unfortunately cannot argue with her. Before this the petty little rivalry between Xavier and Magneto meant nothing. It was at most an irritant until right now for he too was a mutant. He was able to absorb most forms of energy that were used against him. Under the right circumstances that could be very useful. Magneto's actions had changed things unexpectedly and exposed their kind at a time when Shaw was unprepared for such a scenario. That will never happen again Shaw swears. From this moment on it seemed Shaw would have to watch Xavier and Magneto much more closely so he is never caught off guard again.

"What of these Sentinels?" Emma queries for giant mutant hunting robots unsettle even her.

"Trask is imprisoned by SHIELD. Getting our hands on him or the schematics will be difficult. I am monitoring the situation at Luthorcorp. Perhaps an opportunity will arise but I doubt Fury will leave anything useful for us to find."

"There is much that went on we do not have full facts about. Alkali Lake for example."

"My spies in HYDRA picked up something about that. I have them looking into it. There is time later for us to discuss all this in detail at the next full meeting of the Inner Circle," Shaw decrees as he has no intention of a hasty reaction. The next move as always must be carefully planned.

"Oh please not Selene," Emma says distastefully at the fact of having to be in the same room as Selene Gallio, the Black Queen. Emma can't stand the woman and is pretty certain Selene feels the same way about her.

Shaw sighs. "You must learn to tolerate her even if you do not like her. I cannot protect you from her forever Emma."

"I don't need protection," she hisses, her cold mask of indifference slipping for a moment at the implication that she is weak and needs help. Emma Frost needs no-one.

Shaw shakes his head. Emma's attitude around Selene will be the literal death of her one day. He does not waste time raising it again. Shaw uses a remote in his hand and switches images to Professor Xavier's appearance at Congress. At the very least Shaw has to be slightly grateful to Xavier for preventing a war he was unprepared for. If a war between humans and mutants ever does come to pass Shaw has to be sure to be in a position to guarantee the outcome.

"Must we watch the old fool again," Emma says snidely. A scowl now mars her otherwise perfect features.

Shaw smiles. Emma and Xavier had a history. She didn't like him to put it simply. Saying that Shaw isn't sure there is a single person on the planet Emma genuinely likes. This is a woman who despises her own parents. "Things have changed Emma and we must now change with them," Shaw says. "I think the year ahead will be most interesting. I have a feeling we will require your students. Up their training. Do what ever you think is necessary but have them prepared," he dictates.

Emma notices the sly, mildly amused smile on Shaw's face and wonders briefly what he is planning. She knows he harbours ambitions to become the Hellfire Club's ultimate ruler, the Lord Imperial. Perhaps he thinks he can use this somehow to his advantage. Emma will have to mentally note to keep an eye on him and see if she can turn any of this to her advantage.

Lady Imperial. Has such a nice ring to it.

Well that is the future Emma hopes. For right now she has to play the game. She bows slightly in reverence at what was an order and Emma knows when to simply obey Shaw without questioning him and this is one of those moments. "As you command my King," she replies before turning and departing. She has a trip to make to the Academy of Tomorrow in Boston, Massachusetts that she set up. Xavier is not the only one with a school for training mutants.

Shaw continues to sit alone in the darkness watching the replay of the events at Congress. He freezes it at the moment Martha Kent stands forward to speak. Shaw himself now stands and moves closer to the screen. In his life he has been married a few times but there has only be one woman who broke it off with him and that was when they were only engaged. The same woman he looks at now.

"Martha Clark. Now how did you end up there?" Shaw wonders out-loud.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Day 2 back home involves starting the repairs. Logan still hadn't returned. Both Amara and Martha were still upset and depressed about Volcana's leaving. Everyone had split up into teams to work on the repairs. Some worked on filling in the craters on the grounds, others the outer wall and gates to try and make their home secure again while the rest worked on the mansion itself. The destroyed defences were another issue. The Professor had gotten them originally by setting up a front company and essentially buying them from Stark Enterprises who it seems never looked too closely.

Charles wasn't sure whether that would still work. The front company still exists but people would surely be looking a lot closer now. Charles considers that he may need to rethink his whole approach to this.

After a hard morning they all start to take a break for lunch.

"Ah guess this wasn't quite what ya expected," Rogue says to Domino as they sit out in the sun by the pool in relation to the near disaster that is currently their home and the fact Domino finds herself having to help make repairs.

Domino shrugs and smiles. "Beats being locked up in a dam," she remarks. In fact this place beats by a long way every other place she has lived in her entire life for the sole reason it is a place she feels fully accepted so it doesn't bother her that it is a bit of a fixer-upper.

"Ah'm sorry it'll beh awhile before we can remove that implant," Rogue adds after Beast had informed Domino of the state of the infirmary and that she is stuck with the control chip Stryker implanted in her neck until he can get it re-equipped so he can perform the surgery required to remove it.

"I'll live although perhaps not for much longer if I can't go shopping for clothes," Domino complains since the only clothes she owns which are hers is the Beta Squad uniform she is still wearing.

"Ah was about ta say that Kurt could lend ya his holowatch so ya could go ta tha mall but ah guess it doesn't matter any more," Rogue says since there is no longer any point in hiding themselves.

"It's a whole new world."

"Yeah. In more ways than one."

"You and Clark," Domino guesses Rogue means and the boundary they have crossed. "Have you two...?" she starts to ask if they have slept together again.

"No!" Rogue protests vociferously while her cheeks flush. "I mean when would we have had tha tahme or tha privacy. Ah'm rooming with Kitty. He ended up rooming with Scott and he really needs to tahke it easy with those ribs of his."

"Uh huh," Dom says casually. "That's why I saw him laying bricks for the perimeter wall."

"He's doing what?" Rogue exclaims. "Ah'm goin ta kill him!" she promises. He was suppose to be taking it easy. Rogue gets up and marches round to the front of the mansion and sure enough there is Clark laying bricks for the wall, holding his side every so often. "Clark! What do ya think y'all are doing?" she demands to know of him.

"Um. Rebuilding the wall," Clark replies somewhat confused at Rogue's angry sounding tone of voice.

"Don't beh clever," Rogue tells him off. "Y'all are suppose ta beh resting."

"Ah'm fine," Clark insists.

Rogue scoffs. "Beast said ya had 3 cracked ribs."

"Which are still healing faster than a human. My physiology is still Kryptonian Rogue even if my powers are gone."

"Do you two want to be alone?" Roberto asks really not wanting to get caught in Rogue's wrath. Scott and Evan who are also there are thinking the same.

"Go get some lunch guys," Clark says. "We'll pick this up later."

Roberto, Scott and Evan scurry away.

"Y'all are being way too stubborn," Rogue complains about him.

"Now there's the pot calling the kettle," Clark says as he sits down on a pile of bricks with a slight groan of discomfort. Hurt he is but he felt he needed to help as much as he could.

Rogue sits down next to him trying to calm her temper. As much as she might want to blowing up all over him won't help. She guesses its Clark's calming influence on her. Although as soon as he is well again he's dead! "Clark really how are ya feeling?" she asks with genuine worry for him.

"It aches but it's not too bad."

"And what about Jor-El?" she asks him since they hadn't had a chance to discuss it and this relates as to why he is in pain to start with.

"What about him? If he thinks stripping me of my powers is going to get me rushing back to him he is sadly mistaken. I'll go as soon as everything calms down. You, the others...you're what's important to me. Not my powers," he says very sincerely. He wraps an arm around Rogue's waist and pulls her to him, his fingers gently rubbing up and down on her side. "Besides why would I want to leave now I've seen you naked?" he asks with a teasing grin.

Rogue scowls and hits him on the arm.

"Oh hey easy. I am just a poor mortal now and I was joking."

"Space Boy ah've said it a hundred tahmes. Ya ain't that funny."

"Yes you have but it's worth it every time because you look so adorable when you're ticked off."

Rogue blushes at that and her lips curve up into a smile against her will. Clark gives her a quick kiss before gently stroking her cheek affectionately.

"See. I'm still a Kryptonian," he says as being able to kiss her and touch her proves biologically nothing has changed.

"When will ya go ta Smallville really?" Rogue asks him.

"Not sure. I can't just zip to Smallville easily any longer. This place...I mean we're going to be at it for a couple of weeks at least I think. Even then I'm in no rush. Why would I want to leave the woman I love?" he phrases the question this time round.

Rogue smiles at that and this time gives him a quick kiss. "Ah can't think of a reason but when tha tahme comes ya do leave ya should let us come with ya," she tells him.

Clark disapproves instantly of that idea. "No way. Forget it. I can't protect you from Jor-El."

"Maybe ya need ta let someone protect ya for a change Clark."

"Rogue..."

She cuts him off. "Clark ya tried ta talk ta him and it didn't work. He thinks you're corrupted with emotion. Maybe someone else needs to make tha argument this tahme."

"I...can't argue with you on that," he finds himself saying.

"Course not. Ah'm tha one who is always right in this relationship."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Uh huh. I think someone needs to be reminded of who is the King," he says with a dangerous gleam in his eye.

Rogue stands up and starts to back away. "Clark. Don't ya dare," she warns him knowing what he is thinking.

"Oh yes I think so because powers or no powers I know where you're ticklish."

Clark then lunges after her chasing her around. From afar Martha and Jonathan look on, smiling at how playful Clark and Rogue are around each other as the two young lovers laugh and play. It was something Rogue never was when they first arrived. It was like something Clark had helped bring out of her after she repressed it and Clark was just generally happier and freer being able to be with someone he could be completely honest with and accepted him as is. It is why despite the many bad things the two Kents have endured these last few days, for Martha especially Claire's departure, it makes Martha and Jonathan happy to see Clark and Rogue happy. Although that doesn't mean they are getting out of that sex ed class they have coming their way because they aren't and neither are Scott and Jean.

* * *

**The Kawatche Caves, Smallville...**

The caves are silent, empty. Their walls covered in writings and paintings telling a story of a man who visited Earth long ago. A man possessing the power of ten men and the ability to shoot fire from his eyes. Of course he left so much more behind than just paintings and stories. Advanced technology is buried beneath the stone. Others of the man's kind would visit and alter the technology. Technology that allows the representation of a dead man to inhabit this empty place.

The silence is broken as two pieces of the wall separate and slide back. A blinding golden light emanates from within.

"I have misjudged Kal-El," Jor-El's voice booms from within the space filled by the golden light. "Even with his powers suppressed he manages to interfere in events he is not ready for. He cannot be left to wander for weeks in this world without guidance. My patience is at an end," he announces his decision.

Within the golden light a silhouetted figure can be seen moving. "What do you wish me to do?" the figure asks.

"Fetch my son although you must not try to take him by force or it will reveal what he already suspects. Go to him, observe closely and we will find the means to bring him here willingly," Jor-El commands.

"As you wish," the figure says obediently.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

With the mansion defences destroyed the students in small groups are working in shifts through the night to patrol around the grounds. It is a little paranoid in one sense but their whole secret has just been revealed and there is no way yet to know how people will take it.

Right now Bobby and Ray are teamed up with Domino. It was felt her experience and training would be a big asset which it is. Domino can do this sort of thing in her sleep. She was still wearing her MRD uniform which was so in need of a wash. The Professor had promised that once everything is repaired they'll get around to making her a proper X-Man uniform. Domino accepted that. There were other priorities but during the afternoon Domino had been able to go out to the mall, borrowing Kurt's holowatch as Rogue suggested, and buy a few outfits for normal everyday wear. The holowatch was just to avoid hassle. It was not because Domino is ashamed of how she looks because she isn't. Still it was odd to see herself again as she looked before her mutation kicked in.

Bobby and Ray are cracking jokes when Domino suddenly shushes them and pulls out a gun. She points in one direction where she heard a noise come from. All 3 silently walk in that direction, turn a corner of the mansion and...

...come face to face with a gorgeous blond girl.

A gorgeous blond girl who happens to be completely naked.

Ray's and Bobby's tongues end up on the ground as their eyes pop out their heads.

The girl's face is emotionless as she addresses them and shows no sign or care of the fact she is naked. "I am here for Kal-El."

"Who?" Domino asks.

The girl fixates her look on Bobby and Ray. "You will take me to Kal-El," she commands of them.

At the name she speaks Ray and Bobby snap out of it. No strange girl should know Clark's alien name. "Kal-El? Never heard of him," Bobby plays it off. He looks to Ray. "Ray?"

Ray shakes his head. "Can't say I have."

"You're loyalty to him is touching but unnecessary," the girl says. "He is not in any danger from me. I am what you would refer to as his cousin."

"You're his what?" Bobby and Ray say together in total surprise. Clark never mentioned anything about having a cousin.

"Cousin," she repeats.

Domino is completely lost. "Alright lets try this from the top. Who are you?" she asks the blond girl.

The girl looks Domino squarely in the eye. "I am Kara...of Krypton."

* * *

_Author's Note: For now I'm going to leave Claire's fate ambiguous. She has gone to find herself and when she does and when they meet up with her again what type of person will she be? That is the question I won't answer in this story. I made a mention awhile back that Martha walked out on someone she was engaged to before she married Jonathan. Then I thought about what if that man happened to be Sebastian Shaw, Black King of the Hellfire Club? Wouldn't that be fun and interesting? On a side note Clark is actually Martha's maiden name as is long speculated as one possibility as to how she came up with the name for her son. The other possibility is that she named him Clark after Clark Gable. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark tries to deal with his 'cousin'._


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

It is in pretty short order that Kara is found clothes, a simple white dress, and then escorted into what remains of the Professor's office where he, Clark and the Kents listen to her explain who she is.

"My cousin?" Clark queries with understandable scepticism after being woken up and the girl explaining to him who she apparently is.

"That is correct Kal-El," Kara confirms.

"I thought I was Krypton's Last Son," he comments.

"You are."

"Then what does that make you?"

"I was a fail-safe. I was to only be awakened if you strayed from your chosen path. This scenario has occurred," she gives as the explanation for her existence.

"And where have you been all this time?" Clark asks the very pertinent question.

"Asleep inside the caves as I have been since the day you arrived on Earth. I was sent with you," she explains.

"Why are you here?" Clark asks getting right down to it.

"Your father is not your enemy Kal-El."

"Jor-El sent you," Clark gleams from that statement.

"He only wishes what is best for you so you may achieve your great destiny," Kara argues.

"Right. That is why he took my powers from me," Clark says with complete and total sarcasm.

"Like any parent in the same scenario he administered discipline upon you for disobedience. Surely your human parents must have done the same."

"Well I'm sorry I am not living up to his high-standards," Clark says insincerely. "But in case it escaped his attention I am not a child. I will live my life the way I choose," he insists stubbornly.

"Even by human standards you are barely an adult. On Krypton you would still be considered a minor."

"This isn't Krypton," Martha finally speaks.

Kara fixes Martha a cold glare. "And you are not his true mother." She then turns her glare to Jonathan. "And you were warned of what would happen if you broke the agreement."

"You leave my parents out of this," Clark warns her, his temper rising. "And they are my parents. They raised me. Where was Jor-El during that time?"

Kara turns her gaze to Clark and it softens. "You are correct. Forgive me."

That takes Clark by surprise that she would say that.

Kara seems to contemplate her next words. "I am not here to take you by force Kal-El. If I had wanted to I could have already done so. I am here to try and understand your refusal to obey and to help you see Jor-El only wishes the best for you. To do that I wish to stay here and observe how you live your life."

"The problem there is none of us can stop you from being here because if you are Kryptonian you possess all the same powers I...use to. Correct?" Clark proposes. Also he is not blindingly accepting this choosing not to snatch him claim of hers. It just doesn't sit right.

"I possess all the capabilities of a true Kryptonian," Kara phrases it. "Some of which you have yet to discover and even the ones you have you have not learned to manage them to their full potential. That is what Jor-El can help you with if you let him."

Clark looks to the Professor. "I would say we should talk about it in private but she could just listen in anyway so she might as well be here," he says having an better understanding of what she is capable of.

Charles looks at the girl whose mind is shielded. Not like Clark that he can't read it but shielded. There was something different about her. Perhaps it is just the difference between male and female Kryptonians. "As Clark said we are unlikely to be able to stop you from being here. What you propose might help solve this dilemma between Clark and Jor-El so you may stay but if you cause trouble from Clark we have learned of a Kryptonian's weakness just to inform you."

"Your words may be construed as unwise informing me of this," Kara says.

"Or it is explaining the situation as it is before we begin so there are no misunderstandings," Charles debates with her. He wants to avoid violence and resolve the conflict between Clark and Jor-El but he must lay down rules.

Kara nods in concession. "You are indeed wise Charles Xavier. I give you my word as a Kryptonian that I will cause no harm to you or any of your students."

"Yes but is it wise in any way to trust you?" Jonathan asks Kara with understandable hostility.

Kara glares at Jonathan coldly. "Kryptonians do not break their word. That along with duplicity and greed are human traits. I could name many flaws of your primitive species," she says utterly condescendingly and not far off total contempt for the human race. "However I sense such words would only serve to ferment mistrust and dislike between myself and Kal-El which I do not wish so I shall refrain from doing so."

"Gee thanks. You are so kind," Jonathan mutters sarcastically, his suspicions not lessened any.

Charles speaks to Kara. "As you may notice we are short of space at the moment."

Kara picks up where the Professor is going. "You are kind to offer me a place to rest but it is unnecessary. I do not require any."

"I see. Well if you change your mind the offer stands," Charles informs her before he turns to Clark with another issue. "We need to discuss Domino. Kara here introduced herself as Kara of Krypton in front of her."

"Oh geez," Clark mumbles. He hadn't even begun to contemplate letting Domino in on that. It takes time to figure out whether someone is trustworthy and he didn't know Domino that well yet but Kara's appearance has forced the issue and now he will have to make a decision.

Kara frowns. "Why does anything need to be discussed?" she asks not seeing why it matters. "This Domino does not need to be told anything. In fact it is better that she is not. Kal-El's secret should be kept to as few as possible. Humans cannot be trusted."

"You're wrong," Clark contradicts her. "They can be and most of the people here know about me."

"That was foolish Kal-El," she reprimands him. "I understand you may have allowed a few close to you to know but with so many aware of what you are it is now only a matter of time until you are betrayed."

"What does that mean?"

"These humans will betray you in time Kal-El. It is their nature. I do not say this to cause you pain. I only state a fact."

"Based on what?" Clark asks rhetorically. "You don't know these people. I do and I would trust them with my life and since you're here to observe me you can observe them too and they will prove you wrong."

Kara frowns most unhappy. "I can see you have been corrupted far worse than your father feared." Clark opens his mouth to argue that but Kara cuts him off. "However as I said I am here to observe so I shall observe your friends as well. Know this Kal-El they have much to do to prove that they are not what I say they are."

The arrogance was astounding but Clark has little choice but to grin and bear it for if she is who she claims to be then she has all his powers and there is little to nothing they can do to her to force her away. For now he'll just have to play along with this. As for Domino...Clark guesses he'll have to make a decision either to tell her the truth or fob her off. Thanks to Kara he is in a situation he didn't want to be in right now. It is always the same. Jor-El always ends up making his life more difficult.

* * *

**Breakfast time...**

"An alien huh?" Domino queries from Rogue when she bumps into her 'little sister' on the way down for breakfast.

"Clark told ya ah see," Rogue assumes.

"I think he felt he had no choice after his cousin showed up naked. I don't believe we have to worry about what fills Ray's and Bobby's wet dreams for awhile," Domino cracks a joke.

Rogue frowns. By now everyone had gotten the story about Kara's less than fully clothed appearance. It was just the way this place worked that stories got around in seemingly no time at all.

"So I can kind of guess why I wasn't told right off."

"It's a big thing Dom and while ah trust ya Clark was always going ta need more tahme ta get ta know ya."

"Thanks for trusting me," Domino says sounding moved by the fact Rogue does. "And I get it. I do." Besides if she told someone that would destroy Rogue's faith and trust and Domino won't do that. She just found her sister here. She isn't throwing it away. "So how did that work precisely for you two in the woods? I mean as an alien can he do...other stuff?" Domino asks, smirking, her mind full of possibilities and she couldn't stop herself from needing to ask.

Rogue's expression turns sour although she should have guessed this was coming. "Clark is..."

Rogue stops as she and Domino bump into Rahne and Jamie. The two older girls drift off to the side of the hallway and wait until Jamie and Rahne are gone. Rogue speaks in a whisper. "Clark is...anatomically he is completely human," she phrases it.

"Ok. Noted for future reference. I think though I only got the cliff notes from him."

Rogue shrugs. "It can be a bit of a long story."

"He did say to be careful around Kara. What did he mean?" Domino asks because she wasn't sure she completely got what he meant.

"Clark...tha Clark you've seen thus far...he was losing his powers. If Kara is like him when he was fully powered...lets just say tha Juggernaut is not tha only unstoppable force on this planet and Clark has other powers tha Juggernaut can only dream about."

Domino shakes her head. "Man I've got so much to catch up on with how things work around here."

Rogue actually laughs. "Oh ya have no idea."

The two girls head into the kitchen which while ransacked of its food by the army or whoever it was hadn't been badly damaged. There they find Clark eating breakfast while his new cousin stands in a corner watching him and everyone else it seems with a penetrating gaze. A couple of the students try to talk to Kara but she ignores them. Talk about a frosty bitch.

For the students breakfast is essentially just the start of another day of repairs to the mansion. They were meant to get a load of new bricks today so they could hopefully finishing patching up the holes. New windows were on order but since it was an old mansion the glass wasn't standard size so that would take several days before the windows arrived.

Clark pours two glasses of milk and offers one to Kara.

"I do not need sustenance," is her icy response.

"You're sucking the fun out of the room," Clark complains about her attitude. "You can at least make it look like you are joining in."

Kara looks at the glass for several moments and then into Clark's eyes who is staring at her with as an intense gaze as Kara is capable of before she reaches out and takes the glass from him. "Thank you," he says as he gulps down his own milk. "Ahhh," he says in response to how refreshing he finds it. "Good right?" he inquires of Kara who is sniffing the glass suspiciously.

She takes a few sips. "It is...not unpleasant to the taste," she decides.

"Wow. That's almost a ringing endorsement," Bobby jokes. For that Kara glares at him, her irises ringed with fire.

"Relax," Clark tells Kara. "He's joking."

"Humans," Kara mutters disparagingly.

Clark rolls his eyes. "Drink up your milk. Full of calcium. Good for bones which is why I'm drinking lots of it to help my ribs."

Kara takes a sip more. "I sympathise that you are in pain Kal-El but it could have been avoided if you had obeyed your father."

"That is not a debate I'm having right now. There is a lot to be done today."

Kara says nothing more and simply finishes her milk. Once breakfast is over Kara leaves with Clark who gives Rogue a quick kiss before he goes.

Through-out the morning Kara watches Clark interact with everyone, joking around as they continue to repair the outer wall. Her expression is usually very bland and neutral but her eyebrows would twitch into a frown every so often. Clark told her stories of growing up trying to get her to see humanity as he does. He even tries to get her to use her powers to help fix the mansion. She refused saying she was here to observe only and not interfere so big help having a superpowered cousin is...not!

When Rogue pays him a visit close to lunchtime and he shares a long kiss with her Kara's expression breaks out into a full on one of disapproval. Clark spots it and pulls Kara away from everyone so they can talk in private without being overheard. He has had enough of her sour looks and wants an explanation of what is bothering her so much. "Ok. What is it?"

"What is your relationship with that girl?"

"Which girl?"

"The one you refer to as Rogue."

"She's my girlfriend...if you understand what that means."

"You are courting her?" Kara inquires sounding extremely displeased by that notion.

"Yes. I am dating her."

"Have you taken her as your mate?" Kara bluntly asks it.

"That is none of your business," Clark bluntly tells her.

"You have," Kara realises. "Kal-El she is beneath you."

For an outside observer they would see Clark's eyes flash red despite the supposed loss of his powers. "Do not demean her like that," he warns Kara.

"I understand why she would be attracted to you. You are most handsome and a fine physical specimen but all she wants from you is the fact your great power can attain her a higher position in this society. Your destiny is so much greater than an infatuation with one human female."

The red glow in Clark's eyes returns stronger. "You will want to choose your next statement carefully," he almost growls out in anger. "You do not know Rogue at all nor do you understand our feelings for each other."

"I understand that she will sell you out if it benefits her in some way. Humans cannot be trusted."

"That's enough!" Clark snaps, his usual serene temperament been pushed to the limit in a very short space of time. "**My friends**," he emphasises that, "have known about me for months and could have sold me out as you put it many times over if they had wished but they never did."

"Only because it was not in their interest. When the moment comes to choose themselves over you they will choose themselves. That is human nature. That is what needs to be changed. That is why you were sent here so you can lead them in a new direction. Jor-El will teach you how to become that leader."

Well that is getting somewhere as to what Jor-El wants. Very vague and lacking detail but it was a start. However Clark will not accept this view Kara is putting forward of his friends. "I don't know how up to speed you are on current events but over the last week we have been attacked, our home wrecked, my friends have been taken prisoner, we have been vilified by the press and I'm certain we have faced being killed on no less than a good dozen or so occasions during all which thanks to my _father _my powers have been weakening all the time making me from a strategic standpoint a liability. During no point did we accept leaving anyone behind and since you seem to want to fixate on me no-one suggested selling me out to save themselves and there was plenty of opportunity for them to do so. We are closer together than ever for we are a family so you can stop trying to drive a wedge between myself and my friends because it will not work. I will see Jor-El on my own terms when I'm ready and not before," Clark says in the closest he may have ever come to a full blown rant.

Clark takes a minute to regain his breath. "And one more thing despite the fact it is none of your business. I love Rogue and yes in the term you used she is my mate and far from being beneath me she is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. If anything I am unworthy of her. She is very special in ways I doubt you can understand. If you want an opinion Kara from what I've seen of you so far I would put you beneath her," he lashes out, his temper at the breaking point with her.

Kara does not respond to his outburst in kind. She remains calm but her expression is back to that disapproving one. "True Kryptonians do not allow themselves to be slaves to their emotions. That is a human failing that you seemed to have picked up. I can see continuing this discussion is pointless until you calm down. I shall return later," she says and then before Clark can even blink Kara takes off from the ground and soars off into air and over the horizon with a sonic boom.

Clark stares into the sky at the place she vanished from view, his eyes narrowed slightly. He may be stating the obvious but he doesn't think this' family reunion' is going very well.

* * *

Later that day, approaching evening, Clark is exiting the bathroom after the shower he was having before dinner, when he bumps into Kurt and Kitty.

After the usual greeting Kurt asks," How's it going with your cousin?" He than makes a small face. "Man zhat's veird to say after you thought zhere wasn't any ozhers left," he remarks.

Clark manages a small smile at that. "It is a little strange and as for how it's going not well is the answer. We've had a little cousinly tiff."

"What about?" Kitty asks him.

"I don't want to go into detail but lets just say she has a low opinion of humans and that includes you guys and I didn't respond too well to her insulting my family."

"I take it there was like yelling involved," Kitty assumes.

"We can go with raised voices," Clark amends Kitty's assumption.

"So vhere is she?" Kurt asks.

Clark shakes his head in exasperation and also like he can't believe he is about to say this. "She flew off."

"Flew off?" Kitty queries.

Clark shrugs. "I guess if I ever get my powers back I really can properly fly."

Kurt raises a concern. "Um is it vise just to let her fly about considering vhat just happened vith our exposure?" he asks.

"It isn't like I could stop her Kurt," Clark says in his defence.

"Yeah I guess it would be like pretty hard to stop her doing anything she wants," Kitty says as the true danger and threat Kara could pose suddenly sinks in. You never really think about the threat Clark could be because he is so nice. Obviously she is overlooking the fact he annoys her silly with his little jokes and teasing remarks.

"Well she gave her word she wouldn't cause trouble and I have no reason to doubt it. She said she was leaving due to my emotional outburst and that she would be back once I calmed down," Clark paraphrases. "She'll be back," he says confidently.

"How do you know?" Kurt asks.

"Jor-El sent her here to 'observe' me. She can't do that if she is not here and trust me disobeying Jor-El comes with severe consequences," he points out from what he is experiencing right now.

Kitty's face winces in sympathy. "How is that scar? Did you get Mr McCoy to look at it?"

"There isn't anything he can really do Kitty. Jor-El generated the mark. Only Jor-El can remove it and it doesn't do much more than irritate my skin most of the time like...I think like a rash is the best comparison."

"Speaking of irritations what is it like rooming with Scott?" Kurt asks, his expression failing to mask the humour which he is asking this.

Kitty holds her hand over her mouth and giggles. "Yeah I imagine he is a total neat freak considering how obsessed he is with keeping that car of his clean."

Clark chuckles. Yes he ended up rooming with Scott. "Well I don't like to make disparagingly remarks about people...except you of course Kitty," he jests.

Kitty shoots him a dirty look and sticks her tongue out at him. Kurt chuckles at that and Kitty elbows him in the ribs.

"Seriously he isn't so bad," Clark says. "He does like to keep things neat and tidy and he does seem to do things in a particular order at the exact same precise time every day."

"I totally knew it," Kitty says in relation to Scott. Someone that anal would be like that. Kitty's expression then turns serious. "This thing with Jor-El...it'll turn out alright though won't it? You won't be leaving us?" she genuinely worries.

"Not if I can help it," Clark promises her.

Kitty then moves forward and wraps her arms around his neck. Clark gently hugs her back. "That's good because I still have to get you back for redecorating my room," she promises him as she steps back. "And you know I think of you like the big annoying brother I never asked for."

"And I think of you like that irritating little sister that I never wanted," he says back in jest.

"You know I'll never figure you two out," Kurt comments at the weirdness that is Clark and Kitty's relationship.

Clark looks to Kitty. "He says that like it is a bad thing," he says in regard to Kurt's comment.

"Yeah. Like totally," she says in agreement. Kitty places her hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt my dear fuzzy blue friend let me tell you how not figuring stuff out keeps life interesting," she says as she leads Kurt, whose expression is now one of complete confusion, off.

Clark smiles, laughs and shakes his head in amusement at the two of them as he heads off to his and Scott's room to take a short rest before dinner. He is still a bit sore from his fight with the Juggernaut not to mention that without his powers he can feel a hard day's work wear on him perhaps not as much as a human but he feels it.

* * *

"Any sign of Kara?" Martha asks Clark as the 3 Kents sit and catch up in her and Jonathan's room after dinner.

Clark shakes his head. "No but I have this...feeling she is nearby...relatively speaking. I wouldn't rule out she is listening to us now but she can do that from miles away."

Jonathan frowns, unhappy and uncomfortable at the fact he can be listened in to and not know it. Not to mention he is just generally unhappy about the whole situation. Not to mentioned worried about where all this will end.

There is a sudden gust of wind. "I and many others Kal-El."

The 3 Kents turn their heads to find Kara standing there, her hands held out in front of her, with an array of small devices within them.

"As I said they would the humans have betrayed you with these primitive listening devices," Kara almost gloats at the fact this proves her right in her assessment of humanity.

Clark knows what those are. "Oh the bugs. Yeah we thought the authorities would plant them when they were going through the place which is why when we were on our way back we stopped by our friend of ours called Forge who made us a jamming device. Trust me no-one has heard anything that has been going on in this mansion since we arrived back."

Kara crushes the devices to dust, frowning unhappily at the way Kal-El dismissed it so lightly.

"But thanks for finding and destroying them," Clark jokes in a light-hearted manner.

"You must take your safety more seriously Kal-El," Kara chastises him.

"Well that wouldn't be an issue if Jor-El hadn't taken my powers," he argues back.

"That was for a good reason. Your irrational decisions would have caused you and this world more harm than good."

Jonathan is getting tired of hearing that. "There is such a thing as having trust in someone. I trust that we raised Clark properly and will make good decisions. Jor-El doesn't seem to trust him at all."

Martha is frankly amazed Jonathan said that considering how steamed he was at the fact Clark chose to have sex with Rogue which Jonathan sees as the epitome of poor decision making.

"Kal-El has done nothing to prove he is trustworthy," Kara retorts. "His actions have always been emotionally driven and irrational causing nothing but destruction, chaos and pain. I thought you two of all people would understand that." Kara looks at Martha coldly. "After all don't you blame Kal-El for the loss of your child."

What follows that statement is Martha moving with remarkable quickness as she jumps to her feet and slaps Kara across the cheek. Martha recoils instantly holding her hand in pain as Jonathan jumps up to help her.

Kara's eyes flash electric blue. "It is not broken," she calmly informs them in regards to Martha's hand. "Although it could have been," she points out. "Do not be so foolish to try and attack me again," she warns them all off.

Jonathan helps Martha down into a chair. Martha glares at Kara. "I don't care if you're his cousin," Martha almost hisses in anger. "You don't understand anything. Clark is my son and I will never stop loving him as such."

Clark remains outwardly calm although Kara dredging that memory up brings a flash of pain and guilt. Only because he knows what Kara is capable of has he restrained himself thus far.

"This is foolish Kal-El choosing them over your true destiny," Kara argues.

"As a wise man once said we choose our own destiny. That wise man is sitting right here," Clark says pointing at his father. Clark gets to his feet and comes face to face with his cousin. "You know I am getting tired of this," he says sounding fed-up of Jor-El's games and manipulations. "Since you got here you keep trying to drive a wedge between myself and my friends in some attempt to prove they are unworthy of me so I will choose Jor-El over them. Here's the reality Kara it is not about choosing one over the other. I can learn about my Kryptonian heritage...I want to learn about it but this world needs me. My friends need me."

"And your lover? Does she need you too or are you simply allowing yourself to be driven by your base instincts," Kara says nastily.

Clark strangely smiles. "You are attempting to devalue my feelings in an attempt to prove I should stop being driven by them. It's not going to work nor is this attempt at deception. I will return to Smallville when I am ready and I will do things on my terms. I would love to suggest a compromise but you don't do compromises do you...Jor-El?"

Kara frowns in confusion. "Kal-El you make no sense. What deception? Any why are you asking me as if I am your father?"

"Because you are my father or whatever remnant of him you are suppose to be. Let me tell you a story that involves these humans you think so little of. Humans I trusted with an important task. Lets start with breakfast this morning shall we?"

**Flashback...**

Rogue savours the kiss Clark gives her before he leaves with his cousin. Once they are safely gone she looks down at her hand into which Clark pressed a little scrap of paper. She unfolds it and finds a handwritten note.

_Rogue whatever you do do not say or speak any of the following otherwise Kara will hear you. I don't have time to explain it all so I am asking you to trust me. Take the glass Kara handled to Kitty. I need to have it dusted for fingerprints and then ask Kitty to run them through the databases for me. I will keep Kara distracted in the meantime._

Rogue quietly slips the note in her pocket, grabs a napkin and gently lifts the glass off the table trying to avoid accidentally rubbing off the fingerprints. She doesn't quite follow what Clark is doing but asking her to trust him is like asking her to breath. She does it without thinking.

Rogue hastily makes her way back to her and Kitty's room where her friend is brushing her hair. Rogue puts the glass down next to her friend. When Kitty is about to speak Rogue shushes her and hands over Clark's note.

Kitty reads the note, looks a bit confused but she trusts Clark too so she gets to work. She could so easily be a kick ass private detective she thinks to herself as she uses some of foundation powder as an improvised dust. It shows up the fingerprints beautifully. She then uses some sticky tape to pull them off the glass.

Kitty holds the sticky tape up to the light from the window and smiles upon seeing a perfect fingerprint.

From there it is all a matter of getting down to the computer room and trying to match the prints. Kitty had helped get the computers up and running yesterday. Hadn't had a chance to go through the entire system and work out whatever bugs there were but it should work well enough for this.

It takes a long time to go through every database in the country but Kitty gets a match eventually and surprise surprise it comes from Smallville.

Information printed out Kitty puts it in an envelope and drops it on Clark's bed. After that she simply has to wait for a good moment to tell him. She writes her own little note and keeps it in her pocket. Later that day when she spots Clark coming out the shower Kitty knows this is her opportunity and when she throws her arms around him in a hug and then detaches herself that is when she shoves the note into Clark's hand which simply tells him she hid the envelope under his pillow.

**Back to the present...**

Clark now has that envelope in his hand and he pulls out the contents. "Your fingerprints match one Lindsey Harrison. This file includes her rap sheet," he explains what he is holding. "She was arrested for shoplifting in her youth. On the day of the meteor shower she and her mother were driving past the Kawatche caves when their car was struck. Lindsey's mother was killed but Lindsey's body was never found."

"Clark?" Jonathan queries at what this means.

"She is not my cousin," he says it simply. Clark looks her straight in the eye. "Lindsey. I'm sorry. I am so sorry you have been caught up in this," he says with genuine remorse and sorrow at what has befallen the girl before him. "Jor-El is using you. He obviously found you that day of the meter shower. Perhaps you were blown into the cave when a meteor struck your car. He stole your life away, stripped away your humanity all to make you an instrument of his will just in case a day like this came along and he needed to try and persuade me to obey because he can't force me."

Clark is making a few educated assumptions here about what happened to Lindsey but they fit what he knows.

'Kara' says nothing in return, her face now blank.

"He can't force you?" Martha queries that.

Clark shakes his head. "No. Jor-El hasn't taken my powers only suppressed them...I think."

"You think?"

"Twice in the last few days, when I was angry, I felt a surge of power. The first time at Alkali Lake to stop Stryker taking off with Rogue and the Professor in a helicopter and the second time when we were fighting the Juggernaut. If my powers had been drained like Jor-El said there should have been nothing there at all. It was like I was tapping into a power reserve during those moments as if my adrenaline or whatever the Kryptonian equivalent is temporarily broke through the block Jor-El put in."

In fact on a sort of aside Clark thinks this suppression helped protect his powers from when Lionel was hitting him with those kryptonite beams. It is the only explanation Clark can come up with for why even after being subjected to it his powers weren't massively weakened as they normally are. Still Clark thinks it was a little odd that he was able to hurt the Juggernaut when he couldn't do so in the Danger Room simulation. It was liked he tapped into something bigger and deeper within himself for a few brief moments.

However that is something he can think over later. Right now he has to deal with this. Clark addresses 'Kara'. "I know you can hear me Jor-El. Know this. You've failed. You seem to credit me with little of anything but having a 'cousin' show-up out of the blue..." He shakes his head. "You can't really have expected me to buy that. After all time and again you have mentioned that I am all that is left of Krypton. Its Last Son. It didn't make sense her story about waiting asleep for me. If I truly have some great destiny then she could have just as easily fulfilled it as she has all my powers. Now I didn't completely rule out the possibility it was true. Maybe it's my human emotions that your deride so much but a part of me hoped it was true and that I did have some biological family left but I needed to be sure. Therefore I have spent the day on one simple task. Distracting my 'cousin' here so she didn't notice what I asked Kitty to do. You know my human friend whose species you have no faith in delivered exactly what I asked on nothing but my request that she trust me. I knew that Kara's focus would be on me and that I could not do it so I spent the day conjuring up ways to make sure her attention was on nothing but me. I must admit the part where she flew off after arguing went better than I thought it would. I was going for distraction but leaving completely...priceless."

Lindsey's mouth opens to speak but it is Jor-El's voice that comes forth from within. "I have underestimated you my son," he admits. "I am glad growing up with humans has not completely dulled your intellect. However it changes nothing. You are required to come with me to begin the next stage of your journey."

"I am getting tired of saying this Jor-El but I am choosing my own path from here. Now I am perfectly willing to find the time to **discuss **whatever it is you think I need to do but dictating to me will accomplish nothing. Now if you are willing to start over on those terms then you can show this by releasing Lindsey and returning her to her life."

"This vessel's life is already long since passed," Jor-El states flatly.

"Are you saying she's dead?" Clark asks, unwilling...unable to accept that.

"Only my will sustains her. I know you feel great attachment and sympathy to humanity Kal-El but everything has its time. This vessel's time has passed."

"She is not a vessel. She is a human girl. Her name is Lindsey Harrison," Clark states outraged at how little regard Jor-El has for a living being.

"Another emotional outburst," Jor-El says while shaking Lindsey's head in a disapproving manner. "As I warned you Kal-El your emotions will be the undoing of you for they make you easy to manipulate and control."

Clark folds his arms across his chest. "My emotions didn't stop me seeing through this charade did they."

"No they did not," Jor-El concedes. "And I can see I have made a misjudgement," he accepts. "These last few days of trials have only strengthened your bond to these human friends of yours but as I said your emotions are your greatest weakness Kal-El. Because of them you will still come to me of your own free will."

Clark arches an eyebrow. "Really?" he queries sceptical of that.

"Indeed," Jor-El says with a hint of almost malice. Then then the blink of an eye 'Lindsey's' hand is flat against Clark's chest above the scar which glows so intensely it can been seen through his shirt. It burns so intensely Clark's shirt starts to smoulder as holes are burnt into it. He screams out in pain.

Martha and Jonathan move to aid their son but 'Lindsey' blows out a breath of such power to literally blow them off their feet and across the room.

The pain finally subsides and Clark gasps for breath. He feels...stronger? Before he can figure that out 'Lindsey' delivers a spinning kick right into his chest. Clark flies backward exploding through several walls until he ends up outside, crashing into the grounds, carving out a trench as he does so.

Clark lies there for a second winded and then realises he is still alive when he shouldn't be. A kick that powerful should have put the foot right through his chest with his powers suppressed as they are. He sits up and the pain...all the pain of the scar is gone. Clark lifts up his shirt with holes burned into it and looks at his chest. The scar is gone and there is nothing but unblemished flesh. Before his eyes the bruises from the previous few days are fading away to nothing.

"Jonathan!" he hears his mother's screams. Hearing them as he would do with his superhearing. He was back.

In an instant Clark is on his feet and zooming forward. He jumps up to the hole he made on the first floor on the way up and appears in his parents' room where he finds his mother on the floor but no sign of his father. He helps his mother up. "Mom. What happened?"

"She...he...Jor-El. He took your father." Martha then looks at him and remembers how he appeared like a phantom. "Clark. Your powers?"

"They're back. Jor-El removed the scar."

"But why?"

"So I have the means to go to Smallville."

"What?"

"He's using my emotions against me knowing that my love for dad will compel me to go and rescue him," Clark deduces what Jor-El is trying to do.

"Very good my son," Jor-El's voice echoes in Clark's head in what sounds like apparent praise for Clark's deduction. "And you will come if you wish to see Jonathan Kent again and unharmed and you will come alone," Jor-El warns him as in if he doesn't come alone his dad will suffer. "My patience is at an end. You will come to me and fulfil your destiny or lose the people who matter most to you. The choice my son is yours."

* * *

_Author's Note: In Smallville season 3's finale Jor-El was able to lure Clark in because all his connections to the world were severed. Lana had gone to Paris. Pete had left to live with his mother. Chloe had vanished into witness protection. Clark found out Lex had betrayed their friendship continuing to investigate him and it was in this episode Clark learned of Jonathan's deal with Jor-El to hand Clark over. I thought that everything Clark had been through would have simply strengthened his connections to his friends so therefore nothing Jor-El tried would manage to drive a wedge in hence the kidnapping of Jonathan. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the end of this story as Clark makes his choice and Lionel gets his revenge even from prison._


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Inevitably no-one missed the commotion Clark made as he went flying through the mansion bulldozing his way through walls after 'Kara' kicked him. It had ended up with a very quick summary of what transpired filtering around the mansion in what seemed like minutes.

"Damn. And I thought I had father issues," Tabby remarks to Wanda as the students hang around outside the Professor's office where he is talking to Clark and Mrs Kent as they wait to see what is going to happen.

Wanda's face is a mask of suppressed anger. It seems too many of them have 'father issues' as Tabby phrased it but she was really pissed at the fact Mr Kent had been taken. Mr Kent was...well that's kind of what Wanda wishes her own father was more like.

"We'll get him back right?" Jamie asks looking at the older students.

Jean tries to be reassuring. "Yes Jamie. We'll get him back," she says with utter determination although she can't believe this is another thing they are dealing with at the moment. It seems like life just wants to keep kicking them over and over.

Inside the office the Professor watches Clark pace back and forth, the boy's frustrations and agitation almost palpably physical manifestations. "First things first. Are you alright Clark?"

Clark stops pacing and runs his hand through his hair in his frustrated gesture. "I'm fine Professor. Thank you. My powers all seem to be back to normal so my injuries have healed."

Charles is pleased by that but distinctly unhappy about this situation. It was essentially a hostage situation. Jor-El gets Clark or Jonathan gets it or that is the impression Clark and Martha portrayed about what is happening. To summarise what did happen Charles asks, "So you were suspicious about 'Kara' the whole time?"

Clark nods. "Yes...and I'm sorry I didn't tell you Professor. There just didn't seem like a good moment and 'Kara' was watching me all the time."

"I understand Clark," Charles says not angry because he does understand. It also explains why he was blocked from Kara's mind. If he hadn't been he would have known she was human.

"So what now?" Martha asks, her expression one of terrible worry for her husband.

Clark sighs. "Now I hand myself over," he iterates the only course of action he can see.

"Clark. Now we must not be hasty," Charles cautions. "Given time I am certain we can come up with a solution."

"Like? Jor-El demanded I come alone Professor. He has my father and there is nothing to stop him carrying out his threat."

"Clark handing yourself over is no solution. From this deception it is clear Jor-El is prepared to go to extreme measures to get you back. If you hand yourself over can you guarantee he will release your father?"

"No," Clark says with a frown.

"We need to sit down and plan a response Clark. We need to act together."

"Professor you don't know Jor-El. He can hurt me, suppress my powers...he...whatever he truly is has access to great power. I will never ask you to take the risk."

"You are not asking Clark. I'm offering and I am certain your friends outside the door would be willing to take the risk as well."

But Clark doesn't want them to take the risk. Still on the other hand maybe if they put their heads together they could come up with something. He runs his hand through his hair again and looks to his mother. "There is no guarantee with any choice we make," he cautions her.

Martha nods. "Can I have some time to think on it?" she requests since this is a big decision involving great risk to Jonathan's life.

"Of course. Take whatever time you need," Charles tells her.

* * *

Not too much later Martha sits alone thinking. She needed to be alone for a short time to come to her own opinion on what she wanted. She needed to be alone so she could listen to her heart to tell her what was the right decision.

It comes down to Clark leaves by himself and she almost certainly loses her son and can't predict Jonathan's fate or she trusts Charles and the students to come up with a plan that at least has a good chance of success. When she summarises it like that it is more obvious she supposes. She should let Charles and the X-Men attempt a rescue.

There is a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Martha beckons whoever it is.

The door opens and the unmistakable white and brown hair of Rogue pops her head in. "Is this a bad tahme?" she asks.

Martha shakes her head. "No. Of course not." It's never a bad time as far as Martha is concerned for her son's girlfriend. "What is it Rogue?"

Rogue steps inside, looking worried if anything, nervously playing with her white bangs. "Um..have ya seen Clark?"

Martha frowns. "No. Why?"

"Well ah'm sure it is nothing but ah can't find him anywhere," Rogue reports.

"You checked out all his usual hiding places?" Martha asks, her worry growing, as a notion begins to form in her mind.

Rogue nods. She had looked in all the places Clark usually goes when he wants to be alone.

Martha looks to the heavens. "Clark Kent. You have better not done what I've think you've done," she mutters as a threat.

"He's gone isn't he," Rogue guesses, her voice already shaking with emotion.

Martha looks at Rogue, moisture welling up in her green eyes. She puts her hands on Rogue's shoulder. "Lets not assume that just yet. Ok?"

Rogue nods.

"Now where didn't you look for him?" Martha asks.

Rogue thinks hard. "Um...just his old room," she says. Since it was damaged she never thought he would be there.

Martha takes Rogue by her gloved hand and the two walk quickly to Clark's old room. Martha pushes the door open and sitting on the bedside table as clear as day is a sealed envelope. Martha walks over to it and picks it up, her hand visibly shaking with nerves, fearing she knows what this means.

Martha rips the envelope open and pulls out the handwritten letter within. She sits on the bed and signals for Rogue to sit next to her as they read the letter.

_Hey Mom. Hey Rogue._

_By the time you find this I'll be gone. I know Rogue is pretty steamed about now. In fact her left eye is probably doing that twitchy thing._

Martha stops and looks at Rogue and as Clark said Rogue's left eye is twitching. Wow does Clark have Rogue down. She returns to the letter.

_I'm sorry. I never wanted anyone mad at me. I never wanted any of this at all. _

_I tried. I tried so hard to avoid this but maybe this was inevitable. I have no doubt if we put our heads together we come up with a way to rescue dad but then what?_

_Jor-El will never stop coming for me and I don't know how to stop him or how to protect any of you. Therefore the only way I can protect you is to go to him and find out once and for all what it is he wants of me and why he is driven to go to such extremes to force me to obey._

_I have no doubt Rogue is mentally insulting me right now...probably in French for being an idiot._

Rogue is doing precisely that and also muttering a few French phrases Martha thinks she is better off not knowing what they mean.

_Maybe I am an idiot._

_Maybe I am doing the only thing I can do._

_In any case I don't know when or if I'll return so I'll say a few things now._

_Mom. I wish I could express how sorry I am for last summer but no words can make up for what I did or what I put you through. I love you. Lara may have given birth to me but you're the one who gave me life._

Tears well up in Martha's eyes at reading this.

_Rogue...Anna. I wish above all things I didn't have to leave you. I love you. God I love you so much. I love you more than anyone else I have in my life. I would do anything to be with you. Anything except put you at risk. Jor-El knows how special you are to me. In the end that means he will use you to get to me and I will not allow that._

_As_ _for everyone else tell them I meant what I have said before. They are my family and I am doing this to keep them safe._

_So Jor-El was right all along. My emotions do make me easy to control but I have come to the conclusion that I have to do this. I think if you ask Wanda she can explain why. Before she went to New York with us when she was pleading to be allowed to come she made the point that it would never be over for her...that she would never get closure until she confronted her father._

_The same is true for me and Jor-El. We need to have it out once and for all father and son._

_So that's it I guess. Time to...as Jor-El says so often...time to face my destiny head on._

_Whatever happens know that I love all of you and will keep you in my thoughts always._

_CK._

Martha sniffles as she fights back the tears. Clark. She didn't know whether to hit him or hug him.

Rogue is having the exact same dilemma. She can't...this can't be happening to her. Not so soon after she and Clark declared and expressed their love for each other. Why does life always have to kick her down just when it seems like she might be happy?

First her powers kicking in just when she kissed Cody and now this.

Without Rogue even realising it tears are falling down her face. Martha's soothing arms pull Rogue to her and the two women cry together.

* * *

**Kawatche Caves, Smallville...**

Clark slips out of superspeed at the entrance to the caves. He is certain he set a new speed record for himself because as he ran here he created a sonic boom indicating he broke the speed of sound(768mph).

Clark stiffens his resolve and marches in to find 'Lindsey' standing waiting for him. She is standing next to his father who is down on his knees with a ribbon of golden energy wrapped around his neck emanating from an opening in the cave wall Clark had never seen before. "Let him go!" Clark demands. "Leave my father out of this!"

Jor-El's voice booms around the cave, "Agree to come with me and I will release him."

"Clark. No!" Jonathan chokes out.

Clark steps next to his father and bends down. He places a hand on his father's shoulder. "I'm sorry dad. There's no choice," he says sadly.

"Yes there is son. Jor-El can do anything he wants to me. I've lived a full life and I'll sacrifice it if it means you are free," Jonathan tells his son, willing to selflessly sacrifice himself for his son.

"I'll never be free," Clark says and in his son's eyes Jonathan can see the stark sad acceptance of that. Clark stands up straight. "Why do you do this?" he shouts out.

"I do what I must," Jor-El gives as his explanation.

"But why?" Clark asks again needing to understand. "Because even though I have only a few sketchy memories I can remember the day you placed me in my ship. You were sad. You were not this emotionless automaton."

"I was programmed to ensure your survival at any cost," Jor-El or the computer programme the real Jor-El created informs Clark.

"So you put me through horrendous tests?" Clark queries about last summer.

"Which you passed," Jor-El reminds Clark.

"And you take innocent girls and use them," Clark says distastefully as he looks at Lindsey.

"She has outlived her usefulness," Jor-El states and then before Clark's eyes Lindsey seems to dissolve into nothing.

Clark's guts twist in anger. "That wasn't necessary!" he snaps.

"As I said her life had ended," Jor-El states in an emotionless tone.

"You could have given it back," Clark argues.

"Irrelevant."

"Again I ask why? Why are you doing this? Why do you refuse to listen to me?"

"You are driven by emotion Kal-El. Therefore you cannot see what it is that logically needs to be done. You are the Last Son of Krypton. Its legacy lives or dies through you. I tried with everything I possessed to save our world, our people, your mother..."

Clark blinks. There was actual sadness in Jor-El's tone. He has never heard that before from his biological father.

"In the end all I could save was you...my only son. I cannot fail again. I will not. I will do whatever it takes to ensure you survive even if that runs contrary to what you believe is right and wrong. To ensure you survive I also have to ensure this world survives. Humanity has great potential but it is also deeply flawed. Its flaws will lead to its own destruction as our people's flaws led to the destruction of our world."

"What?" Clark asks puzzled by that. Jor-El had never told him how Krypton was destroyed. "Are you saying we destroyed ourselves?"

"Pride is not the sole domain of the human race. Our pride...our arrogance...our belief in our own superiority...in the fact that we were indestructible...it found a voice and that voice led us to our own tragedy. If a similar voice rises within the human race it too will lead to its tragedy which is why you Kal-El must lead them. You can use Krypton's mistakes as an example that must not be followed but to do that you must become a true Kryptonian. Learn its history and understand the full power that lies within you and you will be able to lead humanity away from its own self-destruction. Your wish to do this, to use a human phrase, part-time is unacceptable. There is insufficient time for you to be ready to step forward in the moment and seize your destiny that way."

"In your opinion," Clark argues.

"This is not a debate Kal-El. Step into the light and we shall begin the next stage of your journey."

Clark looks at the opening with the golden light and takes a deep breath.

"Clark!" Jonathan chokes out once more.

Clark looks at his father with sad eyes. "I love you dad. This is the only way I can ensure you, mom and everyone else is safe. Once I'm gone Jor-El won't bother you any more," he essentially justifies why he has to do this.

Clark turns toward the golden light once more.

"Come to me Kal-El!" Jor-El demands.

Clark steps towards the light and as he does so he can feel a pull be exerted on his body trying to yank him in. He comes to a stop a few steps short. "Release my father!" he demands.

"Step into the light and I shall,"Jor-El says in reply.

"You expect me to trust your word after everything you have done?"

"You have no choice Kal-El. Refuse and I kill Jonathan Kent before your eyes. If necessary I will kill every link you have to humanity one by one until you obey. It is not a task I wish to perform but I will if you give me no choice."

"Do whatever you think needs to be done," Clark mutters in anger and disgust. If only there was another way...but there isn't.

Clark takes one more step into the light and the pull increases exponentially. It feels like his body is getting pulled apart.

Jonathan watches as it appears Clark is literally pulled apart as he vanishes into the golden light. _'No,' _he thinks desperately. This can't have been the only way. He grabs at the energy still around his neck holding him down.

"I thank you Jonathan Kent," Jor-El's voice booms out. "I thank you for keeping Kal-El safe but his journey with you is at its end. I...regret what I must do next," he says with some sorrow in his tone. "But I cannot allow you to tell anyone what has transpired here today."

Jonathan knew it. He knew Jor-El could not be trusted. "You lied," he accuses Jor-El.

"I do what I must."

"The ends cannot justify the means."

"Even if those ends prevent the extinction of the human race."

"There is always another way. A better way."

"You sound like myself when I was a young man before life taught me different. Before the war. Before the rise of Zod."

"You have let bad experiences cloud your judgement," Jonathan accuses Jor-El. He has to say though this a surreal experience learning about what it is that has driven Jor-El to such extremes like this.

"On the contrary," Jor-El argues. "Those experiences taught me what it is I had to do and I programmed that into this simulation. I am not a cruel man Jonathan Kent as you might believe. For Kal-El's sake and all you have done for him I will not end your life but you shall never speak of this day."

The energy rope around Jonathan's neck glow brighter and brighter. If someone was left to see it they would have to look away. Then in a flash the energy is gone and Jonathan lies on the floor of the cave unmoving and unconscious.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

In the Professor's office Ororo is doing her best to console Martha who is visibly extremely upset about potentially losing both her husband and her son. Ororo looks up to Rogue sitting in the next chair trying to look strong but the anguish on the young woman's face was so stark even Rogue could not hide it.

Charles is reading the letter Clark left behind with a heavy heart. Part of him is berating himself for not figuring Clark would do something like this.

"Professor," Rogue's voice queries sounding so weak and afraid it almost doesn't sound like her but despite her wish to put on a tough front Rogue finds she can't. She loves Clark so much. She can't have lost him. She can't have!

Charles looks at Rogue, his face full of sympathy. He can see the unspoken question in her eyes. "We'll get them back," he vows although he isn't sure how yet.

Hope glimmers in Rogue's green eyes.

Charles takes a moment to think. They need to go but not charge in since they have no idea what kind of situation they are heading into. It needs to be a cautious approach and one person not coming despite the fact she will want to is Rogue. She is too emotionally invested. He doesn't doubt her bravery but her ability to think calmly and clearly. He isn't blaming her. If he was in her position and it was someone he loved his ability to think calmly and clearly would be compromised as well.

Charles wishes Logan was here.

As if in answer to his prayer the door to the office opens and in walks Logan, his face glum. The fact Claire is not with him explains Logan's expression. He couldn't find her. Logan looks around the office at all the people and their expressions instantly tell him something is up. "Alright. What did I miss?"

* * *

Later that night...or it is well into the early morning by now. In fact it can't be long until the sun rises. Rogue stares out of her window. Everyone else is asleep but she can't. All she can think about is the fact that Clark and Mr Kent are gone and no-one knows anything about whether they are alright or not.

Rogue had wanted to go desperately but the Professor said no. His explanation being he wanted to take only a few on the trip as this was not about confronting Jor-El. It was assessing the situation and then deciding what needed to be done. In otherwise he would call. The Professor had only taken Logan, Beast, Jean and Scott with him.

Rogue wishes she understood why the Professor made that choice but she doesn't. She is half-tempted to steal Logan's bike and go to Smallville anyway but...well she can't leave Mrs Kent can she. They need each other right at this moment.

Rogue sighs before briefly looking at Kitty asleep in the other bed before she returns her gaze to looking out the window. In her hand is the letter. Clark's letter which she has read over and over explaining why he felt he had to leave and saying how he loved her. She had been trying futilely to get it to make sense to her. It didn't really beyond Clark's idiotic need to try and protect everyone. That she understood. God it annoyed her that need of his. When he gets back she is so giving him a piece of her mind.

A few tears trickle down her cheeks. It is taking all her willpower not to fall apart. She had had the one thing she never imagined she would have. She had someone she loved and loved her back. Someone who made her smile, made her laugh, made her feel safe. She loves him so much and she will never forget the night they had together in the woods where they made love. She will never forget the feeling of what it truly means to love someone and be loved in return and now...now it had all been ripped away from her.

In Rogue's other hand is the silver looking octagonal key that once belonged to Clark's spaceship. She had found it in Clark's belongings and wonders why he didn't take it with him. _'Shouldn't ah have given this ta tha Professor,'_ she suddenly asks herself since he might have needed it. She raises it and stares at it for a long time. For a moment she swears it glows and she suddenly completely forgets anything about her thought about giving it to the Professor.

Rogue's gaze returns to staring out the window when suddenly she spots an orange glow beneath her on the lawn. It looks like a small fire. Rogue knows she should tell someone yet she can't move or speak. She is compelled to simply look. Then suddenly the fire erupts outward and burns in the shape of a symbol. A Kryptonian symbol she somehow knows. It is a triangle with a line coming out of the base which runs into a circle with another straight line coming out on the opposite side.

Rogue continues to stare and the symbol reflects in her green eyes. The key in her hand glows once more and a word rises up in her mind. A word she is compelled to speak in a whisper. "Crusade."

* * *

**At a SHIELD Prison Facility...**

Colonel Fury steps through as the door is opened and comes to a stop in front of the bars of the cell which holds Lionel Luthor dressed in an orange prison uniform who is currently having his long hair shaved off in what would otherwise be the cell he sits in alone. In the intervening period they had managed to remove the armoured suit off of Lionel and it was currently being studied by SHIELD technicians and scientists.

Lionel looks up from the chair he is sitting in and ignores the discomfort of having the entire surface layer of his skin ripped off when they removed the suit from him. He was still alive which for the moment was all that mattered to Lionel. "Colonel Fury," he acknowledges his visitor...his only visitor up to this point.

Fury takes in the man who has caused so much trouble. Whose actions directly and indirectly have revealed mutants to the world and have caused chaos. Riots. Protests. People randomly attacked in the streets accused of being mutants. Murders. If it wasn't for the X-Men there could have been a full scale war broken out by now. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" he asks the man, with repressed anger.

"Yes," Lionel states in a calm serene voice.

"Then I suppose you know what you will be charged with," Fury says. It's a long list. Treason tops it.

Lionel smiles oddly. "I'm dying Colonel Fury."

Death was too good for this guy Fury think to himself. He should live a long long time locked up behind bars. "Just to let you know I'll have Luthorcorp liquidated by the end of the week and all your remaining assets frozen by tomorrow. I'll make sure you will die with nothing," Fury promises Lionel with a small satisfaction at doing that.

Lionel laughs.

Fury frowns. "What is so funny?"

Lionel looks at the Colonel, his eyes dark and cold. "Not nothing Colonel Fury. I'll die with one thing. Vengeance."

* * *

**Smallville...**

Lex pours himself a large drink of whiskey as he pulls his tie off. He momentarily notes it is a new bottle he is opening. He has felt like drinking a lot these last few days thanks to his father. He has spent all day trying to position himself to salvage what he can from the wreckage of Luthorcorp his father has sent it into. Lex isn't 100% sure he can salvage everything he wants to absorb into Lexcorp but he will sure as hell try because one thing is certain and that is Lex is not letting his father take him down too. He will not join his father in sharing the defeat the whole world saw his father suffer on that dam.

As for his father...let him rot in prison. Lex knows his father is dying. Good riddance. Couldn't come soon enough as far as Lex is concerned.

At least Lana isn't here to endure this. She's in Paris nice and safe so she can attend the design school Lex managed to rankle a place in for her. That was secure. Regardless of what happened here Lana would at least get to live her dream. She was the one bright spot in Lex's otherwise dark world.

Lex lifts his drink to his lips. So busy had he been with trying to salvage what he can from Luthorcorp he hasn't had time to think about this whole mutant question or how it pertains exactly to Clark. The truth about that school was now known as was Clark's supposed reasons for being there but somehow it didn't sit quite right with Lex. It is like he is missing something.

Well that is down his list or priorities at the moment but he will get back on to Clark later once Lex has secured his own future.

Lex takes a large drink of the whiskey he poured...

* * *

**SHIELD Prison Facility...**

Fury's eyes narrow. There is a dark look in Luthor's eyes he does not like. "What do you mean vengeance?"

"You would not deny a dying man his vengeance would you Colonel Fury?"

Yep. Fury does not like that look at all. It is so certain about what he is saying. "What have you done?"

Lionel smiles a smile that gives even a hardened veteran like Fury shivers. "Made sure that I will outlive all my enemies. A man should never be outlived by his enemies. Don't you agree Colonel?"

"What have you done?" Fury repeats himself, his voice harder and more deadly sounding.

Lionel looks directly at Fury his eyes cold and dark as one who knows he is damned and accepted it as his liberation. "Before the battle on the dam I did two things. One. I paid a visit to my son's home so I could drop off a gift for him of a bottle of whiskey..."

* * *

**Smallville...**

Back at the mansion Lex drops his glass, which shatters when it hits the floor, and gropes at his throat as it tightens. The drink is burning his insides. He can't breathe. He tries to call out for help but can't get a sound to come out of his vocal chords. His vision darkens. He wobbles on his feet before he topples over smashing through a glass table and lies on the floor not moving.

* * *

**SHIELD Prison Facility...**

"...and two I paid a little visit to my dear old friend Charles' home."

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Down in the lower levels in the main computer room the screen lights up. The female sounding computer voice speaks. _**"Initiate Mansion Lockdown sequence."**_

* * *

**SHIELD Prison Facility...**

"You see my appearance at the dam was a spur of the moment decision. I had in fact planned something else entirely for Charles and his students. I implanted a little virus into his computer system," Lionel continues to explain to Fury.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Titanium metal plates slide into existence covering the damaged mansion and sealing it tight. The female sounding computer voice speaks again._ **"Mansion Destruct Sequence Activated."**_

* * *

**SHIELD Prison Facility...**

"It was very well hidden. I really wish Charles was here so I could congratulate him but it was not hidden well enough to hide from the sensors in my suit," Lionel continues his story.

"What are you on about?" Fury wants Luthor to clarify.

"The back-up hard drives hidden in those lower levels under the mansion. A very impressive system Charles created. That was where I discovered how to get my revenge upon those mutants freaks who ruined everything!" Lionel says bitterly through gritted teeth. "That was where I implanted the virus. Well I say virus. It is more like a rogue algorithm. It would sit and wait until the system was reactivated and at the appropriate time it will run. The appropriate time being..." Lionel looks up at wall on the Fury's side of the bars where a clock sits on the wall. "Well as a matter of fact I'm guessing by now they are all back home. Tucked up in bed. Sleeping soundly," Lionel says with a false sweet sugary tone of voice.

Fury turns on the spot and heads for the door. He bangs on it to be let out.

Lionel laughs darkly knowing the Colonel has figured it out.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

A big number **'60' **appears on the computer screen. The countdown begins.

* * *

**SHIELD Prison Facility...**

Fury rapidly walks down the prison hallway and activates his comms. "Connect me to Xavier's now!" he commands.

**'50...'**

"We're trying sir," the voice on the other end tells Fury. "But we can't seem to get a connection."

**'40...'**

"Try harder!" Fury orders.

**'30...'**

In his chair Lionel smiles a dark smile as his hands now feel over his shaved head. He may be going to Hell soon but he has made sure that he will have a lot of company.

**'20...'**

After all does Colonel Fury think Lionel would have mentioned anything if it could be stopped. He takes a moment to thank the man who shaved his hair off. No reason not to be polite just because the end has come.

**'10...'**

"We're sorry sir. We can't get through," Fury is told. Fury is barely holding in his rage and despair because he can guess what Luthor has done. It can't end like this!

* * *

**At the Institute...**

The countdown reaches its end...

**'5...4...3...2...1...0.'**

The mansion is racked by explosions travelling from one wing of the building to the other before it is consumed by one final massive explosion, levelling the entire mansion leaving nothing standing and amongst the rubble, the smoke, the fire, there is no sign of survivors. No sign of anything living at all.

* * *

**Kawatche Caves, Smallville...**

A naked figure lies in the foetal position surrounded by a beam of light in a sea of darkness. He tries to recall where he is and how he came to be here but gets nothing. His mind feels so fuzzy and he is having trouble forming coherent thoughts. Every time he tries to snatch at a memory it fades away out of existence.

Who is he? Where is he? Why can't he remember?

Those are the questions plaguing his mind. Well in fact he can still remember one thing. He sees a girl with brown hair with a white stripe and green eyes. He can see her face as clear as day and he feels...he feels something he can't remember a word for. He knows her...somehow. Not her name nor how he knows her. Just the fact that he does and that he feels something profound for her.

"KAL-EL. MY SON!" a voice booms out of the darkness and the figure raises his head to try and see where it came from. "NOW YOU WILL BE REBORN!"

**To be continued...**

* * *

_Author's Note: I tried to create my own version of the ending of Season 3 'Covenant' because it is just an awesome cliffhanger ending where Lionel is sitting having his hair shaved off while, even in prison, he gets his revenge on Lex and Chloe while Clark is taken by Jor-El. I recommend you go watch it. I have decided to end this story here and continue it in a new story due to just how long this has gotten. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews and look to see the follow up shortly. I don't know if you call this a spoiler but here's the summary of my follow-up story;_

_**3 months after he vanished Clark returns and the X-Men soon find themselves facing off against old and new foes alike in the search for the 3 Kryptonian Stones of Power...and oh yeah on the side they have to try and stop the rise of Apocalypse.**_


End file.
